Mileage: 2.4 miles RT
Elevation Gain/Highest: 385ft/3000ft
Map: Green Trails Silverton No 110
Favorite Eats After Hike: LJs Bistro & Bar, Mirkwood Public House, Creekside Ale House, Glorybucha Microbrewery, River Time Brewing, or just Pack A Cooler. You can learn more about these places in my Must Hike Must Eat Eating Out Guide.
Find out current conditions and always practice Leave No Trace. Pretty Please.
Hike Details:
Evan and Boardman are a pair of lakes up from the Mountain Loop Highway, perfect for the family in the summer and ideal for a snowshoe in the winter. Gain is minimal but the trail is woven with old growth tree roots so mind your step. Expect plenty of company from hikers and campers whose vehicles can manage the deeply rutted forest road but everyone can find a taste of solitude around either lake to bask in the sounds and smells of nature. I wrote up a more detailed description for Washington Trails Association, you can find it here.
My Hike:
7/3/2018
I though it would be fun to go back up and see how the trail actually goes in comparison to the route I took on a snowshoe two years ago. I know I hadn’t been on the trail as I took a much more direct route between the two lakes.
Unlike the last time, I was able to drive all the way up to the trail head. Let me say here that I could write up a whole page just describing the road. Wowzer! I thought it was bad when it was snow covered, so much worse without.
Evan is the first lake I came to and it is literally just a yards from the car (270ft). In fact, when I reached where I could look out to the lake, I could still look back and see a tiny bit of my car through the trees. This alone makes this perfect hike for little kids or those who might want to get out in nature but not really get out.
I admired the lake for a bit and watched the big fluffy white clouds roll by. A few fish popped out of the water to catch at dragonflies on the otherwise tranquil lake surface. The bugs were out but not horribly so, I didn’t feel the need for bugspray.
On to Boardman! The trail here is well loved, evidenced by the how it is deeply trenched and mostly twisted roots from the old growth cedars, firs and hemlocks that make up the forest. It was a bit too early for the huckleberries but the dwarf dogwood was everywhere. I wasn’t too concerned, the ancient trees were wonderful to study, in tact or as nurse logs.
The trail slowly climbs up and with the help of a few switchbacks, I was up and down to the outlet of the second lake. The trail went both left and right at the shore but it was clear that most hikers go left over the logjam at the outlet and up some worn wooden steps onto a knob for viewing. It was fairly easy and one of the logs was cut to offer more traction (but clearly not where it used to be). The wooden steps, however, are not in good shape and like most of the trail maintenance features on this hike, folks have simply created a trail on the side to avoid them.
I explored a bit up on the knob to capture different perspectives of the lake and the highest point really offered no better view than the lakeshore despite the numerous bootpaths leading up to it. There was one main campsite and a smaller one closer to the logjam that had recent use. They would be great for someone’s first backpacking trip or if you only had a short time to venture out.
On my way back out I took the trail to the right side of the lake which was much brushier and petered out in a short distance. I imagine if you enjoy bushwhacking, you could continue further but I don’t think the views would be worth it. All in all a fun little day out and at less than 1.5 hours on trail I was home by lunch time!
2/6/2016
This was my first time to Evan and Boardman Lakes and I was looking forward to enjoying it as a snowshoe. The road has quite a few potholes but doable. I parked about 2.25 miles in at a pullout when the road became rutted with snow, just before the turn off for Bear Lake.
I started out at 9:15am with just spikes as the snow was intermittent for the next mile but progressively became more rutted then completely covered in snow. Unlike a lot of roads I’ve been on lately there were not a lot of downed trees to maneuver. I switched to snowshoes for the last 1.5 miles to the TH. It didn’t look like anyone had been up here in awhile, at least not since the last good snowfall.
I came to Lake Evans pretty quickly and it was a pretty spot to rest. For many, you could make this your turn around and be satisfied.
I made it around the lake a short bit, then there was no obvious trail. I pulled out the old map and compass and gauged that Boardman was due south, so I headed in that direction. Periodically checking my bearing and avoiding tree wells and creek beds, I made it to the lake in another 20 minutes or so. It was nice to have all to myself, very tranquil.
I left the lake about 11:15 and was back to the car by 12:30. I only saw a few folks on the way down, mostly families playing in the snow. A few higher clearance vehicles had been able to drive in about one mile further than I did. Overall a lovely day.
Directions: Drive east on the Mountain Loop HWY from Granite Falls 4 miles past the Verlot Ranger Station and turn right on Schweitzer Creek Road (FR 4020). Drive up 4.8 miles, keeping left at the junction for Pinnacle Lakes. The road is in poor shape with many large potholes and ruts so caution in low clearance vehicles would be necessary. Northwest Forest Pass needed at the trailhead. No privy.
Editor’s note: I wrote more about this hike for a hike guide description on Washington Trails Association, you can find it here.
For more hikes in the area, visit my Mountain Loop Highway page.
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