Washington

This trail is hands down the best trail we hiked in 2020 and one of the top trails I’d say I’ve ever hiked. Very few views bring tears to my eyes and this trail did just that. From 10 minutes into the hike until the very end I couldn’t believe my eyes. There were at least 5x more wildflowers covering this mountain side than I’ve seen anywhere even come close to, soaring mountain ridges and peaks as far as you can see, 300+ foot waterfalls gushing from glaciers, marmots for miles, and of course the imposing Mount Rainier itself looming over you as you climb. If you only have time for one hike in Rainier National Park or hell if you only do one hike in Washington state, go for this one.

Trail Details:

Distance: 5-6 mile loop
Elevation gain: 1,680 feet
Difficulty: moderate
Time: 3 hours
Fees: The fee for Mt. Ranier NP is $30 or included with a National Park Pass.
Facilities: Bathrooms at the visitor center (at TH) and at Panorama Point

When to hike the Skyline Trail:

Early August through September/ early October. This trail takes a VERY long time to thaw and in fact the lower skyline trail was still closed due to sketchy ice crossings so we had to take the high skyline trail (not a problem anyways). If possible, plan your trip for August so that the entire loop is open and safe and the wildflowers are at their peak.

*Special tip: go in the evening for less crowds and absolutely stunning lighting. We started at around 4:30 PM and the beginning of the trail was a little crowded (still not bad for a NP) and there weren’t many people at all along the rest of the loop.

Trailhead directions:

The trail starts behind the Paradise NP Visitor Center and is easy to find. From Ashford, WA, drive and park anywhere in the massive lot for the visitor center. Take the John Muir quoted stairs up and head to the left following signs for Skyline. I highly recommend hiking this loop in the clockwise direction so follow signs left instead of right. The first portion of the trail is STEEP but paved and is shared by multiple trails so don’t fret if it feels very busy.

If you hike clockwise (recommended) you’ll be hiking towards the best views of Mount Rainier itself, with the mountain dramatically revealing itself with every foot of elevation you climb. Then on the hike down you get rewarded with astounding views of the surrounding mountain ranges and volcanic fields. Clockwise is best.

Skyline Trail description:

The first 0.5 mile or so is paved and steep. Don’t worry though. While your heart rate and sweat rate maybe high, you will be amazed at the blanket of wildflowers surrounding every trail bend and the views of Rainier only get more impressive as you climb. Eventually other trails like Glacier View will branch off to the left. Keep right and the pavement will turn to dirt as you start up the skyline trail. The wildflowers continue to amaze as you climb and you’ll start catching glimpses of dozens of waterfalls cascading from the glaciers on the mountain.

Top left if the the Nisqually Glacier view trail splitting off (keep right on the paved track). Make sure to take in the incredible fields of wildflowers as your climb but remember to stay on the path!

Keep an eye out as well for the mischievous marmot. They. were. everywhere. You’ll be able to see where the glacier view trail ends and the glacier begins as you readily climb above that glacier terminus. Here the views of the mountain are the most incredible. While all the glaciers we saw in the N. Cascades were undoubtedly impressive, nothing really compared to how close you come to the glaciers along the Skyline Trail.

The hike post Nisqually Glacier turn off

In the not so far distance you can see (and hear) the incredible Wilson Falls which are just over 300 feet tall falling from the glacier of the same name. The trail will give you a short break from the climb and turn you away from the mountain towards the other impressive view and what I actually think of as the skyline.

Nothing really compares to how close to the mountain you feel. It’s giant and incredible and yet there you are standing beneath it and feeling more and more empowered as you hike. There’s few hikes that really do that for me.

There are conical mountain peaks in all directions and incredible shaped ridges just across the way. A small trail will branch off on the left but continue straight as the trail takes a couple stairs and starts climbing again.

Just after the iconic (but short) stairs section of the hike you’ll reach Panorama Point. Again this is one of the most beautiful views I’ve ever seen in fact I may just have cried a little bit at this spot as I just couldn’t take it all in. (I’m pretty sure Braden got sick of hearing “I can’t handle this’ and “I can’t even”)

Panorama Point

Views like this, I mean come on! Photos below of me trying to handle my feelings about this hike.

At panaroma point, you will sometimes have options. There is a trail that cuts right across to where you start descending; however this trail sometimes never thaws and the snowy trail can disguise many hazardous conditions such as unstable ice and glacier river ice bridges. If the trail says closed, believe it. It is only another 200-300 foot climb until you are done climbing and the next uphill section is pretty cool.

*This is taken from the other side looking at Panorama Point and you can see a “trail” in the snow. It is very hazardous and should not be attempted in these conditions.*

At this point you likewise “might not even” and could be skipping up the trail like I was….. so what is 300 more feet of climbing. In fact I never wanted to go down, instead I wanted to bask in the beauty that was 360 all around me.

The next little bit of climb also introduces you nicely to the volcanic terrain. The terrain becomes less dusty and dirty and turns to black rocks and cliffs (surrounded by ever present snow fields which make quite the contrast)

The return hike

Now you will have finally reached the end of the climb and can start descending. You can just about see the entire trail down from the vantage points up there. After 30 minutes or so of descent you’ll reach another trail option.

You can take the Golden Gate trail (a more direct and steep but beautiful trail.) Or you can take the full skyline route which goes near the Paradise Glacier hike turn off and adds about 1 mile. We were running out of daylight so we opted for the shorter Golden Gate trail.
ZERO regrets.

