Save Mount Pilchuck for a clear day, because the views of the Olympics and the Cascades from the old fire lookout on top are the stuff of dreams. It's only a 90-minute drive from Seattle, and this is one of the few short trails in the region that reaches the summit of a major peak. Even before you reach the summit the views are grand -- you can see Puget Sound in the distance and can almost reach out and touch Three Fingers and Whitehorse mountains

The trail begins in forest, then skirts the edge of an old clearcut and switchbacks across the top of an abandoned ski slope.If visibility is poor, it can get a little confusing if you haven't been here before. The trail rounds the base of Little Pilchuck and climbs to a saddle at 1.5 miles, elevation 4,600 feet. Round-trip to the lookout is 5 miles with an elevation gain of 2,200 feet. The snow melts out well into the summer. Late June through early November are the best times.

 Mount Pilchuck - Beautiful views and majestic mountain meadows, but bring the mosquito repellant for the biting flies!!! We had Yogi on this hike ( a "on leash" trail) and we made all the way to the firewatch station on the top, Yogi included (see final pictures). I had to carry him up the ladder and the other climbers gave him a round of applause!
Take S.R. 92 to Granite Falls, and then follow the Mountain Loop Highway east just past the Verlot Ranger Station. Cross the bridge over the South Fork Stillaguamish River and turn right on the Mount Pilchuck Road, parking at the end in seven miles.