Adventures in Wilderness Navigation

Articles

The demise of the dedicated GPS, 1/9/16
Silver Peak, 1/10/16
The Schweitzer Creek (Almost) Loop
Devil's Dome Loop
Smartphone battery strategies while backpacking
Changes to the Trail

External Links

How To: Pick an altimeter
Seattle Volunteer Park self-guided navigation

2014 GPS Tracks and Maps Warnings and Disclaimer for using GPS Tracks
Cow Heaven 12/6/14 Led by Ken Willis
Glacier Vista 12/13/14 At MRNP, snowshoe trip
East Tiger - Poo Poo Point Loop 12/20/14 A long day in the rain led by John Gilbert. 17.5 mi, 4130'
Thunder Creek 4th July Pass 12/24/14 Led by Ken Willis
Skookum Flats 12/27/14 Off of 410, north of MRNP
2015 GPS Tracks and Maps Warnings and Disclaimer for using GPS Tracks
Panorama Point 1/3/15 MRNP, Snowshoe trip
Halls Walls Washington I 4/26/15 Loop including Hall Pt, The Great Wall and Mt Washington. This track is incomplete.
Hannegan Peak 5/2/15 Great views of Baker and Shuksan from the north
Bandera 5/19/15 Started at Exit 42 right off I-90. Stopped short due to turnaround time
Halls Walls Washington II 6/13/15 Start from Mt Washington TH, includes side trip to Change Peak
Bullion Basin To Sourdough Gap 6/27/15 Led by Rich
Boulder Peak 7/18/15 Scramble east of Suiattle Rd. Same TH as for Hurricane Peak. Do not descend to Boulder Lake near the stream between Pear and Boulder lakes.
Melakwa Lake 8/5/15 With Shane
Castle and First Mother 8/8/15 Two peaks in the top 100 near Mowich Lake
Mt Si To Kamikaze Falls 8/18/15 Exploratory to connect Mt Si TH, Talus Rocks Trail to Kamikaze Falls. Next step would be to go up Teneriffe, over to Si and then back down the main trail.
Hall Creek - ZigZag Trail 9/21/15 There is a trail intersection part way up. In the future, try the right fork to some falls, then up to road and make a loop. At the top of this track there is an old truck.
Bald Mtn 9/26/15 Off the Mtn Loop
Pilchuck Via Pinnacle Lake Scramble 10/2/15 Up the scramble route and down the trail and road to the Mtn. Loop Hwy
Martin, Virgina, Berry and August Peaks 10/12/15 4 peaks near Mowich Lake in the top 100 of MRNP
Tamanos Mtn 10/18/15 Scramble in MRNP
Hike From Tiger Summit Trailhead 10/20/15 Much of this was new trails for mountain bikes. There was new trail construction at the top/end of the hike.
Mt. Ararat 11/21/15 Straight forward winter scramble
Mt Catherine 11/28/15 Started from Annette Lake TH, The slope up from the trail was very brushy and difficult, The rout down was interesting including a boot path near the power lines.
Teneriffe to Mt Si Loop 12/5/15 Up the scramble route to Teneriffe, did not start on the trail to Si but ended up on it. Down the Mt Si old trail.
Dickerman Mtn 12/12/15 Snow Scramble - no tracks/trail to follow at the top
Lime Kiln 12/19/15 With Meetup Group
Margaret's Way 12/20/15 New trail up Sqwak
Olallie Lake I 12/21/15 Intended to be a Winter Scramble, the snow was so deep, we barely made it to the lake
Mailbox peak 12/26/15 Winter Scramble, Old Trail
Olallie Lake II 12/27/15 Snowshoe trip
2016 GPS Tracks and Maps Warnings and Disclaimer for using GPS Tracks
Mt Margaret Winter Scramble 1/2/16 Counter clockwise loop
Mt Si Old Trail 1/5/16 Mt Si Conditioner Hike
West Tiger 3 1/7/16 Section Line - Main Trail Loop. Snow and Ice for the top third [GPX file only]
Cowlitz Gap Snowshoe
 1/9/16
 Goes North on Mazama Ridge
Silver Peak Winter Scramble 1/10/16 Note two maps, The Annette Lake trail has been moved from where is was when the USGS was made. OpenCycle shows the current trail.
West Tiger 3 from the main gate 1/12/16 Meetup Group Night Hike
Snoqualmie Point 1/14/16 Turnaround time stopped us short of Grand Prospect
Mildred Point 1/16/16 Followed the Wonderland and the Van Trump Trails from Longmire until they were lost. At about 5200 bear left from the trail to avoid avalanche terrain.
