Summit Lake–Clearwater Wilderness Beach, 5 sights is a 9.5-mile out-and-back in Clearwater Wilderness near Upper Fairfax, WA. The route passes Twin Lake, Clearwater Wilderness Beach and Summit Lake. It climbs 2,701 ft, with sections as steep as 24% grade, and is mostly dirt. It scores 89/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: genuinely wild.
Elevation
0 mi4,383 – 5,463 ft · steepest grade: 24%9.8 mi
Getting there
Trailhead: Summit Lake Trailhead 47.03136, -121.82682
Nearest town Upper Fairfax, WA · Official trailhead info (fs.usda.gov)
Directions
AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com
Summit Lake–Clearwater Wilderness Beach, 5 sights
9.5 mi · ▲ 2,701 ft · 4 hr 31 min
Elevation 4,383–5,463 ft
Out & Back · Clearwater Wilderness
Trailhead: Summit Lake Trailhead · 47.03136, -121.82682
Weather Sep 20: sunrise 6:52 AM · sunset 7:11 PM
Parking lot at the trailhead
- Start on Summit Lake Trail, heading SE.
- 0.9 miPass Twin Lake.
- 1.4 miPass Clearwater Wilderness Beach.
- 300 ftPass Summit Lake.
- 150 ftTurn right, heading N.
- 450 ftTurn left, heading N.
- 0.1 miTurn right onto Clearwater to Summit Lake, heading NW.
- 1.7 miTurn left onto Clearwater Trail, heading N.
- 0.5 miReach Summit Lake, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 0.5 miTurn right onto Clearwater to Summit Lake, heading S.
- 1.7 miTurn left onto Summit Lake Trail, heading SE.
- 0.1 miTurn left, heading SW.
- 50 ftTurn right, heading SW.
- 2.4 miArrive back at the trailhead.
Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.
Trail surface
63% dirt37% unspecified
Weather
Sunrise 6:52 AMSunset 7:11 PM
Sunset
The best sunset spot on this hike is 2.8 mi in (~100 min). Leave by 5:11 PM for the 7:11 PM sunset. Back at your car by 8:38 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.
Good to know
- Parking lot at the trailhead
Other ways to reach this destination
More from Summit Lake Trailhead Trailhead
- Summit Lake–Clearwater Wilderness Beach, 4 lakes 4.8 mi · ▲ 1,184 ft
- Bearhead Mountain–Twin Lake, 3 summits 5.6 mi · ▲ 1,669 ft
- Summit Lake Viewpoint–Summit Lake, 5 lakes 5.3 mi · ▲ 1,496 ft
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