Summit Point Trail
Hike Rating: Easy
Hike Length: 6.8 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 1,000’
Trailhead Elevation: 6,440’
Best Season: June through September,
once
access road is snow-free
Driving Access: Any vehicle,
with care
Plus
Points
• The trail ascends to a flat,
7,200'-high ridge, with overviews of the southern Wallowas
• The hike is mostly outside the Wilderness Area, but ATVs
and dirt bikes are prohibited
• Panoramic vistas of the white granite Cornucopia Ridge,
with its red basalt dikes
• Spring wildflowers abound, including paintbrush, gilia
and acres of fragrant blue lupine
• Historical log cabin, built with expert craftsmanship,
now maintained for winter ski use
• Cross-country part of the hike is easy, across the grassy
flats of Little Eagle Meadows
Minus Points
• Lots of cow activity from
August 1 to October 1, creating very dusty trails
• Little shade or cover on this hike, so it’s best to get
an early AM start on hot days
• Afternoon thunderstorms can create a lightning hazard on
the open, exposed ridge
Download
(PDF, 681 KB): Photos of Summit Point
Trail
Download
(PDF, 726 KB): Topo Map for Summit Point
Trail
Download
(GPX, 1 KB): GPS Points for Summit Point
Trail
Download
(PDF, 799 KB): Road Map for Summit Point
Trail
Trail
Notes
From the
trailhead parking area at the end of Road 7715, the route
climbs a jeep road north through sagebrush and scattered
firs. The old road is steep and extremely dusty by late
summer, due to intensive cattle use. At 0.7 miles, the road
tops out on a limestone ridge and comes to a junction. The
right fork leads east to the Summit Point lookout tower
(staffed during fire season), but one takes the left fork
leading north along the ridge line.
For
the next mile, the trail climbs the west side of the ridge,
through occasional stands of douglas fir, which give way to
subalpine fir and whitebark pine as one gains elevation.
From the open slopes, there are views west over the forks
of Eagle Creek and back south over the foothills of the
Powder River valley to the Elkhorn Range on the skyline.
From saddles along the ridge, one can also see east over
the irrigated farmlands of the Halfway-Carson valley to
Idaho beyond.
Above
treeline at 1.7 miles, the trail crests the 7,400' ridge
and begins a gradual descent north along a fence line for
about 200 yards to a wire gate (leave it as you find it).
Past the wire gate, the trail keeps descending north into
Little Eagle Meadows, through acres of fragrant blue lupine
in Spring, with spectacular vistas of the white granite
Cornucopia Ridge up ahead. At 2.4 miles (GPS Point 1), the
trail comes to a long shallow pond, brimming with water in
Spring, but just a dry mudhole by September. Here the route
leaves the trail and strikes off cross-country to the
northeast across the grassy benchlands, toward the base of
the Cornucopia Ridge in the distance. It's no use following
cow trails across the benchlands, as they go off in all
directions — better to just walk cross-country and
dead-reckon to the northeast.
Near the base of the ridge, one crosses a spring-fed creek
and soon arrives at an old log cabin on a knoll about 200
yards past the creek (GPS Point 2). This well-built mining
cabin dates from early 1900s and is now
used for
commercial winter ski trips, under permit from the USFS.
Please don't deface the cabin or take any souvenirs! East
from the cabin, follow a prominent trail as it contours
around the hillside for about 500 yards to an overlook at
3.4 miles, under Cornucopia Peak. This viewpoint has long
vistas east over the old Cornucopia mining district to the
Wallowa Mountains beyond.
Road
to Trailhead
From Forest Road 77, just
opposite the entrance road to the McBride Campground, turn
north onto Road 7715. Follow Road 7715 for 4.6 miles to its
end at the large trailhead parking area and bulletin board.
Road 7715 is a fairly good gravel road, but it has a few
rutted and rocky spots. Most any vehicle with normal
clearance can negotiate it, taking care in the bad spots.
Camping
Options
The nearest
developed camping area is the McBride Campground, a quiet
forest retreat along Road 77 about 5 driving miles from the
trailhead. There are 6-8 sites spread out along Summit
Creek that can accommodate anything from tents to travel
trailers. There are double fiberglass vault toilets, picnic
tables and fire rings, but no drinking water and no camping
fees. This pleasant campground has lots of shade under a
mixed pine-fir forest and is also fenced to exclude cattle.
For tent campers that are self-contained with their own
sanitation and water, there are a few dispersed campsites
along Road 7715 leading to the trailhead. The lower
elevation sites are pull-offs from the road into the creek
bottom, while another campsite is found in a saddle along
the high ridge, with views east into the Halfway-Carson
valley.
Agency Contact: Wallowa-Whitman Natl. Forest,
Pine Ranger District, (541) 742-7511
DISCLAIMER:
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this
information, but the authors do not guarantee that it is
either current or correct. The reader assumes full
responsibility for any use of this information, and is
encouraged to contact local public land agencies to inquire
about current conditions before
traveling.
Page
last updated: 12/10/14