Summit Lake

Another glorious fall day out on the trail. There are absolutely no issues with this 6.36 (round trip) trail thanks to an early August WTA crew that worked here. The road from the main highway is a bit on the rocky/bumpy side for nearly 7 miles but even in my sedan it wasn't horrible. I had the whole hill to myself until I was nearly back to the trailhead and I passed a couple more vehicles as I was driving back down.

As one can see from the photos, fall colors are in full swing at the highest elevations of this hike (not quite there in the lower parts of the hike.) Once you arrive at the lake, take your time walking along the shore and past the lakeside meadows then continue up the trail on the right side of the lake. This will take you up and around the small cirque behind the lake to some million dollar views of the lake and Mt. Rainier.

One last little note... I did hear several gunshots in the distance at the start of the hike. Be aware of hunting activities in your hiking areas, wear blaze orange or other identifying clothing, etc. In this general vicinity, I know people use the area for target shooting so be aware of those folks as well.