Parking
Use the small pullout about seven miles up Cascade River Road from Marblemount; the signed trail climbs sharply from the opposite side of the road. A Forest Service recreation pass is required for each parked vehicle.
Overview
About Lookout Mountain Trail
Why go
- A historic summit lookout with broad Cascade views
- Open meadows break up the long forest climb
Heads up
- Most of the steep climbing comes before the lookout views
- Snow can linger into summer on this high route
Lookout Mountain Trail is a steep out-and-back to a Forest Service fire lookout on a high North Cascades ridge. It is 9.4 miles round trip from the Cascade River Road pullout, with about 4,500 feet of climbing; allow roughly eight hours with breaks. Come for the lookout and wide Cascade views, but expect a hard climb with a late payoff. The mapped line shows the uphill corridor once; you return the same way.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the climb for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the North Cascades map
Full mapElevation1,447–5,577 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
7 active North Cascades alerts
- ClosureWildfire closures and Stehekin fire advisoryWildfire-related closures remain in effect; stay out of all closed trails, camps, and areas.Official details
- CautionCampfires banned across the park complexCampfires and other ash-producing fires are banned throughout the North Cascades National Park Service Complex.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
North Cascades Tour Guide
Your drive to Lookout Mountain Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for North Cascades National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the North Cascades audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Monogram Lake and Lookout Mountain0:00 / 0:32
“You're approaching the trailhead for Monogram Lake and Lookout Mountain, two steep, full-day hikes.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf North Cascades Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- A Woodpecker’s Sap Wells
- A Flower Without Green Leaves
- Hidden Lake Lookout: Road Access
- Scratches Left by Ice
- 83 audio storiesacross North Cascades’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Mountain Goat, Black Bear, Mule Deer, and 10 more
- Works offlinemaps, 88 trails, 76 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Lookout Mountain Trail
Take the left forkSteep switchbacks dominate the first 2.5 miles through forest.
Steep switchbacks dominate the first 2.5 miles through forest. You pass creek crossings and the first campsites around mile 2. At the signed junction at 2.8 miles, turn left for Lookout Mountain. The right branch is the separate Monogram Lake hike, which continues into North Cascades National Park.
From the trees to the ridgeThe Lookout branch stays in the forest for about three-quarters of a mile after the fork, then…
The Lookout branch stays in the forest for about three-quarters of a mile after the fork, then breaks into high, open meadows. The last 1.2 miles keeps climbing through those steep slopes to the lookout. The scenery opens late, so the main reward comes near the top rather than along the long lower climb.
At the lookoutThe current lookout was built in 1962, replacing a 1929 structure.
The current lookout was built in 1962, replacing a 1929 structure. From the summit you can pick out Teebone Ridge, Hidden Lake Peak, Eldorado Peak and other icy Cascade peaks. For a photo, include part of the lookout deck or railing with the mountain view so the frame shows both the structure and how far the panorama reaches. Keep to two people per side of the catwalk.
Access, dogs and snowThe small trailhead pullout is about seven miles up Cascade River Road from Marblemount; the…
The small trailhead pullout is about seven miles up Cascade River Road from Marblemount; the signed trail climbs sharply from the opposite side of the road. The Forest Service requires a recreation pass for each parked vehicle. Leashed dogs are allowed on the Lookout branch; pets are prohibited once you enter the park on the Monogram Lake branch. The Forest Service says the route is usually snow-free by late July, and access still depends on road and trail conditions.
Wildlife
Wildlife in North Cascades
101 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
70 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
20 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
77 sightingsSooty GrouseMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
23 sightingsWhite-tailed PtarmiganMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
75 sightingsWestern ToadMost seen around 8 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across North Cascades. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
