Sun Top Lookout Trail #1183

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Our Hiking Time: 1h
Total Ascent: 600ft
Highest Point: 5280ft
Total Distance: 1.2 miles
Location: N 47° 2.4540, W 121° 35.7900
Required Permit: Northwest Forest Pass
Difficulty: Easy

Last week we headed back out on Highway 410 to check out one of the most popular and easily accessible fire lookouts in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Sun Top Lookout. During high summer, anyone willing to spend sometime on some dirt roads can drive to the summit; during the rest of the year, reaching the lookout cabin is more of a challenge. With snow still on the ground, we headed out to see how close we could get.

So is it Suntop or Sun Top? If you ask the US Geological Survey and the National Register of Geographical Place Names, it is officially Sun Top. The US Forest Service seems on the fence, using both Suntop and Sun Top interchangeably, but ultimately seems to have decided on Suntop, as that’s what is carved into the signs along the trail and nailed to the side of the lookout. And because no one – including the folks over at the Historic American Buildings Survey – seems to know how the mountain and lookout got its name, it’s not clear which one is more correct.

The exact details of the construction of the lookout are somewhat hazy, but it was most likely built in 1933, given that its pyramidal roof indicates it was built to specifications developed in 1932. The L-4 Lookout House, as it was called, was designed to be hauled up a mountainside by a train of mules and easily assembled by crews as small as one or two people. From 1942-43, the lookout was staffed by volunteers as part of the US Army Aircraft Warning System, which kept an eye out for possible enemy aircraft. Until 1956, access was via a 6-mile trail from the White River. After that, the road was completed to the summit, allowing everyone easy access to the big views at the top. Over the years the lookout fell into disrepair. It was rescued and restored in the 1980s, entering the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

There are many ways to reach Sun Top Lookout. One could take the Suntop Trail #1183, which, depending on who you ask, is a 14 or 16 mile day and begins near the Ranger Creek Airstrip. During the winter months, one can snowshoe the nearly 6 mile long FR 7515 up to the summit. Others prefer to combine two short hikes, driving out to nearby the Huckleberry Creek Trail to take a forested stroll along a creek, then driving up to Sun Top. Finally, if all the gates are open, you can just drive to the top. We’ve never been fans of hiking on a forest road if we didn’t have to, so we recommend finding a nearby hike to combine with Sun Top.

From any approach, the views from the lookout are well worth the effort. In the distance are big views of Mt. Rainier and Mt. Stuart along with Mt. Baker and the Olympic Mountains. Far below, the mountain is surrounded by water, with Huckleberry Creek to the west and the larger White River to the east. Find a picnic table or a comfortable patch of grass and enjoy the views.

If you’ve never had the chance to get up to Sun Top, we recommend you find some time this summer to check it out. It is a fantastic opportunity to share iconic and stunning landscapes with anyone. Of course, with such access comes quite a bit of traffic. If you’re looking to enjoy the views with less company, you’ll need to come when the snows melt just enough to reach the parking lot a half-mile below the lookout, but before the lookout gates open making it easy to drive to the top. For our part, we came a little early and were stopped by snow about a mile from the lower lot, and slogged up the logging road to the lookout.

To get there, take I-5 south to Highway 18, Exit 142A. Follow Highway 18 into Auburn and take the SR 164 exit. Head left on SR 164 through Enumclaw to SR 410. Head left onto SR 410 for 25 miles to Huckleberry Creek Road (FR 73). Take a right and follow FR 73 for 1.3 miles to the gated 7315, which is closed during the winter. Parking is available here. Veer left up 7315 for 4.8 miles to the Doe Falls Trailhead. If the gate is open, you can continue up another mile to the summit parking lot just below the lookout. Otherwise park here and find the trail a short ways up the road. -Nathan

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Old Government Trail #733

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Our Hiking Time: 1h 45m
Total Ascent: 300ft
Highest Point: 2300ft
Total Distance: 4.0 miles
Location: N 48° 1.6020, W 121° 26.6340
Required Permit: Northwest Forest Pass
Difficulty: Easy

Last fall, just before the snows closed the Mountain Loop Highway for the winter, we headed out to Barlow Pass to hike up to Barlow Point, the site of a former fire lookout. While we were there, we also rounded out our exploration of the area by trekking down the Old Government Trail #733.

The Everett and Monte Cristo Railroad reached Barlow Pass in late 1893, largely following the rough roads and trails blazed by prospectors and explorers to bring supplies out to Monte Cristo. As workers neared the Pass, they ran into a rocky outcropping blocking the route. Undeterred, they blasted a gap through the rock wide enough to lay track and moved on. That gap is now known as the Barlow Cut. With Monte Cristo’s burgeoning mining operations now connected to the smelters in Everett, a steady stream of trains kept the tracks busy. All that increased traffic led to predictable results. In 1905, as so often happened in that era, a spark from a locomotive started a forest fire near the tracks, which quickly spread, eventually climbing up the mountainsides of nearby Mt. Dickerman. Today, you can still find burnt stumps along the Old Government Trail as lingering evidence of that fire.

Starting from the parking lot at Barlow Pass, the trail begins under a heavy canopy of fir and hemlock. After a third of a mile, the nearly flat trail encounters a junction with the Barlow Point Trail. Veer left, heading downhill and following the sign pointing toward the Old Government Trail. The fern-lined trail quickly descends down toward the railroad grade. The trail parallels the highway, which is partially obscured by foliage in the spring and summer but a fairly constant companion in the fall, and wanders past moss-covered cliffs and boggy marshes as it travels across talus fields. Rocks from these fields were used to build foundations that supported locomotives filled with coal and ore. Continue onward until you reach a set of small waterfalls near the end of the trail.

