Summit Lake, Clearwater & Rooster Comb (Summit Lake Tie With Clearwater) — Wednesday, Jul. 23, 2025

Once again just so you know, this is not the family friendly hike to Summit Lake we are all used to. If you hated the road to the normal trail you’ll hate road 7710 (please double check the road number) ten times more. Also the summit lake normal trail which cannot be reached due to the Fairfax bridge closure is straightforward, no obstacles and a nice gentle grade. This one starts at the end of road 7220 outside of Wilkeson. You start on the Clearwater trail and about the time it bends down to the left towards celery meadows you’ll go to the right which becomes trail 1177a Rooster Comb. This is an old abandoned trail but there has been some recent flagging and is mostly easy to follow. Be prepared for a few steep ups and downs. There are some very steep parts you’ll need to hold onto trees for. The drops here are serious and you don’t want to fall here. It would not end well. Please know your limits and this hike is not family friendly. After getting through here it’s a steep grind up to the ridge above summit lake. From there it’s the summit lake trail of old that circles the lake. 5 of us spent 4 hrs on hammocks and exploring the lake. It’s a wonderful piece of solitude with the road closure as we were the only ones there. 
1 know your abilities. 
2. High clearance vehicle. 
3. Enjoy and pack out your trash. 
4. Be bear aware.  We saw at least 8 piles of very fresh scat. When exploring seldom used trails you will probably run into wildlife.