ashland lakes

Ashland Lakes DNR

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Ranger's Report

Weather

Road Condition

Distance:

4.5 miles one way

Hiking Time:

2 hours

Trailhead Elevation:

2400 ft

Elevation Gain:

-370 ft

Season:

May - November

Difficulty:

Easy - Moderate

Rating:

Best - Very Good - Good - Fair

Use:

Moderate

Users:

Hikers

Region:

Darrington Ranger District
Department of Natural Resources

Maps:

USGS Mallardy Ridge Darrington Ranger District Map Printable Topo Map

Permits:

Northwest Forest Pass is not required

Driving Directions:

From Seattle take I-5 North to Exit 194. Follow Highway 2 East for 2.3 miles, stay in left lane, go to Lake Stevens Highway 204 East, in 2.2 miles take left (north) on Highway 9 to Lake Stevens, in 1.7 miles take right (east) on Highway 92 to Granite Falls, in 8.4 miles turn left (north) to Mountain Loop Highway, follow the Highway to milepost 15.7 and turn right (south) to road #4020, where sign indicates Boardman Lake Trail. From this point gravel road starts. In 2.6 miles turn right to Bear Lake Road #4021. Follow the road for 1.4 mile, look for sign to Ashland Lakes and turn left to road #4021016. Trailhead is in 0.1 mile on the right hand side.

Trailhead:

Small parking, no campsites, no water, no restrooms.

Trail:

The trail goes on the old road for about a mile until it reaches a Y-junction with the sign - "left to the trail" and enters the woods. The trail is well maintained and about half of the way you hike on wooden walkways. The trail can be quite muddy at times, especially in the beginning of summer or during rainy days. In about one more mile there is another junction - trail going left to Beaver Plant Lake (0.2 mile)

. The lake is small and has walkways going around it, as well as several nice campsites with fireplaces. Campsites on all the lakes are open for overnight from June 15 to October 15. During this time HoneyBuckets are available (delivered by helicopters for this period). Right fork continues to Upper Ashland Lake passing Bald Mountain Trail DNR on the left. Upper Lake is beautiful with steep rocky spole on the South side . Several campsites with fireplaces are on the North side of the lake. The trail goes pass the campsites over the footbridge above the creek running from the lake and continues to the Lower Ashland Lake (0.5 mile). Right before the lake the trail splits into two: main goes to the left, the one to the right leads around the lake. Campsites are on the South and Southwest sides of the lake. From the South end of the lake trail leads to Twin Fall Lake (1.5 mile) coming steeply down on the rocky slope and very slippery in some places. Twin Falls Lake is like a pearl in a stone cup with a wall of water falling into it