Green Mountain Lookout by Sulphur Mountain overlooks Suiattle River and Downey Creek. White Chuck Mountain and Lime Mountain sit across the valley. Meanwhile, the tower offers a stunning view of Dome Peak and the obscure Hoof Peak.
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Green Mountain Lookout at a Glance
Access: Green Mountain Trail
Round Trip: 8 miles
Elevation Range: 3480′-6500′
Gear: microspikes
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Second Time in the Suiattle River Valley
Green Mountain Lookout has been on the back burner. Due to the Suiattle River Road closure, it’s been on hold since a friend invited me on a bike trip. Then, the road reopened last October past the initial 12 miles after 11 years.
I chatted with some skiers and snowshoers of the two cars by the trailhead. The ambitious group was on the way to explore places past the lookout tower. The dogs and I soon started walking before another vehicle pulled in.
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Green Mountain Trail
Snow appeared around 5000′, but it was firm and in excellent condition. I put on microspikes when we stepped onto a continuous icy path. Then I changed to snowshoes when snow deepened in the upper meadow.
Thanks to the group we chatted with earlier, we relied on their tracks as the south face steepened. They soon took the summer trail to the lower south ridge before disappearing around the east of the mountain.
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Traversing the Final Stretch on South Ridge
We went straight up the south face rather than following the group’s tracks. Before long, we were up on the south ridge at 150′ below the lookout tower. We then carefully made our way up the crest while steering away from the cornices.
Meanwhile, we stayed left to avoid potential cornices on the east. And soon, we were the first ones up on the lookout tower. But we only enjoyed 15 minutes of solitude before other people arrived.
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Viewing Glacier Peak Wilderness from Green Mountain Lookout
Only three sides of the tower had walkways to prevent people from falling off the steep east. Before long, more people showed up, and we took that as a hint to leave the lookout. Despite having a packed-down trail, it was faster to plunge-step down instead.
It was worth years of waiting, and the views didn’t disappoint. Photos I’d seen online couldn’t do the stunning views the lookout offered justice. Oh, and I noticed the nearby Sulphur Mountain earlier from the top, and it’s calling our name!
See more trip photos here.