SUMMIT LAKE: THE HIKE

The wife, the child, and I decided to get outside and enjoy nature rather than sit in a sweltering house. We did a quick check on the Washington Trails Association website for nearby kid-friendly hikes and decided upon Summit Lake.

The wife packed our dinner, TWT printed up a couple of maps and grabbed gear, and we were on our way. We picked up our National Forest Day Pass in Burnett on the way there. After enduring six tortuous miles of rough forest service road (at least for a Honda Civic), we arrived at the trailhead.


(1) Shortly after setting out.


(2) Left to Summit Lake.


(3) Tahoma (Mount Rainier) peeks at us through a parting of the trees. Only ten more minutes to our destination.


(4) The trees open up and reveal a beautiful blue alpine lake.


(5) Gazing out at Mount Baker-Snoqualmie Forest near the edge of the lake.


(6) Looking down a few hundred feet at an island of pine and fir in the middle of a recently formed snow lake, itself an island in a sea of pine and fir.


(7) The spot where we waded in the cold mountain water and ate the dinner we packed in.


Summit Lake in the foreground, Tahoma in the background.