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On a high ridge line over the Entiat River Valley is Tyee Mountain Lookout. A rough, deteriorating 4WD road climbs to the 6,600 foot summit, where the lookout gets a fair amount of visitors. The lookout was constructed during 1931, replaced in the 1950s, and barely survived during the summer of 1994 when the lookout nearly burned in the Tyee Creek Fire.

If you are like me, driving in traffic through Sultan and Startup is torture. My eyes always start wandering off the road to a certain knob which tempts the mind...climb me, come climb me. The isolated knob I refer to is Highwire Ridge, a 600+ prominent uplift just north of the highway. For those not into dumpster hiking, recently the summit was harvested offering sweeping views across the Puget Sound lowlands. Take the family, it's a nice hike, with two viewpoint options.

Come mid-July through mid-October, you should consider finding a trail that has a high access road. Because snow sticks around for so long in Western Washington, these places are easily accessible for just a few short months. This is a list of the 15 locations on or west of the Cascade Crest. Elevations are approximate. Of course, there are many roads that reach the 4,000 foot level that access amazing places too, but this list has just those above 5,000 feet.

This trail starts at the end of the Suiattle River Road, which just re-opened in Fall of 2014 after years of closure due to washouts. This trail climbs 4,600 relentless feet, all in the trees, to a small meadow ridge, the site of a former lookout. I have read trip reports about this trail for 20 years saying....don't do it! But, if you can muster some strength and continue to the real summit of Sulphur, all your efforts will be worth it.

Barlow Point a great viewpoint at the heart of the Mountain Loop Highway. With its history from the trailhead to the summit and easy access, if there was ever a place to rebuild a fire lookout, this would be it. A Forest Service Guard Station stood at Barlow Pass for many years providing a phone line connection between Forest Rangers posted here and at other stations in Darrington, Monte Cristo and Silverton.

Abandoned around 1950, this lookout may have remained undisturbed for 65 years. This is why I had to find it! The location on Blackjack Ridge is so obscure, there really isn't any reason people would come across the site. How it was accessed is currently a mystery. The location is odd as much of the site is surrounded by old-growth timber. On the lookout point is a scattering of bolts, wires, metal, the stove pipe and even the wood stove nearby. Getting to it is quite an adventure, not one for the average hiker.

I have gotten out and summited something on New Years Day for the past 18 years. This year 2015 was Lookout Mountain, which is located just West of Mount Baker, not to be confused with the Lookout Mountain near Bellingham, or the one near Marblemount. The snow was exceptionally deep and full of air in the brush below. Lucky for us, this was mostly a road walk that had a snow grooming machine and snowmobile tracks. But, the second peak had no such tracks and took a half hour to climb the first 100 vertical feet!

This is a section of the Foothills Trail that goes from Puyallup out to Orting. Much of the trail is visible from the road out to Orting. Level and paved, this was part the longest section of the Foothills Trail to be completed long ago. Today, the trail continues in both directions beyond, but this trip report just covers the section between Puyallup and Orting. By starting in Puyallup, you can end your trip at the Orting McDonalds, which gets the kids really excited to bike to. As the pictures show, much of the route passes farmers fields and small tree farms. Near the end, the trail is near but not next to the busy road....but views if Mt. Rainier is out make up for the noise.

Milwaukee might not be a destination city for tourists but it is Wisconsin's largest city, there is quite a bit to see and do. The city is right on the waterfront with a river meandering through skyscrapers, similar to Chicago. With just an afternoon, the riverfront walk is a must to get a feel for the city. A River Sculptures display runs along the River Walk from Michigan Street north to Juneau Avenue. With more time, a stroll along the waterfront parks is worthwhile and accesses attractions like the Milwaukee Art Museum and the War Memorial Center.

