Trail Overview
Boardman Lake Trail starts out as a standard gravel FS road but is laden with relatively large potholes and the elevation climbs quickly. There are many turnouts for dispersed camping but none offer privacy. After about 2 miles, you will reach a "Y" in the road where you can go to the Boardman Lake TH or Bear Lake TH. Proceeding straight will keep you on Boardman Lake and the terrain immediately changes. It gets very rocky and larger, and deep potholes become much more technical. This section is most likely only passable by 4x4 with higher clearance but offers a higher fun factor than that of the average FS road. There was no cellular service on this trail and there were posted bear warnings throughout. The parking area is known for vehicle break-ins at the trailhead parking pad, so remember to lock up! After the trailhead parking area, proceeding further takes you to a narrow section that has a bit of active water runoff and continues to narrow with the promise of pinstripes from twigs to thick branches. There is also a private dispersed spot toward the end of the trail with room for about 2 rigs.
Difficulty
The first 2 miles are just gravel and potholes but once you read the Y in the road, the terrain drastically changes becoming large loose rocks, washes, wide deep holes, and deep ruts. Near the end of the trail, it gets extremely narrow, and places to turn around are limited.
