Hit the trailhead about 9am and there were about half a dozen vehicles parked in the access area. I took the last parking spot.... Trail is flat, wide, and well graveled for the first half mile or so, but then narrows and starts working up.. Once past a few switch backs you start to walk more on a ""boardwalk"" than a trail.... Trail crews have constructed elaborate elevated trail sections using 8 to 12 foot long ""treated"" 3 by 12's placed side to side with support blocks every 4 to 8 feet...... I don't think I've ever been on a trail with so much of this kind of construction... must have cost a bundle... Will definitely make the trail easier to negotiate early in the season when everything is pretty soggy.... The ground is pretty dry now and the ""boardwalk"" isn't really needed, but it did make the walk a bit easier... They've even realized that ""wet boards"" are ""slippery boards"" and are covering the surface with a wire mesh that provides for great traction.... ""wow"".... Beaver Plant Lake is pretty shallow, filled in, and looks barren. There are a couple of nice campgrounds around the lake though... (There are even ""porta potties"" that look like they were brought in by helicopter... porta potties were in position at both ashland lakes and the ""twin falls"" lake campsite also).. Just past Beaver Plant lake you run into the trail going up to ""Bald Ridge"".. it's well marked, but I wasn't going that way this time... Continued on by both Ashland Lakes, which are small, shallow, and the water is brownish (it's the tannic acid effect).. The outlet from lower Ashland drops down into Twin Falls Lake... Trail to Twin Falls is rather steep.. The campsite is past the lake, and I didn't go that far. Just stopped and checked out the lake and went down to see the ""outlet falls""... you have to crawl over a bunch of barriers and signs saying ""danger"" to get there, but it looks like everyone who visits, makes the trip.... Water is real low now, but this could be a dangerous walk early in the season when water levels are higher... Twin Falls lake is rather unique. It's small, deep and surrounded by cliffs about 100 feet high... There is a water fall that drops right into the lake with a small shelf one can easily swim to, stand on, and use the water falls to take a shower... My first trip here was in '64 or '65 (there were no trails then, we just bushwhacked in by following black creek up to Beaver Plant and then found the outlet to lower ashland, following that down to the lake) and that was exactly what my hiking partner did.. It was kind of fun to go back and reminisce a little...

Hiked into the Ashland lakes trail at 11:00 AM on a drizzle covered saturday. The trail was very easy with new boardwalk in places and mud in others. The campgrounds at Twin Falls are closed until later this month due to trail maintanance crews from the Student Conservation Corp. Camping is available at Upper Ashland and Lower Ashland lakes. The lakes are beautiful, but we bailed out when the downpour became constant, and the thunder and lightning started around 4:30 PM. Overall a very easy, scenic hike fit for almost anyone.

We're always looking for nice day hikes, and picked this one out of the ""100 Hikes"" book. We expected lots of mud, but the trail was mostly dry and in good shape; we aren't purists and appreciated all the log walks over the remaining bogs. It's such a nice, easy hike to the lakes that we decided to continue to Twin Falls Lake for lunch, and recommend this to others. It's a bit steeper going down, but well-worth the effort. The existing camps and log walks have been pretty torn up (by flooding') but the trails were dry and we had no problems getting around. Excellent swimming off the big flat rocks at the lake. Too many families hanging out at Upper Ashland on our way back, but Lower Ashland was deserted and is much prettier anyway. Not a soul at Beaver Plant either, so the solitude is there if you look for it. Very nice, easy hike to Lower Ashland, and a wonderful 9-mile round trip if you go all the way to Twin Falls Lake.

The trailhead was full of cars although we did not see many people on the trail until we got to the Upper and Lower Ashland Lakes. We had Beaver Plant Lake to ourselves and this one is as pretty and scenic as the others. There is a ton of mud on the trail. You start to get into it just this side of Beaver Plant and it gets progressively worse as you approach the Ashland Lakes. We walked all the way around Beaver Plant and also walked all the way around Upper Ashland. Board walks go most of the way around each lake and all the lakes have HoneyBuckets. We attempted to walk around lower Ashland Lake but turned around 3/4 of the way, after we got into too much mud and brush. This lake does not have a well maintained trail going all the way around it and we would not recommend wasting your time trying. My kid counted approximately 200 footbridges between Lower Ashland and the trailhead. We ran into a crew of the Student Conservation Association (SCA) working on the beginning of the Bald Mountain Trail. They were putting in, what else, another footbridge. Apparently this is their 3rd week working on this trail. The kids in the group were from all over the United States. The campsites at the lakes are nice. This is a moderate hike for children and would be exceptional if it were not for the mud and exposed roots, that make some spots slippery. Be careful of the mesh tacked to the boardwalks, this too can be slippery. Trailhead permits are not required since it is Department of Natural Resources land. Happy Hiking!

Trail condition good as far as Lower Ashland Lake, although it was muddy in spots. Trail was quite crowded, there were ~20 cars at the trailhead. We travelled up the Bald Mountain Trail about 3 miles. Again there were muddy spots and some deadfall. There is some snow, especially at the edge of the ridge and occasionally over the trail. Lost the trail at a few points due to snow, deadfall, and poor definition. However, it was relatively easy to find again. Bugs were relatively light, and did not seem to be terribly hungry. We could see Island Lake and Clear Lake (frozen) and Boardman Lake (open). We did not see other hikers on the Bald Mountain Trail.