Perched atop the rocky pinnacle of Three Fingers Peak, is perhaps the most iconic fire lookout in Washington State.
It is also probably the most challenging fire lookout to get to – involving an 8-mile bike ride, a steep and overgrown approach hike, some potentially treacherous traverses on snow, and then some easy scrambling. The ascent ends with a spicy finish, requiring you to climb up a set of rickety old fixed ladders to get to the lookout.
Due to a road closure resulting from a damaged bridge, the adventure begins with a bike ride on a forest road, climbing around 1200 ft over 8 miles – while carrying a 30-lb backpack!
Then begins the hike – steep and a bit overgrown. Standard North Cascades fare.
Our first view of the objective. The lookout is on the second pinnacle from right.
We entered the alpine to find meadow upon meadow of wildflowers in their absolute prime. The vibrant colors really popped with the bright sunshine that was bearing down on us.
As we ascended the ridge leading up to the summit pinnacle, we got great views of the Queest-Alb Glacier below us, with the Olympic Mountain Range in the background.
Finally, we arrived at the summit block, and ascended the fixed ladders to get to the lookout.
As expected, there were phenomenal 360-degree views from the lookout. Scroll the panoramic image below to see it in its entirety.
Sunset brought with it some exceptional beauty.
Alpenglow on the Eldorado massif.
Mt. Pugh with Dome Peak in the background.
Close-up of Dome Peak.
Sunset on Mount Baker.
Panorama of the famed Picket Range. Scroll horizontally to see the full image.
Smoke from the wildfires on Vancouver Island created a surreal sunset amid the San Juan islands.
The next morning, we started off at 7 am. The exposure getting down from the lookout to the ladders definitely wakes you up.
Ripping down the forest road on our bikes before a quick dip in the river was an immensely fun way to end a great trip.
