The elevation gain of this trail is stiff (4800 feet), but rewarding views start early in the hike and only get better. The final panorama is one of the best in the area, offering views of the Chiwaukum Mountains, Cashmere Moutain, Icicle Ridge, and Mt. Stuart.
Maps: View our topo map (8.5’x11” portrait/landscape or 8.5”x14” portrait/landscape). Note: use ‘Print Preview’ before printing to properly scale this map to a full sheet of paper.
Activity: Hiking
Nearest Town: Leavenworth
Skill Level: 2
Fitness Level: 3
Distance: About 6.5 miles to the old lookout site (the sign at the trailhead gives the distance to the ridge as 5 miles, though it seems to be closer to 6 miles); 13 miles roundtrip.
Elevation: Starting elevation: 2260 feet. Ending elevation: 7000 feet. Total elevation gain: 4800 feet.
Recommended Season: Late spring, early summer.
Access: Drive south on the Icicle Creek Road (on the western edge of Leavenworth). At 8.5 miles you will pass the Eightmile Creek junction. Continue through this intersection and, at 9.4 miles, you will reach a small paved parking area and the trailhead for Fourth of July trail No. 1579.
Trip Instructions: 1/4 mile after you start up the trail, you will cross Fourth of July Creek--the last source of water on the hike. Continue up the tight switchbacks until a mile before the crest of the ridge, where the trail will begin to traverse to the east. There is a spring at about 5400 feet, though there may not be water in late summer. Keep an eye out for rattlesnakes in this area. At 6800 feet, the trail reaches the ridge crest and intersects with Icicle Ridge Trail. Take a left on this path to climb the final 1/4 mile to the site of the old lookout.
More Info/Links: Click here to read the Seattle PI's report on this hike.
The information for this trip description was compiled from 100 Hikes in Washington’s Alpine Lakes, published by The Mountaineers.
Leave It Better Than You Found It: This should be every outdoor user’s goal. Pick up trash left by others, pull noxious weeds along your route, disperse old fire rings (they encourage more fires), throw branches over spur trails and spurs between switchbacks (make it harder to do the wrong thing than the right thing).
Important Disclaimer: Treat this information as recommendations, not gospel. Things change, conditions change, and those contributing these reports are volunteers--they may make mistakes, fail to give complete information, or may not know all the issues affecting a route. So forget about finger pointing: If things go wrong, you are completely responsible for yourself and your actions. If you can’t live with that, you are prohibited from using our information.