Summit Creek is a flat trail along a pleasant mountain stream. It completes the Balancing Rock / Fern Forest Trail / Summit Creek Loop.
Location: West of Creston on Highway 3.
Difficulty: Easy A1
Elevation Gain: +50m
Distance: 4.6km
Time: 2.5 hours
Season: Year-round. Snowshoe in winter.
Access: Excellent. 2WD low clearance. Copious parking in the Summit Creek parking area on the highway.
Map: 82F/2
Drive: Highway 3 approximately 9.5 km west of the junction at the Ramada Inn.
Trail:
• Walk through the gate and continue for approximately 120 meters.
• Turn on the first left onto an abandoned asphalt road, and follow this to its end in a turnaround.
• The dirt starts after passing between two boulders and continues through an open grassed area toward Summit Creek. The trail should be visible at this point and follows Summit Creek upstream around a chain link fence, under the Highway 3 bridge and uphill to a trail junction with the Fern Forest Trail.
• Take the right branch (Summit Creek Trail) which continues upstream along Summit Creek. The trail parallels Summit Creek as you hike upstream through a closed canopy forest, cool on a hot day. 300m past a waterfall. Continue ascending high above Summit Creek. The main trail ends at a logging road in another 0.7 km.
• It is possible to continue on the undulating trail upstream past a moss-covered rock wall in another 0.6 km. The trail continues past but gets less used the further upstream you continue. In 200 meters you will encounter a small creek crossing. This is a good place to turn around unless you have more time to explore.