Forum Index > Trip Reports > Burley Mountain Lookout - 6/15/13
 Reply to topic
Previous :: Next Topic
Author Message
fourteen410
Member
Member


Joined: 23 May 2008
Posts: 2622 | TRs | Pics
fourteen410
Member
PostSun Jun 16, 2013 12:44 pm 
After busting my knee last week, I needed a trip with minimal mileage and maximum views. What could be better than a lookout or two? I've wanted to visit Suntop Lookout for awhile, so we headed south to check it out. My knee was still holding up afterward, so we headed down the road (a ways) to Randle and followed a maze of forest service roads for about twenty miles. There are a lot of downed trees on FR 77, but they were small enough that our subaru made it over them all. At the junction of FR 77 and FR 7605, there were two roads headed in the direction of the lookout. The one to our immediate left was a dirt road with trees blocking it. The road ahead of us had an orange sign warning of a washout ahead. Long, scary story short: That sign wasn't lying. smile.gif Back at the intersection, we parked and began walking over the downed trees up the road. After the downed trees, the road was rough but clear, so the two of us women went back and hauled the big trees out of the road. I guess they call it Burley Mountain for a reason cool.gif After clearing the downed trees, we drove up the road until we were blocked by snow about 1.5 miles from the lookout (about .5 from FR 086). It was getting late, so we hoofed it up the road. At the trailhead/parking area, we followed what was left of the trail, then turned and headed straight up to the lookout. Wow! We had a 360 degree view of four volcanoes, distant peaks, and an incoming thunderstorm. The lookout needs some TLC inside, but we made ourselves at home, ate dinner, and watched the sunset before hiking the road down. I'll let the pictures do the talking. A long drive brought us back home around 1:15 a.m., but it was worth every mile.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Snowdog
Member
Member


Joined: 21 Jul 2006
Posts: 1027 | TRs | Pics
Location: on (& off) the beaten path
Snowdog
Member
PostMon Jun 17, 2013 9:33 am 
very nice way to persevere! up.gif

'we don't have time for a shortcut'
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Paul M
Member
Member


Joined: 15 Jul 2008
Posts: 371 | TRs | Pics
Paul M
Member
PostMon Jun 17, 2013 3:22 pm 
Was the road open to the top of Sun Top or was it gated?

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Tvashtar
Tvashtalker



Joined: 22 Aug 2005
Posts: 1225 | TRs | Pics
Location: The 11th Dimension
Tvashtar
Tvashtalker
PostMon Jun 17, 2013 3:50 pm 
What a great reminder to get on down there and check that thing out! Thanks!

"We are, all of us, in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." - Oscar Wilde
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
fourteen410
Member
Member


Joined: 23 May 2008
Posts: 2622 | TRs | Pics
fourteen410
Member
PostMon Jun 17, 2013 6:47 pm 
Paul M wrote:
Was the road open to the top of Sun Top or was it gated?
It was still gated just past the .5 mile trail to the summit as of Saturday.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Paul M
Member
Member


Joined: 15 Jul 2008
Posts: 371 | TRs | Pics
Paul M
Member
PostMon Jun 17, 2013 10:04 pm 
Thanks for the idea! I took a quick drive down there tonight after work and the road is now open to the top. The Lookout was opened for the season on Sunday. A few pics here. https://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?p=879114#879114 I will have to check out Burley Mtn LO sometime when I am down that way too.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
lookout bob
WTA proponent.....



Joined: 12 Apr 2005
Posts: 3043 | TRs | Pics
Location: wta work while in between lookouts
lookout bob
WTA proponent.....
PostTue Jun 18, 2013 8:55 am 
14410...lovely report!! great pics!!! keep those lookouts going!!! Hope you'll be able to come to Evergreen with us in August!!! up.gif up.gif cool.gif

"Altitude is its own reward" John Jerome ( from "On Mountains")
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Brushbuffalo
Member
Member


Joined: 17 Sep 2015
Posts: 1887 | TRs | Pics
Location: there earlier, here now, somewhere later... Bellingham in between
Brushbuffalo
Member
PostSun Jul 28, 2019 10:11 pm 
I drove to Burley lookout today. FS 7605 has been recently graveled up the lower steeper few miles. Above the junction with FS 77 road 7605-86 is a bit rougher but should be drivable by most sedans. The final half mile is steep, narrow, and has significant water bars, so anything less than 8" clearance might have the underside dragging. Also, the final turnaround at the lookout is tight. A inexperienced driver in a longer wheelbase vehicle might be nervous....a 300' cliff is just beyond eek.gif There is a wide turnaround position just 100 yards before the lookout, so keep that in mind. I drove to the end and spent some extra time negotiating the turn around with another vehicle already there, not visible right there. The views! Although not my beloved, familiar North Cascades, this more mellow country has many charms....the forests, the flowers, and the regal volcanoes: Rainier, Adams, St. Helens, Hood, and the sprawl of the grand long- extinct Goat Rocks volcano. I descended by a different way. From the four-way junction 1 mile from the lookout, where 7605 crosses FS 77, I took FS 77 all the way down to FS 76. It is longer and therefore more gradual than the northern section of FS 7605, and although the dirt surface of 77 for a couple of miles from the crossing intersection could be muddy in early season, FS 77 is wide , gradually sloped, and nicely graveled, and even paved in lower elevations. Edit: David, the woodstove is still there, but has no door. There were two hefty triangular shaped rocks about a foot across that had been placed on the stove lip, apparently as a makeshift spark deflector. Yikes!! eek.gif Without constant attention, a fire in the stove could quickly set the structure ablaze.

Passing rocks and trees like they were standing still
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
D. Inscho
Not bored yet...



Joined: 28 Feb 2010
Posts: 973 | TRs | Pics
Location: Bellingham,WA
D. Inscho
Not bored yet...
PostTue Jul 30, 2019 6:02 am 
Great to see Burley lives! Thanks for persevering in the face of injury. I stayed there two nights in November 2004 when the wood stove was still available. It does have great vantage for the southern volcanoes.

http://david-inscho.smugmug.com/ The key to a successful trip is to do the planning during work hours. -- John Muir “My most memorable hikes can be classified as 'Shortcuts that Backfired'.” --Ed Abbey
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
   All times are GMT - 8 Hours
 Reply to topic
Forum Index > Trip Reports > Burley Mountain Lookout - 6/15/13
  Happy Birthday noahk!
Jump to:   
Search this topic:

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum