Short summary: Stayed Friday night at the lookout and Saturday night at the lake. Trail muddy at parts but in good shape. No snow. Few blowdowns but easily passable. Bugs light-medium. One bear sighting in meadow descending into monogram lake. Wildflowers are in full bloom. Fishing is SUPERB at monogram lake. For a sunny weekend, I was stunned at how few people were on this trail. 10/10 backpacking experience.
In my opinion this hike is EASILY capable of rivaling some of the best and most popular hikes in the cascades. Do this hike if you are looking for a little more solitude, a good workout, and an unforgettable backcountry experience.
Day 1 at the lookout: My buddies and I (party of 4) departed from the trailhead around noon on Friday 7/19. There were only two other cars at the trailhead despite the terrific weather. Two of us reached the lookout in about three hours, and the other two took about four and half hours. As you probably know, this trail goes straight up the entire time and will have you physically depleted by the end- but boy is it worth it. Be sure to fill up water at the river 2.5mi in if you are staying overnight at the lookout, as there are not many good options beyond it. After finally emerging from the dense tree cover, you are offered a very distance glimpse of the lookout- its depressing to say the least. We didn’t find it to be much of a “tease” as WTA describes it- it looks REALLY FAR away the first time you can see it! At least now have beautiful meadows bursting with wildflowers to take your mind off the aching legs and endless switchbacks. Once at the lookout, we saw only one other party. They were a couple traveling from New Zealand, and were generous enough to repeatedly offer to share the lookout space with us, but we opted to pitch our tent on an area of dead grass below the lookout instead. Props to the person maintaining this lookout, it’s in pristine condition with several cool artifacts and books to flip through- I will certainly be donating some $$$. The sweeping panoramic views from the lookout (and the accompanying sunset), in my opinion, is better than the nearby Cascade Pass/Sahale Arm and Hidden Lake. Simply stunning. There’s a good chance you will have the lookout to yourself on a mid-week day, I simply don’t understand why this isn’t a more popular hike.
Day 2 at the lake: After packing up camp, we enjoyed the views from the lookout one last time before heading to Monogram lake. After reaching the junction, it took us about 1.5hrs to reach the lake. My favorite part of the entire weekend was traversing through the beautiful meadow descending down to the lake. Simply stunning. This is also where we saw one black bear, rummaging in the bushes 40 yards to the left on the hillside right before the lake. In case the meadows, wildflowers, epic mountain views, and wildlife sightings weren’t enough- the lake itself has a lot to offer. Multiple options for day hiking (devils peak, lookout), minimal bugs, and some of the best backcountry fishing I have ever experienced. After backing frequently for several years, I can think of only one other lake that rivaled this quality of fishing. With a simple spoon trout lure, we were catching 10-12 inch rainbow trout on almost every cast. Beautiful fish. Occasionally we would catch a small one, but we were pleasantly surprised overall at how large some of the fish were. We didn’t, but they are totally big enough to fry up and eat if you’re into that. There were definitely more bugs here than the lookout, but still fairly minimal. At sundown, what seemed like 100 trillion gnats came out which was annoying, but they quickly went away when it started to get dark. Not many mosquitos, but some. From the far end of the lake, if you climb up on the rocks you can see the lookout in the distance, it looks majestic and will have you wondering how your legs managed to get you there. A few hammock spots available, but not as many as I was imagining.
Day 3: Took our party 2.5-3hrs to reach the trailhead from the lake. I would highly recommend Birdsview brewing company on the way home. A nice selection of beer, good food, and live music was an awesome way to wrap up the weekend.
Happy hiking!
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