Washington's Cascades have an unfriendly reputation. Unlike the Rockies and Sierra, whose alpine basins and gentle saddles allow for easy travel, the Cascades are a maze of serrated ridges and deep, heavily-forested valleys containing swift-flowing rivers. While miners built high roads in Colorado in the 1800s that now service trailheads, most Cascades trailheads are in valley bottoms barely above sea level, deep in the dense coastal forest. The crux of a climb is often escaping 4,000 feet of vegetation to reach the alpine.

However, while it is certainly possible to find a surfeit of suffering in the Cascades, it can also be avoided. Thanks to the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Forest Service's fire suppression mission in the 1930s, many spectacular Cascades peaks can be reached via fire lookout trails, and some of the abandoned lookouts have even been preserved. Those who do not relish the thought of days spent fighting devil's club and black flies can enjoy some of the range's best scenery and history with nothing more than a pack and a bit of effort.

Lookout Hikes in the Cascades

Hidden Lake Peak Lookout

Hidden Lake Peak is a popular, moderate hike from a relatively high trailhead. It offers a view of summits around Cascade Pass such as Johannesburg and Eldorado, and is home to a maintained lookout cabin open to campers on a first-come, first-served basis. The lookout was built by the Forest Service in 1931, and staffed until 1958. It was subsequently repaired in the 1980s, and is now a combination museum and bunk-house.

To reach Hidden Lake Peak, follow the Cascade River Road east out of Marblemount, then turn left on Forest Road 1540 as it switchbacks up to the trailhead at 3,600 feet. From here, a well-defined trail climbs through the forest via a series of boardwalks, then switchbacks up an alpine meadow before traversing to the rocky summit of the peak, overlooking the eponymous Hidden Lake.

For those with the time and inclination to explore, a steep climbers’ trail leaves the main trail to follow a narrow heather-covered ridge toward The Triad. Where the main trail turns southwest and crosses a stream above the switchbacks, look for this trail following the left-hand side of the stream east to a saddle. From the saddle, the trail extends a little more than a half-mile along the ridge to the northeast, until a series of gendarmes and gashes forces climbers onto the adjoining glacier. The trail also continues south along the ridge to Hidden Lake Peak, though this section requires some travel through boulders and snow travel. I appreciated MICROspikes when hiking this route.

Sourdough Lookout

Sourdough Mountain is one of northwest Washington's "workout peaks," popular among fitness-conscious Seattleites for its well-maintained trail gaining 5,000 feet in 5 miles. However, Sourdough is more than just an outdoor stair machine, offering views of some of the North Cascades' more remote peaks. The mountain was first used as a lookout point in 1915, two years before construction began on the nearby Diablo Dam. The current cabin was built by the CCC in 1933, and was rehabilitated in 1998, though it is currently closed, shuttered, and unused.

To reach the trailhead, turn off Highway 20 toward the town of Diablo, and park in a small lot along the lake past the first section of the town. The trail starts behind the building on the other side of the road, switchbacking steeply through the woods past signs designating it a flood escape route in case (presumably) the Ross Lake Dam breaks. After several thousand feet climbing through the woods, the trail enters a scenic alpine meadow, revealing views of Snowfield Peak and Ruby Mountain south across emerald Ross Lake. Reaching the broad summit ridge, one is rewarded with the sight of the Pickets to the west and Jack Mountain to the east. Those with more energy can continue along a 20-mile loop down the Pierce Mountain Trail, then back along the Ross Lake Trail; camping along this route requires a permit.

Crater Mountain Lookout

Crater Mountain was once home to the Cascades' highest lookout, at 8,128 feet. The cabin, built in 1932, was staffed for 20 years, with beat poet Gary Snyder being its last occupant in 1952. The high lookout was both difficult to reach and inhospitable; all supplies had to be lifted up the final cliffs by hand-winch, and Snyder describes rime-ice forming on the cabin's guy lines in July. Though the cabin has been removed, traces of the winch system remain, and the pack trail leading to its base is still usable.

