hikespeak

Lava Butte is a 500-foot tall cinder cone along the Northwest Rift of Newberry Volcano in Central Oregon. It rises prominently over Route 97 between Bend and Sunriver. A fire lookout tower sits atop Lava Butte and is joined by a rim trail that offers panoramic views over a dark volcanic landscape. Lava Butte also provides majestic views of the Cascade Mountains to the west. ...Read more.

Black Butte is one of the most identifiable summits in Central Oregon. This conical volcano rises 3,000 feet over tapered terrain on the east side of the Cascade Mountains. Black Butte stands on its own and offers tremendous views over the surroundings including peaks in the Central Oregon Cascades to the north, west, and south. Grand views make Black Butte an ideal site for fire lookout towers, which you will find at the summit. ...Read more.

Rankin Ridge forms part of the southeast edge of the Black Hills and at 5,013 feet in elevation, it is the highest point in Wind Cave National Park. A lookout tower rises above the ridge top, which can be reached via a 250-foot ascent on a 0.55-mile long single track. Take a wide dirt trail back down the ridge to form a one-mile loop. Although this hike is short, it is not short on rewards. ...Read more.

Kakepuku Track offers a farm-to-summit trek in Kakepuku Mountain Historic Reserve. The track to the summit of Kakepuku Mountain is 8 kilometers (5 miles) round trip with 407 meters (1,335 feet) of elevation change. A lookout tower atop the 449-meter summit garners round-the-compass views above the treetops. A wooden viewing platform and benches along the track provide spots to relax and look out over the mountain's current surroundings, while panels placed at pa sites around the summit allow visitors to appreciate the Māori past. ...Read more.

Cherry Canyon Park preserves over 130 acres in the San Rafael Hills, a small mountain range east of the Verdugo Mountains and south of the San Gabriel Mountains in the city of La Cañada Flintridge. The park has many trails, including wide fire roads suitable for horses and mountain bikes and single tracks strictly for hikers. For a good overview of the area, consider hiking to an old lookout tower at the high point of the park along with Ultimate Destination Vista Point, which offers a panoramic view east over the San Gabriel Valley and north toward the grand San Gabriel Mountains. ...Read more.

Vetter Mountain has got to be one of the more scenic peaks in the San Gabriel Mountains, boasting a 360-degree summit that's a total stunner. For decades, hikers marched up the mountain to see the historic fire lookout tower that stood at the summit, but in 2009, the Station Fire destroyed the tower and scorched Vetter Mountain. The area is still in recovery from the wildfire, but trails to the 5,908-foot summit are open, allowing hikers to enjoy spectacular views over the San Gabriels. ...Read more.

Mount Fremont houses the nearest fire lookout tower to Mount Rainier. On a clear day, the lookout promises some of the park's best views of Mount Rainier and the surrounding Cascade Mountains. The 6-mile round trip hike from the Sunrise Lodge and Visitor Center to Mount Fremont Lookout is exceptionally scenic and fulfilling, with 800 feet of elevation gain. ...Read more.

Mandeville Canyon is a north-south running trench in Brentwood area of the Santa Monica Mountains. Above Mandeville Canyon is San Vicente Mountain, a 1,960-foot summit that was used at the start of the cold war as a defense site to protect Los Angeles from Soviet attacks. Mandeville Canyon is enclosed by two long finger-like ridges, Westridge and Canyonback Ridge. ...Read more.

For an overview of Giant Sequoia National Monument, hike the 5-mile round trip trail to Needles Lookout, where a watchtower built atop a formation of rocky spires provides an amazing view. A ranger is stationed in the lookout during the dry months to keep watch over the forest. You could spot a far-off fire from here, and the panoramic view from 8,254 feet is well worth the hike. ...Read more.

The shortest route up San Vicente Mountain approaches the peak from the east. This 2-mile round trip hike follows an unpaved portion of Mulholland Drive and climbs just 335 feet. In the 1950s, San Vicente Mountain was used to defend Los Angeles from soviet missile attacks. Like Mount Disappointment in the San Gabriel Mountains and White Point on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, San Vicente Mountain was used as a Nike missile defense site to detect and intersect missiles directed at Los Angeles. ...Read more.