Summit Lake (Hatcher Pass)

The feel

Summit Lake is a small cirque lake, or tarn, up to 20 feet deep. It marks where a long-gone alpine glacier began. A trail leads around the lake, and a nearby bluff offers views of the Willow Creek Valley, the Susitna Valley and the western arc of the Alaska Range.

On most summer weekends you can watch paragliders soaring around the nearby peaks. Blueberries grow throughout the area in August. Deep snow often lingers into late summer on northern slopes, so snowball fights can break out unexpectedly in any summer month.

What to expect

Route and terrain

Loop, 0.4 mile, around a small alpine lake. About 16 to 26 ft of gain, rated easy.

Time

About 0.5 hour.

Crowds and best time

Best from May through September. Road access is usually July through late September.

Parking

Summit Lake State Recreation Site is on Hatcher Pass Road, about 2 miles past the Independence Mine State Historic Park turnoff.

Dogs

Allowed on a leash.

Kids

Rated easy.

Hazards

Snow can fall any month of the year at this elevation.

Season and access

Road access is limited to the summer months, usually July through late September. The road is rough, gravel, narrow and steep from Mile 17.5 to Mile 32.5.

Mingo says

Come in August for blueberries. Pick a summer weekend and you may catch paragliders over the peaks.

Before you go

• Leave the RV at home, since RVs and large vehicles are not recommended on this road.
• Expect slow passage on the rough, narrow, steep gravel road.
• Keep dogs on a leash.
• Pack for snow, which can fall in any month.

Written October 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page.