Sleeping In a Historic Fire Lookout
Earlier this summer I was able to check something off my bucket list - sleep overnight in a historic fire lookout.
Washington is home to over one hundred fire lookouts. Many of them are no longer staffed by forest rangers, some have been abandoned altogether, but some are well maintained by volunteer organizations and are available for public use.
One of the first hikes I remember doing in the PNW was the infamous Mt. Pilchuck hike. It’s a short but rather steep climb to an abandoned fire lookout, perched on top of some boulders offering visitors 360 degree views of the Cascade mountains and the Puget Sound. If you live in the area and haven’t done this hike - it’s a must! (But go on a weekday, trust me).
I was immediately enamored by the Mt. Pilchuck lookout and thought it was SO COOL that people could actually camp up there and sleep overnight in the little cabin. I told myself that one day I’d have to try it. Well, after several years of failed attempts or schedules that didn’t align with my hiking buddies, I was FINALLY able to sleep in a fire lookout this summer!
In July, Audrey and I set out for a 2-night backpacking trip in the Mt. Baker Wilderness area. Our goal was to snag the fire lookout to sleep in for at least one of the nights. The majority of the lookouts that are open to the public are first-come first-serve. Your best chance of getting the lookout for the night is to get a very early start on your hike, go on a weekday, and/or try to go for multiple nights like we did. I think most people are pretty considerate that another group will be hoping to stay in the lookout each night, so it’s a common courtesy to not extend your stay past 1 or 2 nights. The fire lookout we were hiking to was a pretty popular one, so that’s why we chose to go for 2 nights, hiking up on a Thursday and departing the mountain on Saturday.
It was an unbelievably warm summer day (like easily 85-90 degrees) and hiking up 2,000+ ft with 25-lb packs on was quite the feat! We knew that we would likely not get the lookout the night, so we took our time and enjoyed the scenery along the way. As were hiking up, these two ladies asked us “Are you guys part of the wedding party?” to which we said “No, tell us more!”. Apparently there was a couple up in the lookout who were eloping! That confirmed we would be tent camping that night, but no worries - there are still plenty of beautiful spots up there, even if you don’t get to sleep in the lookout.
I had been to this lookout just once before a few years back and camped in a semi-flat spot right below the lookout. This was our best option to set up camp so that we would be the first ones to the lookout the following morning (assuming the newlyweds were leaving the next day). We arrived at our camp site, set up the tent and our hammocks and enjoyed the tastiest Chipotle burrito I’ve ever had.
We didn’t want to bother the couple so we kept our distance and let them enjoy the lookout. But as it turns out, they were planning to do their ceremony that evening next to a nearby lake, leaving the lookout “open” for a couple hours. Audrey and I headed up to the lookout around sunset and soaked in the views, taking photos and talking with some other hikers who came up to enjoy the evening. Note: No group can claim full reservation of the lookout and deny others from coming up to the deck. Lookouts must remain accessible to everyone.
After a gorgeous sunset and a good night’s sleep, we woke up to the most striking sunrise I think I’ve ever seen in these mountains. I was literally running down the path with my camera to start taking photos.
Shortly thereafter, the couple staying in the lookout and their guests packed up their belongings and started to hike out. Audrey and I scrambled to pack up the tent, grab all of our belongings and claim the lookout for ourselves that night. OUR PLAN WORKED! We were unbelievably stoked knowing that we were going to get to sleep in the lookout that night and would have all day to hang out, balking at Mt. Baker right outside our windows.
This particular lookout came equipped with a bed, a thin mattress, a couple tables, camera tripod, guest book, cards, books, and some general cleaning supplies. I used my inflatable sleeping pad, sleeping bag and camping pillow and slept on the bed. I’ll have the camping gear that I used linked below!
Camping gear:
Sierra Designs 2-season sleeping bag (they don’t make my specific bag anymore but this is similar)
We spent the day playing cards, reading, napping, drawing and chatting with day hikers who came up to check out the lookout. We had so many people ask, “How did you get the lookout?” or “Do you have to pay to reserve this?” and I just found it a little odd that people didn’t take the time to really research the hike they were on. I’m a huge advocate of being prepared and doing proper research before hiking miles out into the wilderness where you have no cell reception. You never know what can happen out there, but you can come as prepared as possible!
We watched the sunset from the deck of the lookout for a second evening and felt so giddy to be up there. As the sun dipped behind the mountains we snuggled into our sleeping bags and stargazed out the windows. I felt pretty safe sleeping in the lookout and was more concerned about rodents hiding in the corners and coming out in the middle of the night to chew through our stuff, but luckily that didn’t happen. (Side note: we brought our bear canisters and sealed all food and scented products in there overnight).
The next morning we rose early again to watch the sunrise, make some coffee and hot chocolate and soak in the last few hours of our time in the lookout. Funny enough, there was ANOTHER couple hiking up to elope that morning! They took some photos in the lookout before heading down to hold their ceremony - so sweet! It also got me so stoked and excited for my wedding and to hike around in my wedding dress in a couple months.
We ate our breakfast, finished packing and tidied up the place (always leave it cleaner than you found it!) and started our descent home. It was time for someone else to come up and enjoy the lookout for an evening under the stars.
All in all, it was such a solid backpacking adventure and I am so excited that I finally got to sleep in a lookout. It was peaceful, cozy, I got some great shots up there and added another epic trip with my best hiking buddy to the list.
Let me know in the comments below - is sleeping in a fire lookout now on your bucket list?
(PS - There are no hard and fast rules for sharing the lookout. It’s best to assume that if there is a party already in there, that they want it to themselves, but you could always ask if there’s enough room to share. Don’t be offended if they say no though. Especially during these times when socially distancing is important, it’s best to just try again another day if the lookout is taken when you arrive.)