Easton Ridge Lookout Site by Kachess Ridge overlooks Yakima River. Little Peak sits to the near south across the river valley. Plus, the most feasible way to the ridgetop comes from the southern foothills via Easton, Washington.
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Easton Ridge Lookout Site at a Glance
Access: PC 7200-723
Round Trip: 5.4 miles
Elevation Range: 2800′-3533‘
Essential Gear: none
Route Info: Jeff Ziegler, willhiteweb.com
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Playlist: Guitars
Hiking South Through Easton Ridge
In similar cloudy weather, the yellow lab and I visited the ridge’s high point in 2019. Connor and I then checked out the lower two points along the southeast this time. It was a smooth-turned-rocky drive to the ridgetop in an inch of powder from the recent snowfall.
After parking by the “no motorized vehicles” sign, we walked southeast on the icy road below the crest. I noticed fresh boot tracks on the short, 1.5-mile downhill hike to the radio towers. The path then dipped briefly to the lookout shed short of the drop-offs.
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A Misty Morning From Lee’s Lookout
Depending on the data source, the lookout also goes by Tumble Creek (Fire Watch) Lookout. But we saw low clouds instead of a clear view of Suncadia Resort and Cle Elum Lake. Meanwhile, it continued to flurry as it dropped to the teens from the mid-20s. Burr.
A jeep passed us shortly after we crossed the ridge junction to the hairpin at 3000′. A brushy path took us through thin trees before joining the ridge trail. It was a short, 150′ rise to the flat Easton Ridge Lookout Site before dipping northwest by the shrubs.
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Viewing Clouds at Easton Ridge Lookout Site
Being a former lookout, I could only imagine the expansive landscape we couldn’t see. It wasn’t too cold or windy by then, so we stuck around for the clouds to shift. But the misty valleys on both sides were the extent of the views in today’s weather.
Retracing our route, we reached back at the sharp turn before heading down. Just below 3000′ was a spur trail I saw earlier. Curious, we took it to see where it’d lead us. What do you know? It went through the light brush before exiting the trees by the car.
See more trip photos here.