Hiking to Fire Lookouts in Washington – High Rock Lookout

Mount Rainier as seen from High Rock lookout

Wow! What a view! After 1.6 miles with a 1635 ft elevation gain, we had finally reached the top. The scene before us was amazing!

We have a goal of going to each of the 7 fire lookout towers around Mount Rainier. We’d already been to Suntop Look Out, and Gobblers Knob, and decided to give High Rock Lookout a try.  

The view at the top was AMAZING! And it is appropriately named as you are walking around on a rock formation. The rock was grippy though, so I didn’t feel insecure moving about while we were up there. We hung around for a while, eating our lunch, enjoying  the view, and taking pictures.

When we were there the old lookout was still in place. We were able to go inside of it but it was in pretty bad shape. It has since been replaced and I can’t wait to go back to see it.

The High Rock Lookout trailhead is on Forest Road 84 / 8440 off of Skate Creek Road near Ashford, Washington. It opens in the spring when the snow melts and closes again in the fall when the snow returns. The 9 miles of dirt roads were in pretty good shape and didn’t require any extra ground clearance.

This hike isn’t long – 3.2 round trip - but goes relentlessly uphill. The plan was to just take our time and keep at it until we reached the top.

This isn’t a hike that I would take kids on. The drop offs at the top are HUGE and there are no rails or barriers at the edge. Going near the edge isn’t required of course, but if you have a serious fear of heights you may not enjoy the wonderful view at the top so much.

The hike was a bit of an effort but definitely worth it! I can’t wait to do another one!