Heybrook & the Everett Mountaineers
The Heybrook Lookout.
It’s a cabin 67 feet in the air in the wilderness 37 miles of east of Everett.
It offers 360-degree views of of Mt. Persis, Mt. Bering, and Mt. Index. You and three friends can sleep there, 73 feet in the air, for $75. This thanks to Everett volunteers.
The lookout was built in 1925. Forest rangers (and sometimes beat poets) would man towers like these to keep an eye out for fires on the mountain. Look at the view from the Heybrook Tower:
That's Index in the middle. Breathtaking.
These old fire lookout towers became obsolete thanks to aerial photography and satellite imaging.*
Decades of disuse and vandalism had left the Heybrook Lookout in shambles by the early 90s.
In 1996 the Everett chapter of the Mountaineers began to repair the place. It took them eight years, thousands of volunteer hours, and plenty of donated money to build a brand new cabin on the top of the historic tower. They also repaired the supporting beams.
The Mountaineers is a nonprofit based in Seattle. They were founded in 1906 and are dedicated to preserving trails, teaching climbing skills, and educating the public about the outdoors.
The Everett chapter of the Mountaineers currently maintains the Heyworth site, as well as the lookouts on Mt. Pilchuck and Three Fingers.
Mountaineers scaling Mt. Rainier in 1909.
The Heybrook Lookout is an iconic place and, in terms of unique lodging, could be the most PNW place in the PNW. Another reason why good things happen in Everett: we’re the launching pad of the northwest. The wilderness is at our backdoor.
The lookout can be hiked to year-round. It's a 3.2 mile round trip. The cabin is closed for overnight stays during the winter, but starting tomorrow (October 23) you can get first dibs on the place next spring by visiting here:
Wanna get out in the beautiful woods? Want to learn more about your bioregion? Interested in joining the Everett chapter of the Mountaineers?
Happy trails!
*In the early 20th Century the best way to communicate the presence of a fire was by smoke signals, messenger pigeon, or heliograph.
Richard Porter is a writer for Live in Everett. He is 100% OK at hiking.
