This was part of a trip involving one county high point in Southeast Washington, as well as Morrow, Umatilla, Grant, Wheeler, and Crook in Oregon.
Signs on the drive up indicated a prescribed burn in the area, though this did not affect me except for the slightly reduced visibility from the summit. It was refreshing to drive on such excellent roads on the approach, with smooth pavement for the first 15 miles. The next 1.5 miles to the upper trailhead are rocky, but I did see a Corolla parked up there.
I was planning on hitting Olallie Butte as my cap to this trip, but incoming thunderstorms later prevented this. Had I known this in hindsight, I would have taken a longer approach, but as it was I took the short trail. The options abound on this hidden gem, though, and Lookout Mountain has plenty to offer.
Although I saw vehicles at both trailheads and on the road, I only encountered one person once I hit the trail, and that was at the summit. This man has been doing these trails for years and he said this is generally a well-kept secret though it has become more popular in recent years. When I asked him where I could find the benchmark he said he himself keeps losing it, and though it is not directly on the summit, it was nearby and if I kept looking I would find it. With that he took off.
After only 10-15 minutes of searching I realized I could spend quite a bit of time looking around, as there is no shortage of side paths and cairns up there. Realizing it could have been anywhere, I gave up on trying to find the benchmark and instead hiked along the broad summit to each of the bumps heading ENE just in order to be thorough and insure I hit the true summit. I thought perhaps in this quest a benchmark might present itself. It did not.
Down I headed and once I hit Prineville and got a look at the horizon, I realized Olallie Butte may not happen. A glimpse at the forecast affirmed this, so it was wheels pointed back home for this trip.
Kyle509 - Jul 11, 2016 12:54 pm Date Climbed: Jun 28, 2016
Biked Up
Biked up from the Ochoco forest campground. Shared the summit with 30 or more hikers from the central oregon sierra club who drove to the upper trail head. Not the peaceful day on Lookout we were hoping for. The ride up and most of the ride down was really nice though, beautiful country.
Redwic - Jun 17, 2016 8:10 am Date Climbed: May 28, 2016
Oregon CoHP Completion
A nice way to end that day, becoming the 15th person to complete the Oregon CoHPs. I wore a custom t-shirt dedicated to the memory of Edward Earl, who was my biggest inspiration for topographic prominence and one of my influences for gaining interest in Oregon peakbagging.
ericnoel - Sep 10, 2015 12:37 am Date Climbed: Sep 9, 2015
Lookout
Nice easy P2000 COHP with puppy.
scgrant - Jul 26, 2014 12:30 am Date Climbed: Jul 15, 2014
Lookout Peak
Enjoyable hike up to the summit area. We hit all four similar contour points along the summit plateau. Oregon CoHP #7 on this trip.
greglief - Aug 4, 2013 8:35 pm Date Climbed: Jul 17, 2011
Wildflowers!
This was really a hike rather than a climb. Wildflowers were blooming everywhere, and the views were wonderful.
Nick Turtura - Mar 23, 2013 10:32 pm Date Climbed: Mar 22, 2013
Cold
We were able to drive to the trailhead on Road42. We got there late and summited around 1:00 in the morning. We slept in the shelter, got up, and played around on the summit. The views were decent but the clouds were out. The trail is not easy to follow in the snow and at night so be prepared if that's your plan. Also, the shelter floor is filthy so bring a tarp if you're planing on sleeping there. Great trip.
Dundeel - Jun 12, 2012 12:09 am Date Climbed: Jun 8, 2012
Crook Top
Ryan and I hiked up from the Independent Mine TH. Got snowed on a bit and the views were limited to nearby due to low clouds but it was a great hike.
jessbee - Jan 3, 2010 11:05 pm Date Climbed: Jan 2, 2010
Peaceful
Hiked up the "summer trail" alone, from the Ochoco Ranger station, about 14 miles rt. Needed snowshoes for about half of the way or more. The summit plateau seemed to go on forever so I kept walking until I felt like I was close enough (turns out I was spitting distance from the official summit). Zero people on this brisk winter day. Fantastic.
