Mount Higgins

Accessed via a road walk to the old trailhead, the hike up Mount Higgins is a long trek to a forested summit near Darrington. The road is on private property. Hikers are requested to respect this and stay on the road if you elect to visit it.

Past the parking area, you'll climb steeply up an old road for a mile. You will pass through a recently thinned area and a clearcut that later burned, finding nice views of the valley the further you hike up. The trail leaves Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) land and enters forest, passing over a number of broken puncheon bridges before crossing Dick’s Creek at two miles. This creek can be very difficult to ford during high flows.

About 3 miles in, find an often brushy and muddy spur trail to the left (west), heading to small and quiet Myrtle Lake. At an elevation of 3,700 feet, a marshy shore surrounds this quiet lake with limited camping. The main trail going right (east) climbs slightly, passing through a number of small meadows then climbs consistently, passing through boulder fields and dense forest until reaching the summit.

This is the site of former Mount Higgins Lookout, which was used for fire detection in the summers from 1926 to 1949. The views of the surrounding mountains are outstanding: Glacier Peak to the east; White Horse, Three Fingers, and Mt. Rainier to the south. Looking west offers views of the Olympics and Puget Sound.