These Fire Lookout Hikes Offer the Best Views in the Cascades

With long views and a peek into history, fire lookout towers are a beloved part of the Pacific Northwest hiking scene. There are currently 93 in Washington State, though between 1930 and 1950, that number was as high as 660. Over the past seven decades, forest fires have destroyed scores of these structures, and others have been torn down by government agencies due to disrepair. Preservation nonprofits and volunteer groups maintain those structures that remain, and a handful still host a staffed lookout from the Forest Service or National Park Service during fire season. With multiple mountain ranges across the state, Washington provides hikers with varied terrain and awe-inspiring views from any of these historic cabins. Some even allow hikers to spread their sleeping bags across the structure’s wood floor for a night spent amidst the peaks. (If you’re planning to stay the night, it’s a good idea to bring a tent in case the lookout is full of campers already.) Get ready for an experience that is unique to Washington’s mountains.

Most Accessible: Heybrook Lookout

Click on the map to explore the area around the Heybrook Lookout on Gaia GPS. (Photo: Gaia GPS)

Location: Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Mileage: 2.6 miles round-trip Elevation Gain: 850 ft Allows overnight stays: No

For first-time lookout hopefuls, Heybrook offers a short hike just off highway 2 outside of the town of Index, and gets the best marks for accessibility. Originally built in 1925, groups like the Everett Mountaineers and the outdoor brand Filson have conducted a series of rehabilitations, with the intent to keep the history of this fire lookout intact. The hike is a short walk from the trailhead to summit and arrives at a 73-foot-tall tower standing on stilts above the dense fir forest. The climbing isn’t done once you reach the tower: Take nine flights of stairs to the cabin, where you’ll see expansive views of Mt. Persis, Mt. Index, and Mt. Baring from the windows and decks.

Most Scenic Dayhike: Fremont Lookout

Location: Mount Rainier National Park Mileage: 5.6 miles round-trip Elevation Gain: 1,200 ft Allows overnight stays: No

The highest lookout cabin in Mount Rainier National Park boasts spectacular views of the famed volcano and offers hikers a scenic respite to watch for wildlife. One of only four remaining lookouts in the National Park, it was built for fire detection by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1934 and is still equipped and ready to be deployed when wildfire season requires its use. With the elemental exposure of ridgeline walks, you’ll want to come prepared with water and sun protection. Enjoy a snack with your feet hanging off the second-story deck as you get intimately acquainted with Mt. Rainier, which fills the horizon from so close that you can almost reach out and touch it.

Most Remote: Desolation Lookout

Location: North Cascades National Park Mileage: 9.4 miles round-trip Elevation Gain: 4,400 feet Allows overnight stays: No, but there is a backcountry campsite on the same ridge.

Located deep in the North Cascades, the start of the trail for Desolation Peak is 16 miles from Highway 20, so most people take a water taxi from Ross Lake Resort to Desolation Boat Dock then hike the remaining 4.7 mile trail to the summit. The lookout was made famous by the writer Jack Kerouac and is part of a deep literary tradition of fire lookouts around the lake. In the 1950s, poets Gary Snyder and Philip Whalen worked as fire watchers on Sourdough Mountain to the southwest, and in now-demolished lookout cabins on nearby Crater and Sauk mountains, all respected treks in their own right. Desolation stands apart. Nestled on a ridge above the expansive lake, the views from the cabin extend out to the vast mountainous terrain of Washington State and British Columbia. It’s the last staffed lookout cabin in the national park, and you can visit the lone fire watcher during wildfire season.

Most Technical: Three Fingers Lookout

Click on the map to explore the area around the Three Fingers Lookout on Gaia GPS. (Photo: Gaia GPS)

Location: Boulder River Wilderness Mileage: 15 miles round-trip Elevation Gain: 4,200 feet Allows overnight stays: Yes

Built in 1931 and active for a decade, this lookout sits precariously atop one of the triple granite peaks of Three Fingers, and offers the experience of a lifetime: Start by biking about 10 miles of closed fire-service roads, then stash your bike and hike into the forest. Next, don crampons and ice axes to cross a snowfield before reaching vertical ladders to reach the lookout perched atop a jagged peak. Lovingly maintained by a group of volunteers, hikers are welcome to stay in the cabin during the summer season, but be advised, the cabin fills up quickly and there is no place outside the structure to set up a tent. Be prepared to share space with other hikers and keep cozy overnight from the warmth of your new friends.

Highest Elevation: Mt. Adams Lookout

Click on the map to explore the area around the Mt. Adams Lookout on Gaia GPS. (Photo: Gaia GPS)

Location: Gifford Pinchot National Forest Mileage: 12 miles round-trip Elevation Gain: 6,700 feet Allows overnight stays: No

Above 12,000 feet, the fire lookout on the summit of Mt. Adams is a literal hidden gem. Buried for most of the year under snow on one of the northwest’s largest volcanoes, this 12-foot-by-12-foot structure is only exposed for a few weeks at the end of each summer. Built in 1918, the structure spent three years as a fire lookout cabin before it was decommissioned. For a decade starting in 1932, a group of miners repurposed the building as a basecamp to extract sulfur from the volcano. Since the mid 1900s, snow and ice completely encases the structure each winter, and it only emerges from its alpine tomb for a few intrepid trekkers to experience each year.

Best of the Best: Hidden Lake Lookout

Location: North Cascades National Park Mileage: 8 miles round-trip Elevation Gain: 3,300 feet Allows overnight stays: Yes

With a little bit of everything that hikers love about the Pacific Northwest, this route offers a tranquil forest bath on the ascent to a vivid alpine lake. Further still, you ascend alpine meadows and ridges to climb to a cabin in the center of an expanse of astonishing peaks. There’s a reason people call the North Cascades the American Alps, and Hidden Lake Lookout is often referred to as the “crowned jewel” of these mythic peaks. Saved from destruction by a passionate member of the Skagit Alpine Club in the 1980s, this cabin is also maintained by volunteers. A steady stream of visitors come to stay the night inside this beloved cabin, and on most days, small crowds of hikers linger to enjoy the views and converse with fellow travelers. A place like this is meant to be shared.