Bagged this during a MTB race. We started near the ranger station, rode up the paved road 7+ miles to trail 808 then on to 808A, which was brutal, hike-a-biked most of that. Went down trail 804 from the summit to the ranger station which was a blast, then up the paved road for 2.5 miles. Fun but a serious suffer-fest. 22 miles RT, 2:52 total time. Would love to come back and hike this when I could enjoy the views.
Dennis Poulin - May 28, 2009 11:53 am Date Climbed: Oct 10, 2003
Or CoHP
One of a string of Oregon County Highpoints in 2003.
Bombchaser - Mar 3, 2008 3:09 pm Date Climbed: Dec 23, 2007
Northeast Approach
Started climb where the Kyle Creek and Cline Creek combine. There was eight inches of snow at that location and had snowshoes on the entire trip. I worked my way up the Pleasant Creek drainage and then climbed up the Northeast slope heading towards North Point. The last few hundred feet to North Point required steep soft snow climbing and snow covered rock ledges to overcome, and had to use hands to climb. There was around three feet of snow on the summit ridge, and near zero visibilty with strong winds, ice and snow. I worked my way along this this narrow rifge to the summit. Trip was 6.5 miles long and took 5 hours round trip.
My wife and I hiked in the late evening. It was a pretty sweet little trail with views to the West all the time. The summit faces the West, so views of the sunset are extremely colorful and fun to watch from such a height.
Bob Bolton - Oct 4, 2006 1:14 am Date Climbed: Aug 17, 2002
Lookout Tie trail
This was the first target of my first trip to Oregon for the express purpose of bagging county highpoints. It was also the first of four garnered on that day. After this hike I drove backroads over to Wheeler County's Spanish Peak, driving the 4Runner to the summit. Then it was on to the John Day area and Strawberry Mountain. I drove into the evening toward Umatilla County's Tower Mountain, arriving at the top after dark. The four counties in one day stood as the Oregon record for only a few months when CoHPer Bill Jacobs shattered the record with six counties in western Oregon the next year.
Nice little loop hike with Shelby. Interesting flat summit area covered in sage brush. I think you can see all of the major Cascade peaks in the State of Oregon, plus some Washington ones.
cmc56789 - Jul 24, 2006 7:16 am Date Climbed: Jun 28, 2004
Lookout and Round Mountains
I drove from Portland and hit the trail late in the morning, for a hot suny climb. Stopped to check out the Independent mine and the ski shelter on the way up. Lots of wildflowers in bloom and decent but hazy view of the Cascades to the west. I did the loop back down to the trailhead and went on to hike to the summit of Round Mountain for some more nice views. Hit Black Butte for a nice sunset on the way back to Portland. I was pretty tired by the time I made it back into town.
calebEOC - Jul 24, 2006 3:00 am Date Climbed: Jul 23, 2006
Independent Mine Trail
Not in a hurry to get back to loathesome Salem from John Day I took a Detour off of Highway 26 so I could tackle the Ochoco Mountains highpoint. With three different routes to choose from at the trailhead I went with the route that had the abandonded mining structures so I could check those out. Summit was beautiful, should have a great view if there isnt too much haze. I could barely make out the Cascades, couldnt see anything to the east or northeast beyond Sutton Mountain. Didnt see any other people up here, nice little remote hike.
royanderson - May 23, 2021 9:07 pm Date Climbed: May 22, 2021
SnowyFresh powder and it was snowing, so no real visibility. Someone rode a mountain bike to summit in the snow.
triyoda - Jun 10, 2020 9:39 pm Date Climbed: Jun 10, 2020
Biked from the lower trailheadFirst 6.5 miles on the road, then 4 miles of single track to the summit and 7.5 miles of single track down to the lower trail head. Wore me out.
huskertriguy - Sep 12, 2019 10:34 pm Date Climbed: Sep 7, 2019
Look Out!This was part of a trip involving one county high point in Southeast Washington, as well as Morrow, Umatilla, Grant, Wheeler, and Crook in Oregon.
