Distance: 2.1 mi.
Elevation Gain: 1000 ft.
We were heading home from Leavenworth on a Sunday afternoon and decided that we wanted to get a short hike in. We had heard that Heybrook Ridge touted great views for the amount of effort, and the trail to the lookout was directly off of our route home. We stopped about 2 miles east of the Index-Galena Rd on Route 2 (obvious trailhead) at 3 PM and there were a handful of cars parked at the turnout on the north side of the highway. The trail was fairly steep and a steady grade but we made quick progress with our light packs and reached the lookout tower at 3:30 PM. There were several groups of people at the top and some pretty small kids had made it up there. We climbed the tower for some nice views of the South Fork Skykomish River valley. After a brief rest we returned down the trail, nearly jogging because of the steep grade. I doubt that I would leave from Seattle to repeat this hike, but it makes for a great break during the long ride from the east side of the mountains along Route 2.
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Gear Used:
- Day packs
- GPS
- Trail runners
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