September 15, would have been my grandpa's 92nd birthday, and what a better way to celebrate him than by giving back to a trail (of many in the area) that we hiked together. My grandpa gave back to his community in so many ways, and now I give back to the hiking community by volunteering to keep the trails in good condition. Bonus, Rainier made an appearance today (grandpa must have known!)

The Road: Road 70 is paved all the way to the turnoff for 7030 (Which is not marked, but it is the first left turn after the shooting range). 7030 is not paved once you cross Greenwater River Bridge, shortly after the turn. The road winds and a few other roads, but if you follow the main tire marks on the road you'll be on the right one. After about 7.5 miles of gravel you'll see a parking area to the left of the road (if you continue the road dead ends). There are some larger potholes on the road, but nothing that even a sedan could do, just go slow. There are some steeper sections of the road, but not that bad. I’ve been on much worse roads. 

The parking: I recommend parking diagonally in the small parking lot, there is enough room for 10 cars if parked correctly. Remember to leave room for emergency vehicles, just in case something happens.

The trail: The first part of the trail is flat along what used to be the road to the trailhead. It’s flat for the first .6 miles. You’ll then see a little border of rocks and a trail sign pointing towards the switchbacks. Here is where the real work starts! Unlike pre 2007 when there was a rope to help you up the rocks, it is now switchbacks. 15 tight steep switchbacks, with two very large steps (Which WTA is going to hopefully be addressing to make it less of a big step). After these switchbacks the trail is flat for a quick minute before it starts 8 more switchbacks which are steep but not as steep. From these 8 you may be able to see Mountain Goats to the west where they like to hang out. If you need a breather, take one, turn around and you’ll see Mt. Rainier (If it’s clear out). The last .4 miles of trail is less steep, it climbs only 200 feet incline, mostly closer to the lookout. Once you get out of the trees there is a short steep area then the lookout is in view! The last little climb to the deck of the lookout is also steep. The huckleberries were on their last little bit of life, mostly overripe if you ask me. And they are starting to turn their fall red color. Besides Mountain Goats near the trail, no other wildlife was seen all day. The trail itself is narrow in some spots, huckleberry is growing into the trail (About 8 years ago WTA brushed back a lot of huckleberry from the trail, but it is starting to grow in again). Some of the trail is ‘rutted’ from water (snow melt mostly) from rushing down the easiest path so there are some sections of the trail that are about 1 foot lower than the sides of the trail. Lots of social / animal trails, please leave no trace and stay on the trail. Speaking of leave no trace, if you need to use the bathroom, please dig a cat hole! One of our crew members dug one, to bury human waste he found while a little off trail gathering material that we would need for the work.Other people should not come across your waste and TP! 

The lookout: It was still ‘open’ for the summer, meaning you could look into it, but the door was locked so you cannot go inside.The mountain was a little foggy at first but then the clouds cleared and it was a perfect bluebird day for most of the day. From the backside of the lookout you can see the Stewart range, and some of the smoke from the Sugarloaf fire burning near Leavenworth. You can also see powerlines, along with other FS roads. On the main side of the lookout is Rainier and all her glory (again when it’s clear). As the day progressed smoke from the Wildcat Fire (bumping lake) came in and kind of obscured the view. From the panorama at the lookout you can see the patchwork of logging that takes place on our national forest. Always makes me smile when I see those patchworks of different levels of trees. Signs of a healthy managed forest. 

Our Work: Our crew was helping to make some of the trail easier to walk on, but removing rock with feather wedges, and near the end of the switchbacks placing rocks to help slow the water down as it comes down the trail.

Tips for the trail: There are no restrooms, or water on this trail, please bring enough water, most of the trail is exposed and can get warm. If you need to use the bathroom please follow Leave Not Trace Principles. This is a short, steep, but rewarding hike - trekking poles help not only with the up, but the coming down as well. It is dry and dusty, take your time coming down so you don’t lose your footing on the switchbacks. Additionally right now is hunting season, we did see some hunters when we got to the trailhead at 8 in the morning, so be aware, wear orange, and if you have a dog, keep them on leash. 

Until next time, Happy Trails!