Commonwealth Basin Snowshoe 1/23/16 A short snowshoe trip in Commonwealth Basin including Beacon Rescue practice.
Tiger Cave Loop 1/24/16 An easy loop on Tiger with a visit to the cave.
Schweitzer Creek Loop, First Attempt 1/30/16 A failed attempt to snowshoe a loop up at Schweitzer Creek off of the Mtn Loop Hwy.
Squak Mountain 1/31/16 An evening loop hike by headlamp of Squak Mountain from the Issaquah side trailhead.
Icicle Ridge 2/6/16 A strenuous snowshoe up Icicle Ridge.
Poo Poo Point 2/10/16 An evening hike up Poo Poo Point via the
Chirico Trail.
Hurricane Ridge 2/13/16 A snowshoe at Hurricane Ridge sometimes in near white-out conditions.
Mt Walker 2/14/16 A day hike up Mt Walker in the Olympics
Howson 2/20/16 A winter scramble to Howson, a somewhat unofficially named peak between Sasse and Hex Mountains
Schweitzer Creek Loop, successfully documented 2/27/16 While not completing the loop, this track closes the loop. When combined with the track from 1/30 and single loop route can be derived.
Jolly Mtn 3/4/16 Multiple routes/tracks documenting various winter scrambles to Jolly.
Heybrook Nav Field Trip 3/12/16 A track captured while teaching the Mountaineers Wilderness Navigation class at Heybrook Ridge
Mt Washington 3/19/16 A snowy day on Mt Washington with a small side trip near the bottom.
Mowich Lake 3/26/16 Snowshoe to Mowich Lake in MRNP. The first part is on the road, but then trails cut the switchbacks nearer to the lake.
Stimson and Washington 4/16/16 A day hike to Stimson and Washington. Two peaks near Arlington.
Sun top 4/23/16 Snowshoe to Sun Top Fire lookout. Loop at the top, up the road and down the trail.
Snoquera Falls Loop 4/23/16 A nice hike to some falls between Greenwater and MRNP
Above Snoquera Falls 4/24/16 A portion of the Palisades trail. On a clear day there is a view of the Snoquera Falls, but alas I cannot attest to that!
Pyramid Mountain 5/7/16 A fire lookout overlooking Lake Crescent in the Olympic National Park. Watch out for the washed out trail!
Upper Grey Wolf 5/21/16 A hike along one of the major rivers in the Olympic National Park.
Halls Creek and Zig Zag Loop 6/12/16 Connecting two distinct trails with a section of less traveled and documented trail.
Tenerife and Mt Si Loop 6/16/16 Connecting Tenerife and Mt Si from the main Si parking lot. A scrambly day hike in the summer.
Goat Lake 6/25/16 Day one of a backpack scramble in the Olympics. The westward portion is Phreakin' Steep!
Petunia Scramble 6/26/16 A scramble of two peaks from Goat Lake.
Appleton Pass 7/1-2/16 Backpacking in the Olympics.
Obstruction Point and PJ Lake 7/3/16 Day hike meanderings around the road to Obstruction Point.
Shangrila Trail 7/9/16 Part of the Mt Washington trails. A more direct route from Change Creek to the road between Mt Washington and Change Peak.
Granite Mtn 7/14/16 Evening hike to Granite Mtn
Tyee and Crescent 7/16/16 Two top 100 peaks in MRNP. Used bicycles on the road to Ipsut Creek CG
Naches Loop 7/17/16 Day Hike
Devils Dome Loop 8/2-6/16 5 day, 4 night backpacking trip.
Cispus Pass 8/13/16 BIG Day hike
Roosevelt-Kaleetan 8/20/16 A two peak scramble, but I made it to neither peak. A difficult day for me.
Machu Picchu Trail 8/21/16 Part of the trail system being build off of Exit 38
Klahhane Ridge 9/4/2016 A day hike in the Olympic National Park
Crater Lake 10/8/16 East Cascades near Carlton
Easy Pass 10/9/16 Larch Hike on Hwy 20
Darvill Trail 10/16/16 The trail next to Kari's childhood home in Mt Vernon
Muller Ridge 10/22/16 Turned west on attaining the ridge, but did not make it to the fire lookout sites. Rough trail.
