| Summit Lake | |
| Pushpin Map: | USA Alaska |
| Pushpin Label Position: | Center |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of Summit Lake within the State of Alaska |
| Location: | Paxson, Alaska United States |
| Coordinates: | 63.1389°N -145.55°W |
| Type: | Natural lake |
| Part Of: | Copper River Basin |
| Inflow: | Gunn Greek |
| Outflow: | Gulkana River |
| Basin Countries: | United States |
| Length: | 7.1miles |
| Width: | 1.1miles |
| Area: | 4083.2acres |
| Depth: | 70feet |
| Max-Depth: | 214feet |
| Volume: | 1083344cuyd |
| Elevation: | 3300feet |
| Frozen: | From early November to mid-June |
| Islands: | 1 |
Summit Lake is located above the tree line on the south slope of the Alaska Range[1] between miles 192 and 196 of the Richardson Highway (AR-4). It is about 200miles north of Valdez, 180miles south of Fairbanks, and just south of Isabel Pass at an elevation of 3300feet.[1] It is also situated within the northeast corner of the census-designated place of Paxson, about 15miles upstream (north) of Paxson Lake.[1]
It is glacier-fed by several creeks to the north, including Gunn Creek (which flows from the Gulkana Glacier).[1] There are also additional creeks that feed into the lake from the west and southeast. The lake is up to 300feet deep and is covered with ice up to 5feet thick from November until mid-June. It is also the headwaters of the Gulkana River (a main tributary of the Copper River)[1] well known for its "Copper River Reds" salmon, which migrate in late September to spawn in Gunn Creek on the north end of the lake. The lake is 7.1miles long, 1.1miles wide, and has a surface area of 6.28sqmi.[1] [2]
The area is known for the annual Arctic Man Summit Lake Classic ski and snow-machine race, attended by up to 13,000 visitors each April, weather permitting.[3]