With a late start, I
decided to try this short (3.2 mile round trip) hike to a high viewpoint. Although short, the trail is not entirely routine -- it gains 1400 feet and the final few hundred feet is a steep ascent up bare rock -- there's a handhold there for good reason. Nevertheless, small children and even small dogs were very much in evidence here. A bonus that I wasn't aware of is that this is one of the few manned fire lookouts remaining in Washington. The staffer there, Bud, was more than willing to provide information and stories about such things as living in Packwood in the months following May 18, 1980 -- visibility, he said, was still only a half-mile two months later! He's been featured in Evening Magazine (which is how at least one couple there found out about the place). Another story was about the world's craziest hikers -- he looked down one day to see someone hanging over the edge of the 1000-foot precipice, with a second person holding on to his ankles -- just to get a better picture!! Had the guy's partner lost his grip, it would certainly have been the last picture he would ever take. To get to the trailhead, follow highway 706 about three miles east of Ashford, turn right on Forest Road 52 (paved), and go maybe four miles to a turnoff signed ""High Rock Lookout, 9.5 miles"". The signs will direct you the rest of the way. At least some editions of the 100 hikes books mention Forest Road 85 as an alternate approach. Do NOT take that way -- there is a closure on that road! Also, beware of taking this hike in bad weather -- even Bud has had to get down off the rock surface on hands and knees at such times.