Green Mountain
 10/30/16
 A fire lookout from the Suiattle road. This turned into more ofa winter scramble than we had expected.
Tiger 1 & 2 11/12/16 From the Preston trail head
Tonga Ridge 12/3/16 Snowshoe trip. Snow too deep to go on with only two people
Lake Angeles 12/17/16 A snowshoe/Microspike outing to Lake Angeles
2017 GPS Tracks and Maps Warnings and Disclaimer for using GPS Tracks
Lake Serene 1/7/17 A winter trip to Lake Serene, including side trip to the upper Bridal Veil falls
Hurricane Hill
 1/28/17
 A snowshoe in good conditions out to Hurricane Hill
Lower Gray Wolf 1/29/17 Day Hike
Elbo Creek 2/11/17 Snowshoe and Day Hike
Snow Bowl Hut
 3/4/17 Partial trip track, Snow Bowl Hut to High Hut in Mount Tahoma Trails Association Hut System
Mt. Muller 3/25/17 Stopped short of ridge. Too much snow for the group's skill level.
Murhut Falls 3/26/17 A short easy hike to falls up the road to the Duckabush
McCausland Mtn 4/16/17 Snow scramble up McCausland from the Smithbrook Rd. On snowshoes the whole day.
Chuckanuts Backpack 4/21/17 Camp at Lily Lake, side trips to Oyster Dome and North Butte
Gray Wolf Backpack 4/29/17 Backpack on the Gray Wolf River, plus extended day hike up to three forks shelter.
Skywalk at Whistler 5/6/17 A snowshoe trip near Whistler in Canada
Dirty Harry 5/14/17 An exploration of new trails. The trail was only partly complete.
Mount Jupiter 6/3/17 A long dry ridge, partially hiked with an eye toward backpacking it at a later time.
Icicle Ridge 6/16/17 3 day back pack on Icicle Ridge out to the Fire Lookout
Kachess Ridge Thorp Mtn 7/7/17 A Backpack along Kachess Ridge and to the Thorp Mtn Fire Lookout
MMM Ridge 7/15/17 Another trail in the Mt Washington system off of exit 38
Dodger Point 7/21/17 A fire lookout structure in the Olympics. Hike via Long Ridge starting at the Elwha River.
Excelsior 7/28/17 Backpack to Excelsior plus side trip starting boot path to Church Mtn
Panhandle Gap 8/4/17 A day hiked section of the Wonderland Trail in MRNP
Dege Peak and Palisades 8/5/17 A pair of day hikes from the Sunrise point parking lot at MRNP
Waptus Lake Polalie Ridge 8/18/17 Backpack to Waptus Lake with side/day trip to Polalie Ridge
Muller All the Way 8/26/17 A day hike to Mount Muller, this time we got all the way there.
Johnson Mtn via Pilot Ridge
 9/1/17 Multi day backpack to a stunning fire lookout site near blue lake. This is usually reached from the PCT. We took a lesser used route along Pilot Ridge.
Christine Lake, Gobblers Knob and Beljica 9/15/17 Two more fire lookout sites on a backpack. Gobbler's Knob is one of four remaining structures in MRNP.
Church Mtn 9/23/17 Another Backpack to another fire lookout site
Mailbox Peak 10/7/17 Day Hike
Forest Service Rd 62 11/18/17 A day's meander hike/snowshoe near Persis on Hwy 2
Johnson Ridge
 12/16/17 A snowshoe trip off of Hwy 2
Striped Peak 12/31/17 Day Hike with meetup group
2018 GPS Tracks and Maps Warnings and Disclaimer for using GPS Tracks
Eagle Lake Trail 1/7/18 Snowshoe trip
Alt Tonga Route 1/14/18 Day Hike
Lake Angeles 1/20/18 Snowshoe trip
Tiger 1 Preston Trail 2/3/18 Day Hike
Granite Lakes
 2/10/18 Snowshoe trip
Happy Valley 2/18/18 Snowshoe trip
Paradise MRNP 3/3/18 Snowshoe trip near Panorama Point cut short due to illness
Teneriffe New Trail 3/24/18 Scramble up the east ridge and down the new trail. In snow most of the way.
Mt Townsend 3/31/18 Snowshoe trip from the Quilcene side. Turned around at an avalanche slope.
Mountain Home Ridge 4/5/18 Exploration of trail system outside of Leavenworth. Tried to find a route up to Boundary Butte. GT and USGS maps not helpful. Next time will try Open Cycle map route.
