Trip Report
Day Hike - Panhandle Gap & Summerland
Beautiful day with perfect weather!
Nancy Lloyd
- Tue, Sep 6, 2022
- Day Hike - Panhandle Gap
- Summerland & Panhandle Gap
- Day Hiking
- Successful
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- Road suitable for all vehicles
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The trail to Summerland is in good shape. The Frying Pan Creek bridge is solid with a hand rail, and a pretty easy rock hop over to it. From there, many big steps along the trail that appear to be deepening due to erosion. The Wonderland Trail stretch to Panhandle Gap is quite rocky and a little hard to follow in a few places, but otherwise is okay. A heavy water flow below the Gap made a rather challenging crossing. A tilted log with a flattened top can be crossed over part of the stream, but a larger section required careful foot placement on wet rocks - or wade through ankle deep flowing water. The flow was heavier on our return trip, but everyone crossed successfully with just a little bit of wet feet!
Frying Pan Creek before the bridge:
Water crossing below the Gap:
Excellent day for this hike. Several backpackers on the trail, but it never felt crowded. The wildflowers are past prime, greens are beginning to turn brown and autumn was in the air! At 12 miles rt/3,000' gain, it was a challenging, memorable, hike for the CHS students; the teamwork they displayed was a testimonial to what they've learned from their experiences this past summer!
Rocky traverse to Panhandle Gap:
