Summit Prairie Trail #2, WA

Starting at the Forest Road 90, the 9-mile Summit Prairie Trail begins with a steep climb for 2 miles before crossing Road 9075 near the west end of Quartz Creek Butte Trail 5B. From this point, the trail continues north in a series of switchbacks to the crest of Quartz Creek Ridge. As you traverse the ridge top, meadows reward you with views into the expansive tree-lined valleys of Quartz and French Creeks. The horizon holds snowcapped volcanoes and high open ridges of the Dark Divide.


Before reaching the junction with the Boundary Trail #1, you will pass by remains of the Summit Prairie fire lookout built-in 1929-1930. The lookout was abandoned in the 1960s, but if you use your imagination you can visualize what it must have been like to be a fireguard at this remote location. As you near the junction with the Boundary Trail, a small prairie opens where domestic sheep herds and Forest Service pack stock once grazed in the summer months.

Check out the Official Route and Triplog.

Leave No Trace and +Add a Triplog after your hike to support this local community.

2020-06-26 HAZ_Hikebot