Snow Creek 4/6/18 Snowshoe trip up the creek out of Snow Lake (Enchantments/Icicle Creek area). Turned around at avalanche slope.
Stimson 4/14/18 Day hike to Stimson near Arlington
Deer Park 4/21/18 Partial Hike to Deer Park in the Olympics. Turned around due to snow depth
MMM Ridge 4/21/18 Another attempt to close the loop iwht Machu Picchu trail, but we did not have snowshoes with us.
Lookout Mtn Twisp Attempt 5/4/18 Once again turned around due to lack of snowshoes
Pipestone Canyon 5/5/18 A great desert like hike and scramble near Twisp
Bowen Mtn 5/5/18 An unmapped trail system near Twisp. Story is follow the road along the east side of Bowen Mtn for a trail that goes to the top. This track had great views without the elevation gain.
Leecher Lookout 5/6/18 A fire lookout near Carlton. (Methow Valley) This structure is still occasionally staffed.
Baker Point 5/12/18 A fire lookout site near Baker Lk. firelookout.com shows this to be at 2200', but we found debris (cables) at a spot near 2500'
Park Butte Trail in Snow 5/13/18 An exploration of the Park Butte trailhead area in 8+ ft of snow. To get to the Park Butte trail look for the snowmobile creek crossing downstream from the regular creek crossing.
Blue Mtn LO, Sultan Basin 5/19/18 Day hike along logging roads to Blue Mtn Lookout. Plus exploration of new Sultan Basin Trail
Deer Park and Blue Mtn 5/26-27/18 We backpacked up from the Slab Camp trailhead on a day that we expected the campground to be clear of snow, but the road still closed. Somehow people found a wayaround the gate, but not many. Blue Mtn, a former fire lookout site, made a great side trip from camp.
Ned Hill 5/27/18 A fire lookout structure (falling down platform) in the Olympics
Soda Springs 6/1/18 An easy former fire lookout site upstream from Lake Wenatchee
Dirtyface Ridge Lookout 6/2/18 A former fire lookout site above Lake Wenatchee
Profitts Point lookout site 6/2/18 A lowland fire lookout site on private land. We got close enough to photograph the site, but decided to respect the privacy requested
Tyee, Sugarloaf and Steliko Fire Lookouts 6/9/18 Three fire lookouts between Entiat and Leavenworth. All with Structures.
Stampede Pass LO plus attempt at Snowshoe Butte 6/16/18 Stampede Pass plus an attempt at Snowshoe Butte
Desolation 6/22/18 Desolation Fire Lookout at Ross Lake
Thunder Knob 6/24/18 A very short hike to a viewpoint over Diablo Lake
North Point and Kloshe Nanitch 6/30/18 A pair of lookout sites in the Olympic Mountains. North Point still has the original structure but has been converted to a communications point. Kloshe Nanitch has a nice platform where the lookout used to be.
Aix 7/7/18 A rugged fire lookout site East of Rainier
Goodman Hill 7/8/18 A fire lookout structure on Fort Lewis property. The red track is gated at times, the blue track is much longer, but I saw no gates that would ever block it.
Surprise and Glacier lakes 7/13/18 We backpacked to Glacier Lake and then attempted to summit the old lookout site of Surprise Mtn. However the boot path up the northwest aspect Kari remembers (there was even a sign at the time) is just gone and it turned into such a bush whack we gave up due to time constraints.
Goode Ridge 7/20/18
Stehekin Locals Only 7/21/18
Park Butte LO/Scott Paul Trail 7/29/18
Heather Park 8/4/18
Puyallup Ridge 8/19/18 Two road walks with a short brush bash scramble in the middle. This was created while following a track suggested by Alexei
Hidden Lake Lookout 8/24/18 A backpack to Hiiden Lake Lookout. We camped at about 5500'
Darrington Ranger Station 8/31/18
Mebee Pass Lookout 9/1-2/18 2 day backpack to a recently restored lookout. There is a tough creek crossing at the beginning and a lot of navigating a nearly dissappeared trail
Snowshoe Butte 9/8/18 Our second attempt at Snowshoe Butte. This one successful. I have included a picture of both approaches as both will work. See 6/16/2018 (Stampede Pass) for a GPX track of for that approach.
Jumpoff (Joe) 9/15/18 Worst road to trailhead of all time! You have been warned. There is another approach from the west. Use that instead.
