This trailhead provides access for the Pacific Crest Trail at Summit Lake.

The segment of the trail accessed from this trailhead follows open rolling country along the crest of the Cascade Mountains. The trail passes through common alpine vegetation of mountain hemlock, lodgepole pine, western white pine, Pacific silver fir and whitebark pine. There is very little ground vegetation some of which consists of dwarf huckleberry.

The portion of the PCT from Summit Lake to Diamond Peak provides the most popular approach route for climbing Diamond Peak.