Sword Lake Trail

Note: Road to this trailhead remains closed about a half mile due to the fire last year. Please check the park page for more information. There are two main trailheads to access this lake. The closest one is the County Line trailhead, at which you can park after having survived driving 6 miles of dusty dirt road, of Highway 108. The rangers at the Summit station in Pinecrest have said that the trailhead could be driven to in regular passenger vehicles but there are many holes and rocks. The trail starts climbing right away and is steep at places, but once you reach (quickly) the summit (which is on the side of the Dardanelles West), the rest of the short hike is mostly downhill. It goes through woodlands first, then in beautiful, flowery meadows before going back to woodlands close to the lake. You can set up camp high on the granite (to avoid mosquitoes) but still very close to the lake. Spend time swimming and jumping from the cliffs, exploring Sword Lake's brother, Lost Lake, taking great views of Spicer Meadow Reservoir, and taking pictures of the sunset.