[Redwic]

With the Summer hiking season winding down but still great weather overall, I figured there still might be enough time for intrepid hikers and trail runners to try for Miners Ridge. This lookout currently has the distinction of being the furthest standing Washington lookout from an official trailhead. Hence, this trip report might be usable, or at least a good read. Due to the partial closure of Suiattle River Road... and because the approaches from the north, east, and south were all still snowbound... this trek was a whopping 55 miles roundtrip for me. The first 10 miles to Downey Creek were via bicycle, as were the final 10 miles on the return. That left 35 miles of road/trail hiking. The nice thing about the road closure was that I had the road and trails to myself. After getting a late afternoon start on Friday, July 25, I rode my bike to Downey Creek. I was anticipating needing to find a safe spot to ford the creek (which was more like a raging river in places) but fortunately the construction workers had left their ladder setup on the remaining section of bridge still standing at the site.

A welcome surprise!

Beyond the bridge, there is a large empty area to the right; I believe that when the road reopens that might be the "new" end of the road. My reasoning for this is because there is enough space for many vehicles to park there and because the next creek crossing (Sulphur Creek) has a small bridge not suitable for vehicular use and is part of the National Wild & Scenics Rivers System. It is possible that a parking area will be created prior to the Sulphur Creek bridge (I doubt it) or that people will be allowed to park alongside the road (but limited turnaround space)... but let us assume that after October people will be able to at least drive to the Downey Creek crossing.

No driving on this bridge!

I continued hiking the Suiattle River Trail for several hours in the dark until reaching the campsites near the large suspension bridge (approximately 18 miles from the car). My reason for pushing to reach that location was because I originally planned to have this be a two-day trip and I wanted to divide the overall trip in thirds over two nights (18 miles car-to-camp, 19 miles camp-to-summit-to-camp, 18 miles camp-to-car). There were some great campsites on each side of Canyon Creek; with nobody else around I had my pick of the bunch. I quickly setup camp and then took time to eat half of my Chipotle burrito, which seemed more filling than it normally would be.

Suspension bridge near camp

After sleeping for several hours, I left my camp setup and got an early morning start to more trail-hiking. There were some downed trees along the Suiattle River Trail, PCT, and Image Lake Trail, but nothing to prohibit progress. The trail systems were very straightforward; I could see remnants of old trails along the slopes of Miners Ridge... perhaps from past mining operations or early USFS trails?

Go this way!

Go that way!

Glacier Peak

When I reached the saddle on the ridgetop of Miners Ridge, I found a sign. Miners Ridge was to the left and Image Lake was to the right. Also to the right but unsigned was Plummer Mountain... but alas I would save that for another trip. I turned left (west) and the lookout was only a few minutes away. This lookout tower has a great view of the surrounding area, and quickly became one of my favorites in Washington. The upper porch entrance was closed, which was ultimately a good thing because it appeared that someone had not properly closed the door to the lookout cab.

Almost there!

Great place for a lookout tower!

Miners Selfie

I saw the sign, and it opened up my eyes

Looking east towards Plummer...

Stonehenge Ridge

Not wanting to disturb the outside shutters and not seeing any "No Trespassing" signs (or similar), I went inside the cab. It was in "service ready" condition. A few minutes later, I realized that the latch on the door was actually broken (or decomposed). I left the cab as soon as I noticed that, making certain to close the door as best as I could, and after taking a few photos and video of the surrounding area I was soon on my way back.

Ready for action!

"Calling all lookouts!"

When I returned to my campsite, it was only 1:15 PM. Despite having tired feet, I did not feel like hanging around doing nothing for many hours so I decided to take a long break to snack, drink water, and tear down camp. I continued returning back towards the car, taking several notable water breaks and rests along the way so as not to overexert my already tired body in the heat of the day. The bike ride back from Downey Creek to the car was uneventful. I still made it back to the car with plenty of daylight to spare, after a 37-mile day.

Suspension bridge during daytime

Even when including tent camping, my roundtrip time was only a little more than 25 hours total for the entire trek roundtrip. I am not a trail runner but I still could have easily done this trip in less that 24 hours. I basically just took my sweet time enjoying the forest and streams during the descent. With all of the ups and downs along the Suiattle River Trail, the elevation gain was easily over 6000'. But this lookout location is worth the distance and effort.

[Paul M]

[Redwic]

Biking 20 of the total miles helps... although the several hours of sleep wipe out much of the time saved.

[neek]

When I was at that lookout last week the porch was open but a sign said not to go inside. I have unfinished business on Plummer as well...

[Redwic]

[neek]

Ah, didn't catch that this was in July. Anyway, nice pace, despite cheating w/ the bike

[fyodorova]

We visited Miners' Ridge lookout on 8/7/14 as a side trip from the Spider Gap-Buck Creek Pass loop. There was a great view of smoke plumes from the Duncan fire to the southeast, and we joked that the lookout should be staffed! Then a young couple arrived from down the hill carrying up a supply of water. They were staying in the lookout to repair the door, and they graciously invited us inside. It turned out that they were spending their honeymoon repairing the lookout! What a beautiful place for a honeymoon and a nice act of volunteerism. I think their names were Bryce and Kristin (sp?) from Darrington, Bryce had previously worked for the Forest Service and volunteered his time. Standing on the lookout porch felt like being at the end of the earth.

Smoke plume from a wildfire

[contour5]

What a cool place! Pretty impressive 25 hr whirlwind... I think it took me a week to get out there and back.

[Hulksmash]

[Bryan K]

Awesome trip buddy!!!!! Thanks for sharing, even if it was a few months ago

[Redwic]

[lookout bob]

nice report!!! I especially like your hat in "miners selfie"!!!

[Overkill]

I went up there when I worked for the US Forest Service on the District there in 1988, and it was quite a hike back then! I have also heard they'll have that road reopened soon so we all can finally have access to our old favorite trails and campsites without having to put too much logistics into it as we have over the years since the floods tore out the road.

[Kim Brown]

[Overkill]

That's too bad.