The forest road was long, washboarded and potholey, but manageable if taken with caution. We were tailgated by a Subaru the entire way which was pretty annoying - did you want front row seats to the dust we were kicking up? Just.. back off. Please.
Made it to the trailhead at 8:30 and people were already starting to park down the road. A lot of the cars had some dew on them so they were likely campers from the day(s) before. We were able to get a spot fairly close to the parking lot and walked up to the trailhead sign to see a small group of climbers as well as a disappointingly large group of women (exceeding LNT group size recommendations) gathering near the bathrooms, making it look like a line for a ride at Disney.
Bathrooms were clean to start and had plenty of toilet paper. We gave the other groups a bit of a head start before starting our hike and were off.
The first mile of this trail is really mild; plenty of wooden boardwalks, mellow hills, and nice packed trail to warm up the legs. Once you get to the first water crossing is when things pick up. I am not a fan of water crossings, but I was able to power over a branch that someone placed on a fairly narrow section of water (I did have an emotional support stick I picked up plus my friend’s hand to hold to get me across as well), though that was destroyed by the time we returned (more on this later).
Once you make it across the first crossing, you’ll come across the main river crossing which has the seasonal bridge. The bridge is fine - there’s a sign indicating that only one person should be on it at a time. It’s a little rickety but keep your feet moving and you’ll get across without issue. Then the elevation gain kicks in.
Since you spend the first mile of the trail practically gaining very little elevation, that condenses the 2,000+ feet of gain into the 2.5-3 miles remaining to the lookout. Initially, the trail climbs through nicely packed dirt and some wooden steps under the cover of trees. Unfortunately, the woody part of the trail was the buggiest, so be prepared to be constantly swatting at bugs if you decide to stop for breaks at any point during this section. You’ll eventually pop out in a series of meadows which is also when the trail becomes exposed for the rest of the hike up (apply sunscreen by now if you haven’t).
The meadows are beautiful. You get a glimpse of Mt. Baker as you approach the fork heading up towards the Railroad Grade trail, but stay left if you want to go to the lookout. The views keep getting nicer as you cross another meadow - enjoy the relief from gaining elevation in these sections before embarking on your last two steep sections of trail.
Once you cross the last meadow and head up your first set of switchbacks, be sure to pause for a photo op on some exposed rock with Baker behind you. You’ll scramble up a little rocky section of trail before another flat section where you get wide open views of the Cascades, some lakes, and even Glacier Peak (I believe) in the distance. There are signs here that indicate no camping and no campfires, so aside from seeing a few folks with off-leash dogs, I’m happy to say that most were respecting the signage.
The final push starts now. The trail gets a little slippery with dust and loose rock, so be sure to watch your footing, especially on your way down. This section feels pretty tough in the heat, but keep pushing and you’ll make it to the lookout in no time. You can see your destination from here so watch it get closer with every step and just keep plugging away.
We finally made it to the lookout. Remember that group of women we noted at the trailhead? They were here, and had taken over the perimeter of the lookout for their lunch break, which we tried to time our arrival so that they’d have some time alone before we arrived, and despite their magnitude we were able to set up on the side facing Baker for a quick lunch break ourselves.
I have quite the fear of heights, especially with this particular lookout (the last time I did this trail I froze on the steps and took my proof photo before immediately climbing back down to the rocks) but was able to sit and enjoy the views this time, until at least 5-6 of the women from the group started hovering around us, leaving the other side of the lookout empty.
My fear of heights kicked in, concerned about our weight distribution, so my friend and I tried to go to the other side to look out at the valley but couldn’t because the other group left their gear and snacks sprawled out across the entire walkway. So we went back to the busy side and then waited to climb down behind the other ladies who also suddenly decided to leave at the same time.
Heading down was fast. We were hustling down and didn’t really run into any issues until we got back to the water crossing. The river was rushing a bit harder and deeper at this point in the day, so we took caution over the seasonal bridge but the real fun was at the first water crossing we did. That branch that was there in the morning was smashed in half, and the water was too deep and wide to safely jump or walk across.
My friends braved the wet rocks but I admittedly struggled for quite some time. Some other groups had shown up and were equally as puzzled, so I don’t feel too embarrassed to say it wasn’t a walk in the park to cross the water at midday.
I did finally head upstream about 25 feet from the trail (above the concrete block) and found a nicely angled rock that I did a run-jump combo to get across. The other groups saw me cross successfully and headed up there to do the same.
We made it back to the trailhead uneventfully and made one more stop in the bathrooms (which were fragrant but still had a little bit of toilet paper!) before heading back to the car.
This is such a beautiful hike but the elevation will get you! With our little extra walk to the edge of the parking lot we clocked a total closer to 9 miles round trip, though one of my watches died during the hike so I’m ballparking it.
If you come here - bring bug spray, sunscreen, and be ready for the last push at the end.
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