In my 4x4 was able to drive to the trail head not much snow on road till right before the trail head. Trail was icy and the wood planks were slick recommend micro spikes and or grippy boots

The road to the trailhead is crazy with giant pot holes. I would not suggest anyone with a Seda or low clearance vehicle to try the road. The last bit of the road has snow, it was the first time I put my jeep in 4wd!

The trail its self is fine until you get to the boardwalks. They're narrow and now covered in slushy snow. We were able to get to Upper Ashland Lake but couldn't get past the portapotty. The boardwalks after this spot were under water, at least as far as I could see.

Most of the trail was wet, muddy and rooty. It was beautiful nonetheless, just be careful. I don't suggest bringing little ones on this hike until the snow melts.

Light snow made the boardwalks very slippery. Some of the boardwalks are nearly under water. Pretty hike!

Ashland Lakes trail can be summed up by the main pro and con.

The obvious con: the forest road. It is horrendous. When I wasn't trying to maneuver through and around crater-sized potholes, I was worried about puncturing a tire on the exposed rocks that plague the road. At several points the road is narrow and one-laned. It took us forty minutes in our Rav4 to make it from Mtn Loop Hwy to the trailhead. A vehicle with ample clearance is necessary to traverse the road. All the other vehicles we saw along the way were trucks or some variety of SUV (Jeeps, Subarus, 4Runners). Proceed with extreme caution!

The best pro: we had the trail practically to ourselves. There were only four other cars at the small trailhead when we arrived at 2pm. Privy is closed. We passed each party within the first thirty minutes of our hike and didn't see another soul until we started making our way back. The deafening silence was eerie, yet welcome. The fluttering wings of the dragonflies were the loudest sounds we heard. 

The trail constantly alternates between well-established boardwalks, and a wet, rocky, and rooty mess. A few trees across the trail that are easily climbed over. The trail is very well signed and includes accurate mileage markers.

Our favorite spot was the Upper Ashland Lake - it felt more open and offered more places to sit and relax. The Lower Ashland Lake is beautiful in its own way - the trees are starting to show their fall colors, but it felt more swamp-y than the other lakes. However, the campsites at the lower lake were impressive and well constructed. Beaver Plant Lake served as a nice, quick stop on our way back to the trailhead.

In addition to plenty of brightly colored dragonflies, we also spotted one black squirrel and a garter snake taking a swim.

Overall, if you can safely make it up the forest road, I'd say the juice is definitely worth the squeeze!

I had not planned on going out to this trail today, but visited the trail as part of a search and rescue mission for a lost hiker.   My main purpose of this update is to provide a current report on the state of the approach forest road.  It is five miles from the highway to the trailhead.   This road is one of the worst approaches that I have been on in the last few weeks.   Potholes, rough stony sections, and deep ruts are present on long sections of the road.  It also is one lane with very few places for cars to pass.   Do you need a four wheel drive vehicle?    No, I followed a Toyota minivan up the road but we did so at 5 mph.   Every hundred yards we would all stop to a crawl to dip in and out of the next obstacle.  I am pretty sure one of the larger, water-filled potholes contained a small sedan.   The reward?    Very few people venture up this area so you  see far fewer people and gain access to a series of high lakes.  ( 6 cars at trailhead versus a couple hundred at Lake 22).   

The rest rooms at the trailhead are closed so be prepared for the inconvenience. The trail was in good condition with water in the few small drainages that crossed the trail.  There were no bugs during our hike around midday.  I did see some ripe berries so you can snack your way to your favorite lake or campsite.  

The good news?   We found the lost hiker within an hour of taking the trail out.   Seeing him come through the woods was the perfect ending to my hike.