I am signed up for a few WTA trail work parties later this month on this trail, but have never previously hiked it so I went to check it out. Before turning up FS Road 70 I stopped at Federation Forest State Park to use the restroom. It was 62 degrees when I stopped there. I assumed it would be cooler higher up at the TH. I was wrong: it was 76 degrees when I got there at 11:00 am.

FS Road 7030, the first turn after traveling about 8 miles on nicely paved FS Road 70, is NOT signed, but the distance from Hwy 410 is accurately described in the directions to the TH, as are the distances to all other turns you will need to make so reset your trip odometer when leaving 410. The unpaved sections of the Forest Service roads have some rutting, rocks, and potholes but are not horrible. There are certainly worse FS roads out there. A high clearance vehicle is ideal, but others should be ok with careful driving. There are no restroom facilities at the TH. I did see a sign for a backcountry toilet near the lookout, but didn’t investigate.

This is a short (3.4 miles RT) hike to a fire lookout. You’ll gain over 1,000’ in the 1.7 mile one way to the lookout, but most of it comes in the last mile. The first .7 mile is on a decommissioned road and is wide, nicely shaded, and relatively level. At the end of this section you will see a “Trail” sign with an arrow pointing sharply up and to the right.

The trail narrows considerably at this point and begins climbing right away. Tree cover diminishes too. While there were occasional patches of shade, it was mostly exposed mid day on this sunny day. Good sun protection recommended. Bring plenty of water too. There were no water sources along the trail today. The trail is easy to follow, but climbs steeply at times over and around rocks. It mellows a bit higher up before the final climb to the lookout.

The lookout was not staffed today but looks to be in really good shape. While I couldn’t go inside, I was able to eat lunch on the shaded side of the deck that encircles it. No clear views of Rainier today as it was mostly obscured by, ironically, wildfire smoke. Views to the west were clearer and Mt Stewart was visible through hazy skies in the distance to the northeast. Views closer in were pleasant, but not spectacular. The closer in view includes areas of clear cuts, burn zones, and a wide power line corridor sweeping from west to east. Bugs were not bad today and I only saw a few other hikers while I was out.

Delightful late afternoon hike with dinner we cooked on the porch of beautiful Fire Lookout. Mountain goats taking sand baths below. Would love to get there when volunteers are there as it looks fascinating and full of history.   ***Directions need updating. The first turn off of Route 410 (onto FS 7030) is no longer marked. Take a left 2.3 miles after the shooting range. That is FS 7030.   If you get to the bridge and nice camping spots you have gone to far. 

Went on Saturday evening at 7pm. 1.7mi to the summit, quick pace and it took me about 35 minutes to get there. Coming down was about the same in the dark. Two parties coming down on my way up and two other parties going up. When I reached the top, there was another group there and some volunteers at the lookout. It was very peaceful.

Trail condition: 4/5 Dusty for the most part with lots of loose dirt. Sheltered in the first mile, open for the next 1/4 mile, and then in the forest for the remainder. This weekend was cooler, and it was windy at the top, I'm glad I brought a jacket. No bugs.

Trail difficulty: 2/5 Moderate hike. If you've done High Rock, this is similar in length and elevation gain but easier because of the switchbacks.

Navigation: 5/5 Easy to follow the trail without map. After 0.7 miles, there is a sign to keep you on trail. In the forest at the top, there are some sticks blocking a fork to keep you on the right path.

Parking: 2/5 Tiny parking lot. Depending on how people park, you could get anywhere between 7 to 10 cars. You have about 6 miles of forest service road after turning off the pavement. If you are an experienced driver, you can take a sedan to the top without a problem. A couple of big potholes, but avoidable with care.

Features: 2/5 Lots of switchbacks. Some small wildflower blooms. The view at the top was magnificent today. Could see Rainier very well and you had 360 views of everything else. The volunteers at the lookout were very friendly and knowledgeable, it was great meeting them.

Family friendly: 3/5 Family friendly to an extent. I think the trail itself can be done by children, but there is lots of loose soil and there needs to be proper supervision as there are some sketchy areas.

Overall: 4/5 Simple hike to the top with great reward. Would recommend going for sunset but remember to bring a headlamp.