At this point, you can continue on the trail down to the Mountain Loop Highway, and walk it back to the parking lot for a loop, or just stop for lunch and head back along the trail. If you’re up for it, there is some extra exploring that is possible along this hike – you can leave the trail at certain points and connect with sections of the railbed. Here you will find the Barlow Cut and a small interpretive sign outlining some of the area’s history.

This is a very short hike, and it is probably best combined with a short trek up to Barlow Point, as they make for a full day of hiking if taken together. An easy hike for all ages, Old Government Trail isn’t spectacular, but it’s very accessible and together with Barlow Point gives hikers a taste of more challenging hikes in the nearby Monte Cristo area. Next time you’re out at Barlow Pass, consider adding a short side trip down the Old Government Trail #733.

To get there, take I-5 North to Exit 194. Follow Highway 2 for about two miles. Stay in the left lane and merge onto Lake Stevens Highway 204. Follow for two miles to Highway 9. Take the left onto Highway 9 toward Lake Stevens. In just under two miles, you’ll reach Highway 92 to Granite Falls. Take a right and follow for about nine miles to the Mountain Loop Highway. Take the MLH for 31 miles to Barlow Pass. Find the trailhead parking lot on your left. -Nathan

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Raging River Trail - Tiger Mountain

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Our Hiking Time: 4h 15m
Total Ascent: 1200ft
Highest Point: 1800ft
Total Distance: 9.0 miles
Location: N 47° 29.0640, W 121° 52.3520
Required Permit: Discover Pass
Difficulty: Moderate

A few weeks ago we decided to stay a little closer to home and visit a lesser known portion of the Tiger Mountain State Forest. While we had a vague idea that there was portion of the Forest around the Raging River, we found very little information on it. Thinking that we could share a little of what we found with our readers, we set out on our expedition.

While our hike was all within the Tiger Mountain State Forest, just across Highway 18 is the nearly 11,000-acre Raging River Forest that connects the Tiger Mountain State Forest with Rattlesnake Mountain Recreation Area and also contains the headwaters of the Raging River. The river is named for the large seasonal variation in the volume of water that sometimes “rages” past its banks, often causing flooding damage, most recently in 2006. The river is also an important habitat for Chinook salmon that eventually find their way into the Snoqualmie River. For decades Weyerhaeuser managed the Raging River Forest, before selling it to the Fruit Growers Supply Company in the late 1990s. During that time the Raging River Forest represented one of the largest gaps in the Mountains to Sound Greenway. After years of effort, the Washington Department of Resources and King County partnered to purchase the forest in May 2009.

Note: while the majority of our hike was on trails, a washout at Deep Creek required a log crossing and some bushwhacking to get back to the trail. This section of the hike should be approached with caution.

From the trailhead, the Raging River Trail leads into a clearing carved into the forest for the power lines crackling overhead. Here you can head right and take the short side trail down to the Raging River and walk under the bridge to the riverside.  Across the water, you'll see a trail that heads up through the Raging River Forest and eventually connects with the Rattlesnake Mountain Trail - but currently, there's no easy way to cross the river and access the trail.  So, after you’ve checked out the river, head back to the main trail and follow it a few tenths of a mile to Deep Creek. Along the way you’ll pass side trails snaking off into the woods. Avoid these, as they usually lead to private property.

Once you reach the washout at Deep Creek, follow a boot path down to the water and carefully make your way across the creek on a fallen log. Once across, find a faint path leading up into the forest, through some bramble and eventually back to the Raging River Trail under the power lines. Push up to the top of the rise to connect with the East Tiger Road 7000 (variously labeled on different maps as Road 7500, Road 7000 and Highway 18 Powerline). From here you have a choice. You can head left following the power lines to the Tiger Summit Trailhead, or head right deeper into the forest.

We recommend you head right and follow the East Tiger Road two miles to the Preston Railroad Trail. Along the way you will pass junctions for the Northwest Timber Trail and the Silent Swamp Trail. Skip the Northwest Timber Trail as it just heads out to the Tiger Summit Trailhead, but when the Silent Swamp Trail re-opens after trail construction is complete, it will be possible to make a short loop by following it up to the main road and then following it back down to the East Tiger Road. Once you reach the Preston Railroad Trail, you can follow it up to the summit of East Tiger and all its radio tower glory.

We don’t recommend this hike for everyone. This is more for those folks that have a sense of adventure and don’t mind a little bushwhacking and route finding. This is also a decent choice if you’re looking for a nearby hike that avoids the crowds. Until a bridge is built across either Deep Creek or the Raging River there is not much easily accessible from the Raging River Trailhead. However, if you can navigate the log spanning Deep Creek, you can explore portions of the Tiger Mountain State Forest usually seen only by mountain bikers. Or, if you don’t mind fording the Raging River, you could easily make a day out of climbing up the backside of Rattlesnake Mountain.

To get to East Tiger, take I-90 to Exit 25 Highway 18 junction. Take Highway 18 south for 1.5 miles to the Raging River Bridge. Cross the bridge and almost immediately take a right onto a blue-gated road. This unsigned area is the Raging River Trailhead and has enough room for about four cars. -Nathan

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