Red Top Lookout

The hike to Red Top Lookout is only about 1.5 miles round-trip. Red Top is located on a forest service road. You will not have service, so mark the trailhead beforehand and make sure you download a map or bring a physical one with you. The trail is short, but steep. Once you make it to the lookout, you will have 360° views of the Stuart Range, Teanaway Ridge, Chelan and Entiat Mountains, Mount Rainier, and even Mount Adams on a clear day. I did this hike in the spring, so the fire lookout itself was not open. It is staffed with volunteers in the summer during regular business hours.

 Red Top Lookout and the trail to it is a popular place to find agates and thunder eggs. When you go up the same trail to reach Red Top, there is a sign pointing towards Teanaway Ridge Trail. Turn right at the sign to reach the agate beds that are one mile away. I saw several people walking up this trail with buckets and shovels.

Note for the reader: I share these locations so that others can see beautiful places and enjoy nature as much as I do. Please be respectful of the outdoors and what condition it is in when you visit. Don’t go off trail, leave no trace, and pack out what you came in with.