Mount Pilchuck Lookout Hike, Washington

Mount Pilchuck is one of the most popular lookout hikes near Seattle. The trail is 5.4 miles round trip with about 2,300 feet of elevation gain, and it ends at a restored fire lookout perched on the 5,327-foot summit. I went on a clear Sunday morning in late September, and the views from the top stretched from Mount Rainier to Mount Baker.

Granite boulders and red huckleberry below a forested ridge, with the morning sun above — Granite boulders and the first fall color below the summit ridge.

The trail starts in the forest, then breaks out onto open slopes covered in granite boulders. Much of the upper half means stepping from rock to rock, so it is slower going than the mileage suggests. By late September, the huckleberry bushes between the boulders had already turned red and orange.

A jagged mountain massif beyond forested ridges, framed by evergreens — Rugged peaks across the valley, framed by evergreens.

Higher up, the view opened to the south. A thick layer of fog had settled over the lowlands, and Mount Rainier rose above it, about 80 miles away.

A flat layer of fog covering the lowlands, with Mount Rainier faint on the horizon — A sea of fog over the lowlands, with Mount Rainier floating above it.

Granite crags in the foreground with layers of distant mountains under a clear sky — Granite crags near the summit.

The final stretch is a short scramble over the summit boulders to the lookout, which sits right on top of the rocks. I reached it around 10 a.m., and the air was clear in every direction. Mount Baker stood out to the north, and ridge after ridge of the Cascades filled the horizon.

Dark rock pinnacles in the foreground and hazy blue ridges fading toward a snowy peak — Layer after layer of Cascade ridges.

A craggy gray peak rising above a long forested ridge — Jagged peaks rising above the forested valleys.

The snow-covered summit of Mount Baker above forested foothills — Mount Baker to the north.

Mount Rainier rising above a sea of fog, seen from Mount Pilchuck — Mount Rainier above the fog, about 80 miles to the south.

A boulder-covered ridge with evergreens and patches of red and yellow brush — Looking back down the boulder-covered ridge.