Summit Lake Amphitheater Trail

Dogs No Dogs

Features Birding · Lake · River/Creek · Views · Wildflowers

Summit Lake Amphitheater Trail can be accessed from both the North and South Summit Lake Campgrounds. From North Summit Lake Campground, hike east on the trail along the lake and bear right/south where the trail forks to begin hiking on Summit Lake Amphitheater Trail. To access this trail from Summit Lake South Campground, take Summit Lake South Campground Connector from the south campground entrance area toward the lake and find this trail at the lake's edge.

Summit Lake Amphitheater Trail is a wide, flat trail in the fir forest at the edge of Summit Lake. From the trail start at the northeast corner of Summit Lake (as shown in this description), the trail soon reaches an unmarked fork in the trail on the east side of the lake. Stay right to continue hiking along the shoreline on this trail. To get to the campground amphitheater, go left, away from the lake onto Summit Lake Amphitheater Access Spur. The other end of Summit Lake Amphitheater Access Spur is marked with a sign pointing the way to the amphitheater.

As the south end of the lake is reached, Summit Lake Amphitheater Trail comes out of the forest onto a boardwalk over the lake's outlet stream and its marshy banks. There are nice views of Hat Mountain across the lake to the north here. The trail then passes the South Summit Lake Campground and heads north through the forest along the west shore of Summit Lake.

Summit Lake North Campground where Summit Lake Amphitheater Trail ends, is soon reached after a total of 0.5 miles.

Fir forest and a grassy, wet area at the Summit Lake outlet creek. Geese.