Hi, I'm Eric.

I’m an avid world traveler, photographer, software developer, and digital storyteller.

I help implement the Content Authenticity Initiative at Adobe.

ericscouten.com

Subscribe / Follow · Now

ericscouten.com

Subscribe / Follow · Now

Search Results

57
Mount Pilchuck State Park
57

Mount Pilchuck State Park

east of Granite Falls, Washington
visited 25 July 2021
Back to parks list

Miles of boulders to climb over? Miles of man-eating potholes to drive through? One of the most difficult hikes in the State Park system? Sure! Sign me up!

Mount Pilchuck is a difficult hike (just over five miles round trip, 2300’ elevation gain), but oh so worth it.

A word to the wise: This often confuses people, but the parking lot for this hike is on National Forest property, which means you need a National Forest parking pass (or an intergovernmental pass such as the America the Beautiful pass) to park here, not the state Discover Pass.

The actual entrance to the park is about a quarter of a mile’s hike past the parking lot.

A brown wooden trail sign reading “Mt. Pilchuck State Park” mounted on a post in a dense evergreen forest, with a moss-covered fallen log, ferns, and leafy undergrowth along a dirt trail.

I have questions about the structural integrity of this tree:

A large standing tree trunk in a sunlit evergreen forest, with much of its lower bark stripped away to reveal bright reddish-orange decaying wood that is splintered and crumbling. Green conifers and leafy undergrowth surround the base of the tree.
A rustic wooden plank bridge with log railings crosses a small rocky stream in a lush green forest, dappled with sunlight filtering through the leafy canopy at Mount Pilchuck State Park.
A rocky, boulder-strewn forest trail climbing through stands of tall evergreen conifers under a clear blue sky, with sunlight filtering through the branches onto gray granite rocks.
A weathered, barkless snag of a large dead conifer rises in the foreground, its grey and reddish-brown wood splintered and decaying, with living evergreen trees and a deep blue sky beyond at Mount Pilchuck State Park.
A rocky, root-strewn mountain trail climbs through low alpine shrubs toward large lichen-covered granite boulders and a stand of tall evergreen conifers under a clear deep-blue sky.

As you climb up and out of the forest, the views become increasingly inspiring:

An alpine mountainside dotted with conifers and scattered granite boulders under a deep blue sky, with distant mountain ridges visible on the hazy horizon to the left and a few white clouds low in the sky.
A sweeping mountain view from a high vantage point, with tall evergreen conifers and granite boulders in the foreground overlooking a forested valley and layered blue ridgelines beneath a deep blue sky with a few distant clouds.
A rocky mountain summit crowned with evergreen conifers rises under a deep blue sky, with a talus field of pale granite boulders spilling down the slope and green brush and fir trees framing the foreground.
A large weathered, silvery tree stump with splintered, jagged edges and gnarled exposed roots stands in a sunlit forest clearing, surrounded by evergreen conifers, boulders, and dappled light under a blue sky.
A rugged rocky mountain ridge with jagged gray granite outcrops and scattered evergreen trees, beside a sandy trail, under a deep blue sky with a few puffy clouds and distant forested mountains fading into the horizon.
A rocky, boulder-strewn mountain slope dotted with lichen and low green shrubs, topped by a jagged granite outcrop and evergreen conifers including one bare, weathered dead snag, all beneath a deep blue cloudless sky.
A sweeping view from a rocky, forested mountain ridge in Mount Pilchuck State Park, with rugged granite outcrops and evergreen trees in the foreground giving way to row upon row of blue-hazed Cascade peaks beneath a deep blue summer sky, with a snow-capped Glacier Peak visible on the distant horizon.
A rocky mountain trail climbs through a boulder-strewn slope with pale lichen-covered granite, low alpine shrubs and wildflowers, and scattered evergreen trees under a deep blue cloudless sky.
A high mountain vista under a deep blue sky, with forested ridges rolling into the distance and a rugged, partly snow-dusted peak on the horizon. In the foreground, granite boulders and scattered evergreen trees fill a rocky alpine clearing.
A conifer tree with exposed roots clings to a jumble of granite boulders on a rocky summit, with a white wooden fire lookout perched atop the rocks against a deep blue sky.
The lookout tower.

When we got to the very top (5300’ or a mile in altitude), my knees were giving me the stink eye. I paid attention and opted out of the final scramble up the rocks to the lookout tower, so sadly I have no photos to share of that occasion.

For more information:

If you’ve enjoyed this …

Subscribe to my free and occasional (never more than weekly) e-mail newsletter with my latest travel and other stories:

Or follow me on one or more of the socials: