Forums Forums Public High Lakes Forum High lakes discussion Lily Lake/Clearwater Wilderness

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    • #116085
      Steve Watson
      Participant

        Can anyone give me guidance on how to reach Lily Lake in the Clearwater Wilderness. I’ve studied maps and looked for any reports on the lake and haven’t been able to find anything.

        According to the WDFW page, it was last stocked in 2015, so I’m assuming someone made the trip. I appreciate any help you can offer.

      • #116086
        Brian Curtis
        Keymaster

          I’ve never been in there so I can only speculate. But my assumption has always been that you work you way down through the cliffs from the Summit Lake trail. That is obviously extremely rugged country so you would have be be very careful.

        • #116836
          Jim Mighell
          Participant

            Steve, I have been there many times over the years ,=== This is a little late for your request so don’t know if you already found a way? There are two good ways and one not so good. All are compromised now by poor roads; but just recently, the Cayada Creek road has been greatly improved due to new logging. I mostly took the Summitt lake trail about 2/3 way up to Summitt, and then just dropped, at an obvious open spot along the trail vwery steeply to the Lily basin and take the least brush on over to the lake. Another way is to take the Roster Comb trail from near Cedar Lake (Terrible road now, (only since 2016) but doable off Hancock Permit roads when open). Thngs are much different from my initial trip there in 1965 , when I caught one of the remaining Yellowstone Cutthroats that puked my de-liar to 9 pounds before I released it (too big for my pack to kill); these days , it primarily a RB deal, with some to the 20″ . A third route would be up the Clearwater steamside from the Lyle Lake trail. Haven’t done it, but might work.

            Jim Mighell

          • #116838
            Steve Watson
            Participant

              Hi Jim, thank you for the info! I haven’t made the attempt yet but I will definitely give it a shot next summer. Dropping in from the Summit Lake trail sounds sketchy. How difficult is that route?

            • #116887
              Jim Mighell
              Participant

                Hi Steve – Never got back to this to answer your last question – Actually not that hard to drop to Lily from Summit trail just finding the right spot (where you can actually look down at the lake – steep going on some loose rock but pretty safe. Summitt lk Rd, and trail: just repaired last summer, for first time in years, so only a few dicey spots – not like previous 6 years of horrific driving. Don’t try going around from Twin lake – did that once (less elevation gain and drop) but decided not worth it (brush-hole).

                Hope the road holds up for next season. May not ever fix the road to Rooster Comb, unless there is another Log harvest in the upper So. Prairie area. Sad! Much better route to Coundly lake for lots of medium EB , but some of quality size, and lots of crayfish , if you want.

                Jim Mighell

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