I wouldn’t even consider driving to the trailhead if you have lower clearance than a Subaru Forester type vehicle, it’s an extra 5 miles each way if you park off Mountain Loop. The trail is pretty straightforward with a lot of wooden planks in place of dirt trail which can be slick when wet. The first two lakes each have one specific good stopping point to enjoy the view and lunch, the dogs seemed satisfied at Upper Ashland Lake so we didn’t continue on to the Lower. We clocked 5.0 miles and 630 feet gain. Overall I don’t think this trail’s views are worth the wear on your car getting there compared to Boardman Lake or Pinnacle Lake but if you value solitude or logging new trails then this is a fantastic option.

Ashland Lakes has been on our list for a while, since checking out Boardman lake and Bear lake nearby many years ago. Did it today with our 7yo, 5yo, and carrying our 1yo.
Only 2 cars in the parking area when we arrived at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Not bad for a clear weather day!

The main points:

ROAD: very very rough. As in BAD. At one point there is a massive “pothole” that takes up the entire width of the road.  Don’t attempt this a low clearance vehicle. Our RAV4 made it all the way up just fine but we went slowly. 

TRAIL: in good shape. There is a lot of water on the trail, and some mud, but nothing too bad. Our 5 year was able to do it just fine. 

SCENERY & VIEWS: the lakes are very pretty, the forest scenery is interesting and a slight departure from the usual. We saw a lot of skunk cabbage in bloom but no wildflowers yet, and too early for salmonberries.

Overall, this hike wouldn’t make it into my top ten, and I wouldn’t return unless the forest road improved, but we had fun, the kids were happy, and this is a beautiful hike nonetheless. 

I have been wanting to do this hike for awhile and FINALLY made it out there!

ROAD CONDITIONS: Absolutely atrocious.  I was in a 4runner and I don't think I would have taken anything smaller.  The Pot holes are large and difficult to navigate so proceed with caution.

TRAIL: Absolutely stunning.  If you can get up here it's a wonderful hike.  There are three lakes and the trail is pretty decent getting to the first two.  This time of year its flooded out pretty bad and would take a bit more experience to get to lower Ashland.

Don't plan on using any of the facilities, the one at the trailhead is closed and the ones at the campgrounds are FULL.

We made our way up to Ashland Lakes after trying and failing for a few months due to the snow. the road is clear all the way up now, though there are a significant number of very large potholes and small washouts that make this a pretty rough ride. Take care and go slow driving up, but my Kia Soul made it just fine.

The trail itself was a beautiful hike. Very green and easy, lots of good scenery, and we were completely alone up there. Unfortunately we didn't make it past Upper Ashland, as the lake looks to have risen a few feet and large sections of boardwalk are under water. probably could get through with muck boots, but not normal hikers.

There are some muddy sections, I tried to clear out some of the drainage, but didn't bring trail tools. This trail will need maintenance soon or washouts are likely. Snow is also present in a few sections, but it's easy to pass and will likely be completely gone within the week.

This is one of my favorite hikes I’ve done, but I probably won’t return, simply because of the road conditions. We made it fine with our Ford Expedition in 4wd, but it was super slow, anxiety-inducing, and we felt a little sick after the 30 minutes of bumps to go the 4 miles up here. If you’ve gone to Heather Lake, the road is worse than that.

Beyond the road up, the trail is beautiful. There was lots of snow to be seen (today is Memorial Day), but none of it caused problems for the hike. The plant life was really neat. The lake itself was a cool reward after the not-steep hike.

Really enjoyed the hike itself.