Signs on the drive up indicated a prescribed burn in the area, though this did not affect me except for the slightly reduced visibility from the summit. It was refreshing to drive on such excellent roads on the approach, with smooth pavement for the first 15 miles. The next 1.5 miles to the upper trailhead are rocky, but I did see a Corolla parked up there.
I was planning on hitting Olallie Butte as my cap to this trip, but incoming thunderstorms later prevented this. Had I known this in hindsight, I would have taken a longer approach, but as it was I took the short trail. The options abound on this hidden gem, though, and Lookout Mountain has plenty to offer.
Although I saw vehicles at both trailheads and on the road, I only encountered one person once I hit the trail, and that was at the summit. This man has been doing these trails for years and he said this is generally a well-kept secret though it has become more popular in recent years. When I asked him where I could find the benchmark he said he himself keeps losing it, and though it is not directly on the summit, it was nearby and if I kept looking I would find it. With that he took off.
After only 10-15 minutes of searching I realized I could spend quite a bit of time looking around, as there is no shortage of side paths and cairns up there. Realizing it could have been anywhere, I gave up on trying to find the benchmark and instead hiked along the broad summit to each of the bumps heading ENE just in order to be thorough and insure I hit the true summit. I thought perhaps in this quest a benchmark might present itself. It did not.
Down I headed and once I hit Prineville and got a look at the horizon, I realized Olallie Butte may not happen. A glimpse at the forecast affirmed this, so it was wheels pointed back home for this trip.
Kyle509 - Jul 11, 2016 12:54 pm Date Climbed: Jun 28, 2016
Biked UpBiked up from the Ochoco forest campground. Shared the summit with 30 or more hikers from the central oregon sierra club who drove to the upper trail head. Not the peaceful day on Lookout we were hoping for. The ride up and most of the ride down was really nice though, beautiful country.
Redwic - Jun 17, 2016 8:10 am Date Climbed: May 28, 2016
Oregon CoHP CompletionA nice way to end that day, becoming the 15th person to complete the Oregon CoHPs. I wore a custom t-shirt dedicated to the memory of Edward Earl, who was my biggest inspiration for topographic prominence and one of my influences for gaining interest in Oregon peakbagging.
ericnoel - Sep 10, 2015 12:37 am Date Climbed: Sep 9, 2015
LookoutNice easy P2000 COHP with puppy.
scgrant - Jul 26, 2014 12:30 am Date Climbed: Jul 15, 2014
Lookout PeakEnjoyable hike up to the summit area. We hit all four similar contour points along the summit plateau. Oregon CoHP #7 on this trip.
greglief - Aug 4, 2013 8:35 pm Date Climbed: Jul 17, 2011
Wildflowers!This was really a hike rather than a climb. Wildflowers were blooming everywhere, and the views were wonderful.
Nick Turtura - Mar 23, 2013 10:32 pm Date Climbed: Mar 22, 2013
ColdWe were able to drive to the trailhead on Road42. We got there late and summited around 1:00 in the morning. We slept in the shelter, got up, and played around on the summit. The views were decent but the clouds were out. The trail is not easy to follow in the snow and at night so be prepared if that's your plan. Also, the shelter floor is filthy so bring a tarp if you're planing on sleeping there. Great trip.
Dundeel - Jun 12, 2012 12:09 am Date Climbed: Jun 8, 2012
Crook TopRyan and I hiked up from the Independent Mine TH. Got snowed on a bit and the views were limited to nearby due to low clouds but it was a great hike.
jessbee - Jan 3, 2010 11:05 pm Date Climbed: Jan 2, 2010
PeacefulHiked up the "summer trail" alone, from the Ochoco Ranger station, about 14 miles rt. Needed snowshoes for about half of the way or more. The summit plateau seemed to go on forever so I kept walking until I felt like I was close enough (turns out I was spitting distance from the official summit). Zero people on this brisk winter day. Fantastic.