At 6,000 feet of elevation gain, Crater Mountain can be a tough day. From the Canyon Creek Trailhead, cross Granite and Canyon Creeks on well-made log bridges, then follow the trail on the north side of the creek as it switchbacks 3,000 feet up through the forest. At an unsigned but obvious junction, turn left and continue climbing through the woods, eventually reaching open ground in the spectacularly cliff-ringed cirque of Crater Lake. The trail bends southwest, ascending Crater's south ridge in a series of built-up switchbacks. To the south, glacier-clad Ragged Ridge looms impressively, while Highway 20 makes its way toward Rainy Pass along Granite Creek a mile below.

Where the terrain steepens near the summit, the pack trail ends, but a series of cairns and painted markings directs the hiker (or lookout) up a steep route beginning on the left-hand side of the ridge. After a bit of scrambling near the winch's remains, one emerges on Crater's windswept, tilted summit plateau. While little of the cabin remains, the lookout's well-built foot-trail is still clear. From the summit, the contrast between the wet, glaciated western range and the dry eastern one is particularly striking. Solitary Jack Mountain looms nearby, while the Hozomeen Peaks beckon to the north.

Three Fingers Lookout

Perhaps Washington's most spectacular and famous lookout, Three Fingers Lookout is perched on the highest of three rocky points high above Darrington, at the western edge of the range. The house was built with great effort in 1931: after blasting the top off the peak to make a flat base, the crew hauled all construction materials to the summit with a windlass and a 1,000-foot wire. Occupants reached their perch by crossing the Queest-Alb Glacier, then climbing a series of ladders and a hand-line. The lookout was abandoned after only ten years, and the Forest Service originally intended to destroy it. However, a group of volunteers restored the building in 1986, and maintain it to this day.

With the access road permanently washed out 10 miles from the former trailhead, Three Fingers is much more difficult to access than it once was; bring a mountain bike, or be prepared for a long road hike. From the non-obvious trailhead shortly before the end of the road, follow the trail up through the woods to alpine meadows at Goat Flat, then on to Tin Can Gap at the edge of the Queest-Alb Glacier. The steep snow crossing has traditionally been traversed utilizing crampons and an ice axe. However, recent glacial recession can make it possible to avoid most of the snow and ice by crossing later in the summer by following the moat where the glacier has pulled away from the rock above. The summit affords excellent views of the Cascades' other western outliers, Sloan, Whitehorse, and Pugh, the last of which once also housed a lookout.

Need to Know

Information

Photos and information on existing lookouts are available in the National Lookout Historic Register while former lookouts are listed in the Former Fire Lookout Sites Register. See also the related TrailGroove article, Shelter on a Summit: Backpacking to Fire Lookouts.

Best Time to Go

The best time for visiting the lookouts is generally July through September.

Getting There

For lookouts along State Road 20, the closest gas is in Marblemount, and the closest “civilization” is probably Concrete. Cell phone coverage is spotty from Marblemount on, though the library has free WiFi.

Hidden Lake Peak Lookout

Turn off SR 20 in Marblemount onto the Cascade River Road. Follow this paved and graded-dirt road to Forest Road 1540, signed for “Hidden Lake,” and follow this steep dirt road as it switchbacks 2,000 feet to the trailhead.

Sourdough Lookout

Turn off SR 20 at the sign for Diablo. Continue past the Gorge Lake Campground and through the small settlement on Diablo Street. Immediately past the settlement, park in the small parking area next to the shore, and look for the trailhead near a small concrete building on the other side of the road.

Crater Lookout

Follow SR 20 east past Ross Lake, then park at the Canyon Creek trailhead on the left.

Three Fingers Lookout

Take the Mountain Loop Highway 6.5 miles east of Granite Falls, then turn left (north) on Forest Road 41. Drive this gravel road to where it is gated around mile 8, then hike or bike to the trailhead around mile 18.

Maps and Books

Either use CalTopo to print custom maps, or use Trails Illustrated #223 North Cascades National Park. Except for Three Fingers, which is farther west in the National Forest. It’s covered by the Whitehorse Mountain USGS quad. In regards to books, refer to Lookouts: Firewatchers of the Cascades and Olympics as well as Hiking Washington's Fire Lookouts.

Editor's Note: This article by contributor Sean O'Rourke originally appeared in Issue 27 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here for additional photos and content.