For Southern Californians, Palm Springs is a popular weekend getaway. For the rest of us, Palm Springs is a vacation offering 350 days of sunshine. Stand at the airport baggage carrousel and you quickly realize Golf is the main activity in Palm Springs. But, even non-golfers can have a good time soaking up the sun, enjoying the regional sights, attractions and resort deals. Below are a few sights from a 2 day visit in February with 80 degree temps.

Towering over Palm Springs, San Jacinto Peak rises well over 10,000 feet directly above. San Jacinto Peak is the highpoint of the San Jacinto Range and has nearly 8,300 feet of prominence making it the 6th most prominent mountain in the lower 48 states. The naturalist John Muir wrote about the summit, "The view from San Jacinto is the most sublime spectacle to be found anywhere on this earth!" Many routes up exist but the Palm Springs Aerial Tram whisks people up from the valley to 8,516 feet, making the easiest ascent route. Then it requires a 5.5 mile trail hike up with a remaining 2,500 vertical foot climb.

Hiking north on the PCT, the San Jacinto Mountain Range is the first major test for hikers as they must climb up to the 9,000 foot level on San Jacinto Peak. Along the range, the trail drops up and down multiple times climbing the slopes of multiple peaks. Most of the route has no water during most months, requiring dropping off the ridge at key points hiking one or two miles downhill to a spring. During my February visit of this section, I chose to hike from the 9,000 foot highpoint down to the desert.

This location makes for an interesting hike. It's located on the Pilchuck Tree Farm, which has numerous hiking, biking and horse trails. This particular section of the Pilchuck Tree Farm has the Pilchuck Glass School, which offers serious instruction at a nice facility in a natural setting. No entry is allowed but you can hike all around the complex. This loop trip circles around the school, in order to visit the elusive Pilchuck Monument. This memorial monument isn't exactly easy to find and many have missed its location. Bring a good map.

Kosmos Lookout is a prominent highpoint due east of Morton, usually not shown on maps, that has over 1,300 feet of rise. On the summit in 1947 was placed a 90 foot steel observation tower with 7x7 foot cab on top, that was WWII surplus. Next to the tower was a small house used as living quarters. The foundations for both structures are still there. In 1963, right where the steel tower was located, a 50 foot wooden DNR live-in tower was built. This second lookout lasted until destroyed in 1968. The footings of this lookout still remain, overlapping the footings of the steel tower. This hike offers excellent views, especially if you take scenic routes to the summit.

Near the tip of the Kitsap Peninsula, Foulweather Bluff Preserve incorporates six distinct habitats within a scant 100 acres. Forest uplands abut a sizeable brackish marsh and lagoon, which in turn is enclosed by a long, stabilized sand berm. The adjacent 3700 foot long beach is fed with sand from eroding bluffs, and extensive tidelands offer opportunities for close examination of intertidal life. Visitors to the preserve are welcome but to respect the wildlife, there is no dogs, no clamming, no souvenirs to carry out, no restrooms, no fires, just birdwatching, photography and other forms of nature appreciation.

The Point No Point Light House is the oldest lighthouse on Puget Sound, erected in 1879. The point was named by the Wilkes Expedition in 1841, and the 1855 Point No Point Treaty was signed at this location by Territorial Gov. Isaac Stevens and leaders of Chimacum, Skokomish and S'Klallam tribes, ending the Indian wars. Today, the site is the location for people flying kites, fishing for salmon, walking their dogs, hunting for shells, boat watching and building sand castles. Unlike most of the rocky shores on Puget Sound, this beach is huge and all sand.

Located on Hood Canal, Guillemot Cove (also known as Frenchmans Cove) is a undeveloped Kitsap County park full of trails and some rather unique locations to see. The main highlight of course is the beach, with the Olympic Mountains in the distance. Boyce Creek flows out from the woods and kids love playing where the water cuts through the sandy beach. Guillemot is a type of coastal bird and there are lots of birding opportunities around the cove. Other sites include the old beach house, a barns and even a house made inside a giant cedar stump.