The Golden Gate Trail

The trail switchbacks down in even more glorious series of wildflower meadows than you start out in and has 2-3 visible waterfalls the entire way. We only saw a few people but saw at least 20 marmots and 1 billy goat. It. was. glorious.

The marmots unfortunately target my favorite wild flower- Indian Paintbrush but there were still plenty of flowers to go around. Again I was positively skipping when normally at this point in a “moderate” trail I’d be ready to be done.

Myrtle Falls

I still wasn’t ready to be done and I maybe never will be. (take me back!) After the short switchbacks the trail mellows out and crosses a bridge which looks down on the stunning Myrtle Falls and UP at the incredible Mt. Rainier. The trail once again changes to pavement here and I highly recommend going down the short little detour to the Myrtle Falls overlook.

After the falls, you continue straight along the paved trail eventually catching glimpses of the National Park Inn and then the visitor center. The loop completes right at the same Muir stairs you started from.

Pin me:

If you are driving to the Enchantments area or heading out to chill around the charming town Leavenworth, this little hike to Heybrook lookout is a very worthy stop. It’s short (albeit pretty steep), has incredible views along with a historic lookout to explore, and will break up the drive from Seattle nicely. Bonus is how close it is to river fun so you can hike in the morning and tube or soak by the river in the warmer afternoon.

Trail Details:

Distance: 2.5 miles RT
Elevation Gain: 900 feet
Difficulty: Easy- Moderate
Time: 1-2 hours
Fees: FREE
Facilities: None at the TH. There is a pit toilet down the ridge from the lookout at the end of the hike. Bring your own TP. Bring your own water.

*Awesome views of nearby mountains from the Heybrook lookout*

Trail head directions:

The trail head is right highway 2 just past the small town Gold Bar,WA. If you are heading East, the parking area will be on your left and is a small gravel area just wide enough for cars to park directly in (vs parallel parking on the shoulder). The actual trail start is on the West side of the parking area and is marked with a small trail sign a few feet back into the trees. There are NO facilities at this trail head so plan your pit stop prior.

About Heybrook lookout

The lookout is one of the last lookouts in WA, (106 remain) and one of the few that can both be entered and reserved for sleeping in! It’s situated on a scenic ridge with outstanding views of the surrounding valleys and nearby Mount Persis and Mount Index. There have actually been a number of lookouts in this location prior to the current Heybrook lookout. Each time the lookouts were built a little taller with the current lookout finished with construction in 1965. The present lookout is around 67 feet tall and is open to the public up to the observation deck- 89 steps up.

Spend the night in the lookout:

Heybrook lookout is one of the few Washington lookouts you can actually reserve for the night! It was unfortunately booked out for our trip but it looks beautifully renovated and is quite private as the rest of the public hikers can only hike to the deck below the lookout’s rooms. (You get a key from the forest service before you start hiking) The lookout reserves quickly and is released on a rolling 6 month basis. Check here for more information or to check for availability.

*We wish we could’be spent the night or “hungout” longer at the lookout*

About our hike:

We started our hike in the late afternoon on a Saturday in August. There were only 5-6 cars parked in the parking area and for a weekend and easy hike, we didn’t think the trail was very busy at all. It parallels the the road for a brief moment before turning sharply and heading up the hill in a series of switchbacks. While you can hear the road for the first 10-15 minutes or so you eventually leave it all behind and find yourself in a mossy forest with little bits of sunlight trickling through.

I learned quick on this, our first hike in WA, the sunscreen I bought was going to go to waste or just coming home with us. (foreshadowing: almost all the hikes we did were in the trees 80% of the way)

The trail is made up of a couple long switchbacks and overall very well graded. It’s a good workout, but never felt too challenging like you might lose your footing and slip. We had bonus origami cranes to amuse us as well on the climb as someone had hung strands of them every 0.25 mile or so.

It isn’t too long before you reach your first big break in the trees and get a reward of a nice open view. BUT if you turn and look up you’ll actually see the lookout right above you at that same moment- you made it! While it may have felt challenging on the climb up, you realize just how quick a hike it is and excitement replaces tiredness for up 89 steps you’ll be ready to go.

The closer you get to the top the taller and skinnier the trees also get so watch out for that! And when you see the break in the trees on your right (middle picture) then look up and you’ll see the crowning glory of the hike. You made it!

At the top

When we got there we waited a couple minutes for a group to come down as the stairs and landings are pretty narrow and small. (Thanks Covid for making it even harder) Once we started climbing, we went straight to the observatory deck in case anyone else was waiting to come up or go down.
The view from the top is just breath taking and I bet it is even better at sunset or sunrise. As it was in the afternoon, our views were pretty hazy and backlit but I can still appreciate the incredible mountains all around and a unique (tall!!) wooden structure bearing the brunt of weather and time since 1965. It is seriously impressive to stand up there and think about.

After a couple minutes we actually got the lookout to ourselves for 30+ minutes as the previous occupants all headed out. On our way down we passed another 3 or 4 groups heading up, but again… really not that busy for a Saturday afternoon!

Stop in Leavenworth for victory meal!

After finishing our hike we carried on our way to the adorable Bavarian modeled town of Leavenworth. This is a great stop for exploring the nearby Alpine Lakes Wilderness, continuing onto other destinations in the Cascades, or enjoying some fine Bavarian cuisine and beer. I highly recommend a stop in Leavenworth (short or long) after your excursion to Heybrook lookout.