BSPclimber - Jul 22, 2009 6:25 pm Date Climbed: Jul 18, 2009
On bikeBagged this during a MTB race. We started near the ranger station, rode up the paved road 7+ miles to trail 808 then on to 808A, which was brutal, hike-a-biked most of that. Went down trail 804 from the summit to the ranger station which was a blast, then up the paved road for 2.5 miles. Fun but a serious suffer-fest. 22 miles RT, 2:52 total time. Would love to come back and hike this when I could enjoy the views.
Dennis Poulin - May 28, 2009 11:53 am Date Climbed: Oct 10, 2003
Or CoHPOne of a string of Oregon County Highpoints in 2003.
Bombchaser - Mar 3, 2008 3:09 pm Date Climbed: Dec 23, 2007
Northeast ApproachStarted climb where the Kyle Creek and Cline Creek combine. There was eight inches of snow at that location and had snowshoes on the entire trip. I worked my way up the Pleasant Creek drainage and then climbed up the Northeast slope heading towards North Point. The last few hundred feet to North Point required steep soft snow climbing and snow covered rock ledges to overcome, and had to use hands to climb. There was around three feet of snow on the summit ridge, and near zero visibilty with strong winds, ice and snow. I worked my way along this this narrow rifge to the summit. Trip was 6.5 miles long and took 5 hours round trip.
bmwboarder7 - Jul 23, 2007 12:00 am
Great SunsetsMy wife and I hiked in the late evening. It was a pretty sweet little trail with views to the West all the time. The summit faces the West, so views of the sunset are extremely colorful and fun to watch from such a height.
Bob Bolton - Oct 4, 2006 1:14 am Date Climbed: Aug 17, 2002
Lookout Tie trailThis was the first target of my first trip to Oregon for the express purpose of bagging county highpoints. It was also the first of four garnered on that day. After this hike I drove backroads over to Wheeler County's Spanish Peak, driving the 4Runner to the summit. Then it was on to the John Day area and Strawberry Mountain. I drove into the evening toward Umatilla County's Tower Mountain, arriving at the top after dark. The four counties in one day stood as the Oregon record for only a few months when CoHPer Bill Jacobs shattered the record with six counties in western Oregon the next year.
Cornvallis - Jul 25, 2006 1:12 am
Great Cascade viewsNice little loop hike with Shelby. Interesting flat summit area covered in sage brush. I think you can see all of the major Cascade peaks in the State of Oregon, plus some Washington ones.
cmc56789 - Jul 24, 2006 7:16 am Date Climbed: Jun 28, 2004
Lookout and Round MountainsI drove from Portland and hit the trail late in the morning, for a hot suny climb. Stopped to check out the Independent mine and the ski shelter on the way up. Lots of wildflowers in bloom and decent but hazy view of the Cascades to the west. I did the loop back down to the trailhead and went on to hike to the summit of Round Mountain for some more nice views. Hit Black Butte for a nice sunset on the way back to Portland. I was pretty tired by the time I made it back into town.
calebEOC - Jul 24, 2006 3:00 am Date Climbed: Jul 23, 2006
Independent Mine TrailNot in a hurry to get back to loathesome Salem from John Day I took a Detour off of Highway 26 so I could tackle the Ochoco Mountains highpoint. With three different routes to choose from at the trailhead I went with the route that had the abandonded mining structures so I could check those out. Summit was beautiful, should have a great view if there isnt too much haze. I could barely make out the Cascades, couldnt see anything to the east or northeast beyond Sutton Mountain. Didnt see any other people up here, nice little remote hike.