Mt Pleasant 9/22/18 A fairly uninteresting fire lookout site
Blyn 9/22/18 A short road walk for a fire lookout site. It can be driven, but we wanted the exercise. Not even sure there is view, too much fog
Kitsap Lookout 9/23/18 Don't leave the roads/trails. For more, refer to the notes included in the zip file
Carne Mtn and Carne Mtn LO Site 9/29/18 A backpack to Carne Basin. Then we tagged both Carne Mtn and the peak (6991') just to the south of it where the lookout site was.
Buck Mtn 10/5/18 It took two tries to find the correct road off of the hwy and then two tries to find the correct road off of that. I hope this gpx track will help!
Okanogaon PO 10/5/18
Omak Mtn 10/5/18 My GPX track for this one seems to have gone missing. It was not a hard road to follow
First Butte 10/6/18 This was clearly drivable but not following the route that looked obvious on the usgs and usfs maps. However, the turn onto road 805 that is likely the route had a rut in it we were not going to try in our vehicle.
Leecher Tree Lookout 10/7/18 It is certainly not obvious this exists from the road.
Knowlton Knob 10/7/18 This route is signed No Tresspassing where we started hiking. We stopped to talk to a person riving out from their home. She did not say a word to us about tresspassing and was quite friendly. I am not going to recommend this route, but I also do not know of another route.
Alpine (Nason Ridge) Lookout 10/13/18 No navigational challanges
Huricane and Klahanie Ridges 10/20/18 Day hike in good weather
Big Skidder Hill Attempt 11/11/18 The road/trail ends on the route we tried. Going off trail at this point looks quite viable, we had some some less experienced hikers with us.
Beckler Peak West 11/17/18 This is NOT the new/regular trail to Beckler Peak. That trail goes to the East peak, which is not the former fire lookout site. This trail goes to the old site below the West peak. The site of the lookout is at the 'X' at 4950' elevation. We went up to the peak just for fun. This trail/old roads is a little hard to follow and other people have chosen to go straight up the ridge for the last 200' to the site.
Big Skidder Complete 11/23/18 We made several attempts at this peak but circumstances prevented us from completing it until this time
Blyn Mountain 11/24/18 The other Blyn, this one does not have a fire lookout former or otherwise.
St Edwards Park 12/1/18 We used St Edwards as a trainer on a bad weather weekend.
Mt Zion 12/8/18 There are several ways to get to this former fire lookout site. We took the hardest as it makes a good conditioner on a marginal weather day.
Tonga Ridge III 12/15/18 We have been trying different routes up this hike that is close to us.
Kalcema Lake 12/19/18 Snowshoe trip
Big Skidder 4 12/30/18 Exploring other routes. This one has a bit more view.
Big and Lower Quilcene 12/31/18 Former lookout site. The hike was so easy we added a side trip along the river.
2019 GPS Tracks and Maps Warnings and Disclaimer for using GPS Tracks
Shine Lookout Site 1/1/19 Another lookout site. The spot we were directed to via GPS mades sense as a site, but there was too much brush to have any hopes of finding remnants.
North Lookout 1/5/19 A fire lookout structrue near Darrington. In the summer, drive to this one. We did it as a snowshoe trip.
Sleepy Hollow 1/12/19 An easy hike in the Olympics
Smithbrook Road with Shortcut 1/19/19 We found/were directed to a shortcut on this otherwise routine snowshoe up the Smithbrook Road
Rattlesnake from the West 3/23/19 We went as far as we felt like going.
Elbow Creek to Buck Mtn 3/30/19 At the top, go past the buildings and scramble through the trees to an outstanding viewpoint. Kari's Trip Report
Lorena Butte 4/4/19 This lookout structure was moved from its original location. To access it, get permission from the owners of the land. They are easy to work with and just want to know when you will be there.
Meadow Butte 4/5/19 Outside of Trout Lake, this crows nest lookout was a long hike to undergo in snowshoes much of the way.
Bessemer 4/20/19 A hike from the middle fork of the Snoqualmie Road
MMM Ridge Loop Closed 4/28/19 Another loop closed at exit 38.
Evergreen LO winter route 5/4/19 There was too much snow to drive to the trailhead, so we tried the winter route. This is very steep and difficult, not recommended for beginners! From the trailhead, there was just too much snow for the energy we had left.
Red Top Lookout 5/10/19 Red Top Lookout on Teanaway Ridge. We took two routes up to the area. The first went along the road from the south and then a short trail to the lookout. The second up the blue creek trail from the east. We just went to the ridge on this second hike.
