Getting There

In the morning I had hiked up to Packwood Lake, so to get to High Rock Lookout trailhead, I dropped back down to Packwood and crossed US-12 onto Skate Creek Road. It's also labeled NF-52. Follow this westbound for about 18 miles. Keep an eye out for signs to High Rock Lookout. Turn left (south) onto NF-52, a dirt road with some potholes and dips.

Keep going for about 4.5 miles and look for a slight right onto NF-8440. The trailhead is another 2.6 miles. It tends to get busy up there since it's a popular hike and there are likely more folks that can't get into Mt Rainier due to the timed permit system.

I was fortunate to find an open parking spot right next to the trail but there were cars parked on the shoulder around the bend as well as some person's Toyota FJ Cruiser that was parked high up on a rock like some car manufacturer's promo. LOL.

The Hike

Length: 3.53 mi
Elev. gain: 1,339 ft
Moving time: 1:39:08
Avg pace: 28:07
Calories: 1,003
Total time: 1:53:19

This was only my second time hiking this trail. I'd tried to get up here way back in April but, of course, the roads were long from being opened.

My feet were tired from the Packwood Lake hike but I was determined to get to the top. I'd just driven for an hour and I still had to drive back to Portland afterwards. I knew it was well traveled and no way to get lost since it's a ridge out-n-back trail.

I passed two couples on the way up which gave me some motivation to keep going even when I was winded. I had to pause a few times to let my heart rate drop back down.

I remember some of the places on the trail from my previous hike back in Sept 2020. Whoosh! That was a long time ago!

Near the top, there are a couple places where you can see the lookout from below. I noticed some people standing up there, looking over a railing. I didn't remember that you could stand on the roof, maybe that was new.

I rounded the last switchback and saw the last traverse. I paused to rest for a minute. A hiker on their way down gave me some encourage that I was almost there. Indeed.

I finally reached the edge of the trees and the scramble up the slab of granite. The structure was indeed gone. The people I saw earlier weren't on the roof but rather, standing on the floor.

Several people were on the platform enjoying the views. Several more people were scattered below on the rocks getting some other vantage points. Mt Rainier was hidden somewhere in the clouds. You could barely make out its shape, or at least the lower flank.

I was happy to have made it up and gotten a bit of elevation since the Packwood Lake hike wasn't very challenging.

I changed my shirt at the top and put on my puffy jacket. It was both cool and humid. I was glad to be in a dry top. I started my descent and kept a steady pace to the bottom. My foot and toe pain came and went. Nothing major.

I passed a bunch of folks going up and wondered if they had flashlights and/or warm layers. The clouds were dark nearby and it seemed like rain was possible. Not my problem!

Looking south from the trail

Looking north

Cora Lake

Looking south

Getting There:

Last time I was in the area, I'd stayed in Packwood, WA and took NF-52 to NF-84 up to Mile 8.5 and never found the lookout.

This time, since I was coming from Portland, I took I-5 to Hwy 12, then north on WA-7 from Morton to Elbe. Then went east on WA-706 which becomes Paradise Road E.

This is the road goes through the Nisqually Entrance to Mt Rainier National Park and winds passed the Paradise Lodge and Reflection Lake.

From SR-706, I took the Skate Creek Road Turnoff which will take you to Packwood. It's 4.7 miles to the NF-84 turnoff. It's 6.8 miles to the NF-8440. It's 2.6 miles to the trailhead.

There is no signage at the last turn onto NF-8440 which is why I drove passed... twice! Today I drove passed cheerfully because I didn't do my research. I assumed that I just hadn't gone far enough passed the 8.5 mile mark. I waved as I drove by my previous turnaround spot. I saw a small road a ways up but continued. It just didn't feel right and I turned around at 10.5 miles and returned the small road (NF-8460).

NF-8460 was pretty narrow with overgrowth, and quite rutted. I panicked a little because there was no where to turn around. I backed down a couple hundred yards to a place I could do a 5-pt turn. (LOL, this is the length of the JK Unlimited biting me in the butt). I scraped some branches in the process on the driver's side. Matches the scrape I got on the passenger side on Red Bluff Road near Stevenson, WA. :(.

Thanks to GPS I went back down the hill to the junction for NF-8440. I was a bit surprised at the number of cars in the little parking lot, for a Tuesday. Whatevs.

The Hike:

Length: 3.1 miles round trip
Elevation Gain: 1318 feet
Type: Out & Back
Duration: 2.5 hours

There is a lot of elevation gain. It's not quite as taxing at the Silver Star hike a few weeks ago but still a good leg burner. I was off my game, preparation wise - not enough water, no neck gaiter, didn't stretch properly.

Honestly, I envisioned the lookout to a be a short walk from the road, maybe like Sherrard Point at Larch Mountain. I had my pack which seems to be better than the day pack I'd been using.

It's a well maintained trail with only one or two trees across the path. The route follows a narrow ridge which allows a lot of light to come through the trees but it's still mostly shaded. You eventually reach a steep section on rock and offers some early views of Rainier and Adams.

The top of trail is a bit of a switchback; you overshoot the lookout, then zag underneath it. As you pass a scree field, you'll see the structure above. The trail ends in the trees about 200 ft below the lookout. Looks like a foundation of an old structure. The climb to the lookout is steep on solid rock. There doesn't seem to be any right way but beware of some serious drop offs.

From the lookout, you get amazing views all around, including the Cascade Mountains: Rainier, Adams, St Helens, and Hood.

It helps to have hiking poles for the descent.

Here are some of the photos from the ascent and at the top.