Summit Lake #1177

Been here 5-6 times before over the years but was inspired to do it again now by Arul's August 3 report.

The road is bad. Not impassable, but bad. Four wheel drive not needed, but definitely recommended only for high clearance vehicles. Sure wouldn't want to take a nice car up here, but with a pickup or such you would be fine so long as you take it slowly and carefully over the numerous rough spots.

Severe washout about 1/4 mile before trailhead parking lot. You can get through (we did it in a pickup) but definitely not for the faint of heart.

Saw two other vehicles at the trailhead -- some sort of small car (must have taken a beating to get there, for sure!) and a Forest Service pickup.

Trail itself is in beautiful condition -- with some snow patches around the lake. It's about two miles in to this huge and beautiful lake. Saw one tent pitched a short distance from the lake, but had the lake to ourselves all day. Heard a couple of people once or twice across the lake but never saw them.

A great big thank you to a hard-working Forest Service crew of three young men. There was a HUGE (three-foot diameter) tree down across the trail about a mile in. The crew was there with crosscut saws on our way up, but had the trail clear and rebuilt upon our return a few hours later.

Same guys then went to work on a smaller tree across the trail about a fourth of the mile from the trailhead. Since that area of the trail is on Forest Service land and not in the Clearwater Wilderness where the aforementioned tree had been, the crew was able to use chainsaws and I'm sure made quick work of the problem. Thanks again, guys.

No other obstacles encountered. There were a few bugs, but not bad.

A few flowers along the trail. They included avalanche lillies, Indian Paintbrush and bear grass among a couple of others.