Lookout Mtn (Near Twisp) 5/26/19 This LO structure is too close and too easy to get from the place we have been staying twice a year. Two earlier tries were unsuccessful because we did not tak it seriously enough. Got it this time!
North Twentymile Lookouts 5/27/19 Until recently, a highly neglected trail. The first half has obviously been worked on, I am hoping they will get to the rest of it this year. In the meantime, this is a challanging hike. There is water available about half way.
Mt Jupiter (Successful this time) 6/1/19 We did this as a backpack. There is NO water, but doing it this time of year we were able to melt snow at the top. Kari's trip report
Dirty Harry's peak and museum 6/8/2019 Includes a side trip along the Web Mountain Trail to a small lake Kari's trip report
Sourdough Mtn Lookout 6/16-17/19 We did this as a backpack staying at Sourdough camp about a 1,000 below the top. As you can see from my map, the trail has moved from that marked on teh USGS. This has increased the length of the trail over all an may account for some discrepanices between different stats cited on some sites and trip reports. Kari's trip report
Tubal Cain and Tull Canyon 6/22/19 Day hike up the Tubal Cain and Tull Canyon Trails in the Olympics. Kari's trip report
Watch Mtn 6/29/19 We did this 26 mi trip on mountain bikes. There does appear to be a shorter route (18 mi) that probably is not bike friendly.
High Rock 6/30/19 This is an easy 3 mi round trip hike to a spectacular fire lookout.
Red Mountain 7/4/19 An easy lookout hike in the Indian Heaven Wilderness area of southwest Wa. Views are of Mt Adams, Mt Saint Helens and Hood Mtn in Oregon. Kari's trip report
Burley Mountain 7/5/19 While it is possible to drive to this lookout with a high ground clearance vehicle or to within a couple of miles with any vehicle, we chose to backpack. Kari's trip report
Winchester Mtn via Twin Lakes 7/11-13/19 We hiked from the Yellow Aster Butte trailhead, because the road from there to Twin Lakes has always been bad. But for a couple of places that still require gronund clearance it is better. The trail from Twin Lakes up to the lookout includes a recommended bypass of a snowfield that is dangerous when it exists.
Chain and Doelle Lakes, Bulls Tooth Scramble 7/19-22/19 Backpack to Chain Lakes from Stevens Pass ski area following the PCT south. Then follow Icicle Creek trail from its headwaters at Lake Josephine and finally turning to go up to Chain Lakes. The road from the Stevens Pass Nordic Center to the PCT was open to traffic, but gets rather extreme in the last mile before it crosses the PCT. Kari's trip report
Park Creek Pass 7/30/19-8/1/19 Three day backpack to Park Creek Pass from the Stehekin Valley. We drove a borrowed car up from Kari's family cabin in Stehekin to the point where the road is (permanently?) washed out at Car Wash Falls. Our first night's camp was at 5 mile camp. The second day we visited Park Creek Pass, and hiked out to Park Creek Camp for our second night. Total was 30 miles in about 49 hours.
Mt. Sawyer and Fisher Lake 8/17/19 Day hike to former lookout site on Mt Sawyer and then to see Fisher Lake. The latter is marked as a boot path on some maps and not at all on others. However, it has become known and the trail is now marked. The trail itself is easy to follow bu quite steep for a couple of short sections. There are several campsites at the lake.
Mt. Defiance 8/24/19 Day Hike to Mt. Definace on a pleasant summer day.
Three Fingers Lookout 8/30/19-9/19 The hardest (IMHO) lookout to tag. We backpacked halfway in to Saddle Lake and then took on the lookout. This trip is for EXPERTS ONLY! It is important to do a lot of research on it. It can only be done as a straight hike in late summer. Otherwise there is some glacier travel involved that requires ice axe and crampon skills.
Evergreen Lookout 9/7/19 We did this the easy way this time... waited until summer and did it without snow. Look back a few months and you will see a track for the winter route up to the parking lot for the trail head.
Lookout Point 9/20/19 A very short hike to a Lookout.
Quartz Mtn (and Mount Spokane) 9/21/19 Two lookouts in Mount Spokane State Park. Quartz Mtn is an easy day hike, Mt Spokane is a paved road all the way up!
Tower Mtn (and Welpinit Mtn) 9/21/19 Two more lookouts near Spokane. Both have (bad) roads. This track is for Tower as we gave up driving and walked the last 1.65 mi. We did manage to drive to Welpinit later that afternoon.
Welpinit Mtn 9/21/19 Welpinit Track.
Entwhistle and Whatcom Lookouts 9/28/19 Two former lookout sites near Bellingham. They are both radio facilities now. Be careful of the route north from the south lookout site. It's a really hairy bike trail. Hike DOWN this trail only.
Funk Lookout 10/5/19 The gate was not open, so we had to hike 2 mi each way.
Strawberry Mtn 10/5/19 There is no trail to this one! It is a scramble/bushwhack.
Goat Peak 10/6/19 Good trail and Spectacular! Highly recommended.
Foothill Lookout 10/19/19 There is a post, in a flat spot part way up this trick that likely had a fire finder on it, but no structure.
Mann Road Near Sultan 10/26/19 Exploratory Hike.
Sauk Mountain 10/27/19 Beware this hike in snow, could be very dangerous. (Avalanche Risk!)
Frailey 11/2/19 Road walk to a lookout site that is now comm towers
Washington Stimson Exploration 11/3/19 The way we used to hike this is now closed, looking for alternative routes.
Pinnacle Peak Park 11/16/19 Nice Trail System in South King County.
Blue Canyon 11/24/19 We did not make it to the actual lookout site. There is no trail and we were out of time. On the map, we took the red GPS track up and the blue one down.
Hamma Hamma GS 11/29/19 This lowland guard station was actually used to watch for fires. I was a late addition to the SLOW list.
Webb Mtn. Lookout (Lower) 11/29/19 Two lookout sites on the same mountain.
Webb Mtn. Lookout (Upper) 11/29/19 Two lookout sites on the same mountain.
Devils Mtn. Lookout 12/7/19 Lookout near Mt Vernon.
2020 GPS Tracks and Maps Warnings and Disclaimer for using GPS Tracks
McMurray 2/8/20 Another Skagit County lookout site.
French Point Lookout 2/9/20 We bashed through a lot of blackberry bushes on the way to an overgrown lookout site.
Stegelson Ridge 2/9/20 This is NOT a lookout site!.
Green and Gold Lookout Sites 2/17/20 Two lookout sites on one hike in Kitsap County. Hiking time just over 6-1/2 hours.
Galbraith 2/22/20 Lookout site near Bellingham.
Basin Attempt 1 3/1/20 Lookout site above Spada Lake. This was our first attempt. See hike on 3/21/2020.
Badger Mtn. Lookout 3/7/2020 Lookout site above Wenatchee. Hiked with Kyle and Trina
Behind Kyle's house in Cashmere 3/7/2020 Behind Kyle's house in Cashmere
Beehive Mtn. Lookout 3/8/2020 Miners Run Beehive Lookout
Mount Constitution 3/8/2020 Loop hike on Orcas Island including Little Summit, Mount Constitution and along Mountain Lake.
Basin Attempt 2 3/21/20 Lookout site above Spada Lake. This was our second attempt. See hike on 3/1/2020.
Brickyard Tolt Norway Hill 3/29/20 Norway Hill and the neighborhood to the south.
Crocker (Little Skidder) 4/5/20 Norway Hill and the neighborhood to the south.
Fill in missing trips 4/X/20 Fill in missing trips.
Dayton Peak Lookout 5/9/20 Dayton Peak - Southeast Olympics.
Grisdale Hill 5/10/20 Grisdale Hill - Southeast Olympics.
Tunk Mtn. Lookout 5/22/20 We spent the night in this one.
Cody Butte Lookout 5/23/20 In the Collville.
Cornell Butte Lookout 5/23/20 In the Collville.
Franson Peak Lookout 5/23/20 North Central.
Columbia Mtn. Lookout 5/24/20 Floor all rotted out.
Bonaparte 6/19/20 Another Structure.
Aeneas Lookout 6/20/20 Must take the back door route to avoid private property
Slate Peak Lookout 6/21/20 Off the PCT in the north.
Oregon Butte Lookout 6/26/20 First of four in Southeast Washington.
Big Butte Lookout 6/27/20 Second of four in Southeast Washington.
Table Rock Lookout 6/27/20 Third of four in Southeast Washington.
Clearwater Lookout 6/28/20 Fourth of four in Southeast Washington.
House Rock Lookout 6/28/20 A lean to shelter in Southwest Washington that was a late addition to the SLOW list.
Baldy (Olympics) Attempt 1 7/5/20 An attempt to get to Baldy in the Olympics.
Salmo Mtn. Lookout 7/10/20 A Lookout structure in Northeast Washington.
