Winchester Mountain / Fire Lookout, Twin Lakes approach, snow-covered trail (winter overnight)

Winchester Mountain / Fire Lookout

Route:

Twin Lakes approach

snowshoe or hike

Spending a winter night in an old fire lookout on a North Cascades summit is a wonderful way to not study for a statistics midterm.

Region: Washington
Elev: 6,521 ft
Type: 
Trip Report 1:
Solo winter overnight
Date(s): February 6&7, 2010 (Sat&Sun)
Partner(s): solo
Trip Report 2:
Early fall hike with parents
Date(s): September 30, 2012
Partner(s): Marty Abegg, Sue Abegg
Trip Report 3:
Fall hike with friends
Date(s): November 15, 2014
Partner(s): Matt Burton, Tom Nanevicz, Carla Schauble, Barb Eller, Elle McLees, and Izzy (woof)
This page contains three trip reports for visits to the Winchester Mountain Lookout. Once I stayed overnight.

Route to Lookout

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Map

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Fire Lookouts of Washington

While I lived in Washington, I tried to visit as many of the remaining standing fire lookouts scattered about the mountain ranges of Washington as I could. Click the following link to go to my webpage on fire lookout structures of Washington, which gives a bit of history of fire lookouts as well as a complete listing of the remaining standing lookout structures in the state.

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Labeled Panorama

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Trip Reports for Winchester Mountain Lookout

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On Monday, the weekend weather forecast predicted a snowstorm. By Wednesday, it predicted sun. By Thursday, clouds. And by Friday, it was back to the snowstorm. A typical North Cascades forecast. Brian and I decided that Lookout Mountain would be a good Saturday adventure — snowstorm or sun, the lookout would be a tangible and fun destination.

Route detail:

The Lookout Mountain trailhead is just east of Marblemount, 7 miles up Cascade River Road. The trail begins on the north side of the road; there is parking in a small lot on the south side of the road. The trailhead is at a fairly low elevation of 1250 ft, so it can be accessed all year round. Of course, the lower your start, the more you must climb to get to the top!

Brian and I arrived at the trailhead while it was still dark, eager for a day of snowy hiking. Off we went. After a few steps my headlight batteries died. I returned to the car to get new batteries. Off we went. Brian asked if I had displayed my NW Forest Pass. Back to the car again. Off we went. Third time's a charm.

The trail wastes no time in climbing up a steep timbered spine between Lookout and Monogram creeks. We encountered snow on the trail at about 2500ft and put on snowshoes at about 3600ft. For the rest of the climb we proceeded to take on and off our snowshoes as terrain and snow conditions dictated. For the most part, we followed the faint track of the summer trail, until we reached an open snow slope (4600') where we could see the lookout far above, after which we just slogged and wallowed through deep snow to the top.

On top, we climbed up to the balcony of the mile-high lookout. By now it had begun to snow lightly and clouds obscured the renowned North Cascades scenery. On a clear day, you can gaze west down the Skagit Valley to Sauk and Bald Mountains, or south to Snowking, or north to or east to Teebone Ridge, Big Devil and Little Devil Peaks, and Eldorado, or north to the pointy Pickets.

I have had my eye on Lookout Mountain Lookout for an overnight night photography trip, so I was pleased when we found the door unlocked. The lookout is one of the most well-maintained and well-furnished lookouts I've seen. There are two beds, chairs, tables, and a full stove (not sure about the fuel situation). There are even some books and about ten stuffed animals to keep you company.

All in all, this was a fun day, with the lookout making up for the fact that the views didn't quite deliver. I will definitely be back for some night photography!

Lookout info:

The lookout on the summit of Lookout Mountain is one of the last remaining fire lookouts in the North Cascades. The original lookout was constructed in 1929 as a 2-story "cathedral" cabin. This structure was demolished in 1967, and replaced by a 30' treated timber R-6 tower that was constructed in 1962. This structure still stands strong and tall today, and is maintained by volunteers. The person primarily responsible for the lookout has been Dan Trudeau in conjunction with the Forest Service. They did a lot of restoration work back in 2002. The Sunray stove is a vestigial remainder from its last staffed days back in the 60s. The lookout is open to the public on a first come, first serve basis. 

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Stats (Jan 2012):

Roundtrip distance: 9.4 miles
Start elev.: 1250 ft
Summit/Lookout elev: 5719 ft
Elevation gain: 4470 ft
Ascent: 4:00, Descent: 2:30, Time in lookout: 0:45, Total car-to-car: 7:15

  • 5:45 am: Met in Sedro-Woolley
  • 6:50 am: Arrived at TH (1250 ft)
  • 7:15 am: Started hiking up trail
  • 7:57 am: Sunrise
  • 8:00 am: Hit snow on trail (2500 ft)
  • 8:44 am: Put on snowshoes (3500 ft)
  • 8:53 am: Took off snowshoes
  • 10:02 am: Put on snowshoes
  • 10:41 am: Took off snowshoes
  • 11:11 am: Put on snowshoes
  • 11:18 am: Summit/Lookout (5719 ft)
  • 12:03 pm: Began descent
  • 2:35 pm: Arrived back at car
  • 4:27 pm: Sunset
We hit snow on the trail at about 2500'.
The open snow slope at about 4600'. If you look closely, you can see the lookout on top. This slope would have slide potential if the snow is unstable.
Post-holing.
Winter branches.
Waves of snow.
The best view of the surrounding mountains that we got all day.
Lookout Mountain Lookout.
Brian climbing up the stairs of the lookout.
Rimed railings of the lookout.
Rimed railings of the lookout.
It's unlocked!
Inside the lookout. Two beds, a stove, chairs, stuffed animals, and more.
The permanent residents of Lookout Mountain Lookout.
Owl on guard duty.

On a brilliant autumn morning in late September 2012 I hiked to the lookout with my parents. The fall colors rimmed the trail with reds and oranges. The area takes on a totally different character in the summer and fall, when the road can be driven to the trailhead at Twin Lakes and hikers and campers abound in this popular short dayhike destination. Below are a couple of photos I took in September 2012.

    

I visited Winchester Lookout for a third time in November 2014 with my friends Matt, Tom, Carla, Barbara, Elle, and Izzy (Elle's dog). After hiking the snowy trail to High Pass, we hiked up to the lookout. There was enough new snow that we had to walk up the upper Twin Lakes road and use micro-spikes, but not enough snow to make snowshoes necessary. Below are some photos I took in November 2014.

Comments Pertaining to this Page / Trip Report

Useful beta. Updated route information. Corrections. Historical notes. Interesting facts. No fluff please.
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