Martin Lookout Site by Stampede Pass was once a stop on the Northern Pacific Railway. It’s also the location of the oldest ski area in Washington State1. Meanwhile, the nearby South Loop Hill and Mount Ozbaldy are north of the Yakima River.
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Martin Lookout Site at a Glance
Environs = South Loop Hill + Mount Ozbaldy
周圍地區=南環山丘+厄茲巴爾迪山
Access: NF-5400 & Cabin Creek Sno-Park
Round Trip: 0.4 miles (Martin); 5.8 miles (South Loop)
Elevation Range: 2420′-5151′
Essential Gear: none
Route Info: Jeff Ziegler
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Playlist: Ethereal
Hiking Near Yakima River by Amabilis Mountain
Little did I know, the former lookout site was practically a drive-up. Since it was a pitstop under half a mile roundtrip, we also included two nearby hills off Interstate 90. There’s no skiing in the area yet so I could park at the sno-park without a permit.
We crossed the train tracks by the switchback below Martin Lookout Site. A brief walk uphill through the powerline soon brought us to a pile of firewood. I then took photos of the open view by the private sign before returning to the car.
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From Martin Lookout Site to South Loop Hill
We pulled into the open space by the Exit 63 off-ramp below South Loop Hill. A clockwise loop from the east took us to Yakima River, where we followed a side path to the lakeshore. Unable to cross the water for photos, we returned to the path and continued.
Soon, we took a spur road south and reached the top within minutes. The small clearing faced south, where I glimpsed Cole Butte Benchmach. Then, on the way down, I caught Silver Peak among tree branches. Without stopping, we took the overpass to the north side.
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Through the Woodsy Mount Osbaldy
We also looped through the tiny mound in a clockwise fashion. Besides trees, the tucked-away open areas in the woods didn’t offer much to see. We followed the preset track to the top as the road dipped by the high point. Then, it was a quick hop up to the high point.
After a few pee-a-boo photos in the woods, we soon returned to the road. The path quickly dropped to the bottom around the north before going east to the main roadway. But crossing the overpass while checking out the freeway traffic was nerve-racking.
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- Courtesy of willhiteweb.com. ↩︎