Salmo Mtn North Site 7/10/20 The original site of the Salmo Lookout. It is on a peak north of the current structure and only 1/4 mi away
South Baldy Lookout 7/11/20 A Lookout structure in Northeast Washington.
Sullivan Mtn. Lookout 7/11/20 A Lookout structure in Northeast Washington.
Timber Mtn. Lookout 7/11/20 A Lookout structure in Northeast Washington.
Diamond Peak Patrol Lookout 7/12/20 A Lookout structure (platform in the trees) in Northeast Washington.
Diamond Peak Lookout 7/12/20 A Lookout site in Northeast Washington.
Indian Mtn. Lookout 7/12/20 A Lookout structure in Northeast Washington.
Whitechuck Bench Lookout 8/8/20 We got to the GPS Coordinates of this site and found nothing.
Crystal Lake Circle Peak 8/8/20 Two Day Backpack trip.
Copper Mtn.(Ridge)Lookout 8/13/20 Three day backpacking trip.
Goat Lookout Northwest WA 8/15/20 Near the trailhead to Copper Ridge. There is a trail part way up but then a long traverse with no trail that we could see.
Surprise Mtn 8/28/20 Two Day Backpack trip.
Jefferson Ridge Attempt 9/5/20 Ran out of time and trail on this one.
Anderson Attempt 9/13/20 Ran out of time and weather issues.
Lee's Cabin and Easton Ridge 9/20/20 A modern lookout overlooking the golf courses and the old lookout site above it.
Roaring Ridge 9/20/20 Lookout Site.
Frost Mtn. Lookout 9/26/20 Lookout Site.
Observation Peak Lookout 9/26/20 Lookout Site.
Quartz Lookout Site South Central 9/26/20 Lookout Site.
Tiffany Lookout Site 10/3/20 Lookout Site.
Driveway Buute Lookout Site 10/4/20 Lookout Site.
Dow Mtn. Lookout Site 10/17/20 Lookout Site.
Chelan Butte Lookout Site 10/31/20 Lookout Site.
Chelan (Sagebrush) Lookout Site 10/31/20 Lookout Site.
Cooper Mtn Lookout Site 11/1/20 Lookout Site.
Martin Lookout Site 11/7/20 Lookout Site.
Meadow Mtn Lookout Site Attempt 11/7/20 Lookout Site.
Canyon Lookout Site 12/20/20 Lookout Site North of Tiger Mtn in a neighborhood.
2021 GPS Tracks and Maps Warnings and Disclaimer for using GPS Tracks
Mount Zion Trail 836 1/2/21 There are three ways to hike to Zion, this is probably the easiest.
Sawmill Lookout Site 2/6/21 Drive By Lookout Site near Poulsbo.
Tahuya Lookout Site 2/6/21 Lookout Site in Kitsap.
Mt Octopus Lookout Site 3/13/21 Lookout Site Near the Hoh.
Nordrum Lookout Site 3/27/21 Lookout Site Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie.
Keystone Lookout Site 5/1/21 Lookout Site.
Washington Butte Lookout Site 5/1/21 Lookout Site.
Tiptop Lookout Site 5/2/21 Lookout Site.
Cascade Lookout Site 5/29/21 Lookout Site.
Tyler and Baldy Backpack 7/2/21 Lookout Site.
Backpack to Mt Townsend via Silver Lake 7/30/21 Lookout Site.
Estes Butte 8/28/21 Lookout Site.
Whitestone Lookout 9/4/21 Lookout Stucture
Gold Mtn. 9/4/21 Lookout Stucture
Buttermilk Butte 9/5/21 Lookout Site
Lookout Mtn. Twisp 9/5/21 Lookout Stucture
Monument 83 Backpack 9/24-25/21 Lookout Stucture. Hike in from Manning Park, Canada
Peoh Point 10/9/21 Lookout Site
Mt Pleasant - two routes 10/30/21 Two more ways up Mt Pleasant
Galena Mtn 1/22/22 Lookout Site
Haystack (Goldbar) 5/21/22 Lookout Site (Track Damaged)
Gizzly Mtn 7/16/22 Lookout Structure
Lynx Cabin 7/16/22 Lookout Structure
Harriet Hill 10/22/22 Lookout Site
Naneum Ridge 10/22/22 Lookout Site
Lion Rock 10/23/22 Lookout Site
Mt Townsend (Little Quilcene) 10/29/22 Lookout Site