Epic Hikes of Washington State - Zach's Lookout

 

Zach's Lookout

Date Hiked: August 16th, 2025

Trail Hiked: Zach's Lookout, U1100 and Dickerson Falls Loop

Distance Hiked: 9.70 miles

Elevation Gain: 1191 ft. 

Duration: 3h 1m

It's a good thing Zach made a lookout, because otherwise this would be a mildly difficult hill in the Kitsap area without much of a payoff. I mean, other than the stats and gains, but usually the reward of a good climb is the view from the top, so say "yo Zach, what's up, thanks for the lookout" or whatever the kids say these days, because it's the only one you're going to get on this hike. 

The visibility was grand this day, the exact opposite of when I reached the top of Mount Walker and was lucky I could even see my own hand holding the camera when I was taking photographs. This was another one of the days where I wanted a good hike, a decent climb, and a pleasant distraction from the soul-sucking void deep within the Sickness that permeated the essence of my being at the time, but I also didn't feel like traveling very far. Fortunately, in Washington state, only driving five minutes can result in a gorgeous view for "only" an 1200 ft. climb on a Friday with perfect weather. In the Twin Cities, five minutes away for a hike usually means Greenways, traffic noise, and wondering if the scowling dude walking toward you just disappeared your neighbor with impunity. Oh, 2026, what the hell even are you? 

The most notable thing to happen on this particular hike wasn't even the trek itself though. This trail climbs up a hillside before it does a little loop atop the Zach-flavored lookout point. While on that hilltop loop, I found a set of keys with a Seahawks emblem on the chain. Oh good, that would only narrow down the owner of the missing go-go sticks by absolutely nobody, how fortunate for me. 

Luckily, the next two lovely ladies I encountered were the winners of the Showcase Keysdown, so Zach must've been looking out for them too, since the eponymous view was where we briefly met. They didn't have to call a locksmith to a parking lot, I got a momentary reprieve from the maelstrom of self-loathing and regret that wouldn't lift until the Sickness went away a short time later. Everybody got a little shot of dopamine unexpectedly that day is what I'm saying. 

This hike is perfectly fine, by Washington state standards anyway. In most other places, it'd be flooded every weekend with Zach fans and their fancy eyeglasses peering over the single spot where one could see beyond the treeline. There'd still be the straight couple who held up the line by taking 38 indistinguishable selfies (there's always one), but otherwise it'd get a solid 4.5/5 most likely. But, since it is in Washington state, I'd mostly recommend it only if you're near Bremerton, you don't want or need to travel longer than an episode of Zack Morris is Trash, and you want a hike that's good for the moment but you'll forget about it before you get back to the car.

Epic Hikes of Washington State/Hike With Me - Northern State Recreation Area

 

Northern State Recreation Area

Sedro-Woolley, Washington

Dates Hiked: August 6th, 2024; July 6th, 2025; August 28th, 2026

Trail Hiked: Northern State Recreation Area Loop, etc.

Distance Hiked: 3.98 miles; 13.45 miles; 4.41 miles

Elevation Gain: 177 ft.; 699 ft.; 180 ft.

Duration: 2h 1m; 4h 5m; 1h 28m

Hiking has never been the primary reason for making this trek to northern Washington, although it certainly doesn't hurt either. 

Three hikes are listed above, and there were at least two more before I started keeping track with AllTrails. With my penchant for always wanting to go to new places rather than revisit older ones, that should convey just how unique and interesting I find this location. Not only is it symbolic and special in a personal way, not only is it a goldmine for those who enjoy photography of the abandoned variety, but its preservation is chilling and essential for not repeating the mistakes of history and how those with mental illness are treated by society. 

Harbor no illusions here, this is the site of a former asylum, and there's something distinctly uncomfortable about the fact that it's now a disc golf course. I love exploring abandoned buildings, and the time I took the video camera doesn't even begin to cover all the places to find there, but knowing what happened there before contrasts the aesthetic with an unyielding, haunting aura. 

The size of these essays does not even begin to tell the truth behind the crumbling structures, so may I suggest Under the Red Roof: One Hundred Years at Northern State Hospital by Mary J. McGoffin for much more than I can describe in 500 words. There's a cemetery that had to be rediscovered and plotted out by those who cared for folx who died there, so please read more about its history at your discretion. 

Conversely, it's also a very special and sentimental place for me, as my consistent returns have indicated. The unobstructed views of the Cascades are daunting and beautiful, while the hollowed shells of buildings that once were feel trapped in time despite the modern lingo in the endless graffiti. On one of the previous visits with Redacted, all four seasons collided within one trek, as it went from pleasant and sunny to hail onslaught in a mere few hours. Another time I visited was at the height of the Sickness, where I hiked the entire loop twice while spending more time than previous trips capturing as many photographs as possible. 

But, as several more Hike With Me's about Washington will complement, my mileage and time were kept short intentionally during my 2026 trip, as this wasn't even my only stop that day. This was my first solo wander to Washington without any plans, itineraries, or meetings with loved ones. Finding my own validation and wandering for no other reason than I wanted to, Northern State was oddly soothing and liberating despite the scars of the past as visible as ever; my own and the location's alike. 

I love the town of Sedro-Woolley. I set a story there once upon a time too. Northern State Recreation Area though, it's amazing for a good hike, urbex photography, and/or Geocaching, and I assume the disc golf is great too. 

But for me, it was peace.

Hike With Me - Beaver Island Trail

 

Beaver Island Trail

St. Cloud, Minnesota

Trail Hiked: 

Distance Hiked: 12.11 miles

Elevation Gain: 358 ft.

Duration: 3h 58m

Look, not every hike is necessarily about maximizing elevation gain or finding spectacular vistas at the perfect time of day. Sometimes, it’s just “I want to get good distance without nuch in the way of resistance to get the numbers up.” This was one of those times. 

But also, having an Adventure Lab to do along the way certainly helps in terms of motivation and focus.

St. Cloud probably doesn’t crack my top 100 in terms of places I’m excited to go in Minnesota. I always feel like it’s a junction point on my way to more interesting places, and that’s no disrespect to anyone who lives there… Well, maybe some. CityNerd referred to a certain mindset as “self-identified rurality,” and when a city has 70 thousand people, no amount of Truck With Attitude, I’m an Outlaw Despite Having the Exact Same One as the Next Four Behind Me makes it rural.

Beaver Island Trail is… perfectly adequate. It’s not completely bereft of interesting scenery, like perhaps the Dairyland Trail, but it’s not one I’d revisit to take it in again specifically. Going under the bridge, the path goes through a neighborhood before turning into the university, and meeting one of the many dams along the Mississippi River. From there, it’s a great path for tree canopies, local parks, and plenty of road noise nearby. I’m glad it exists, but being serviceable is not much motivation to travel 90 minutes without the lure of Adventure Lab finds and adding another Verified Complete trail to my list. I’d be much happier with something like this if I stepped out of my apartment and jumped right on it, but if I’m already traveling this far, urban trails that weave through neighborhood sidewalks aren’t what I’d seek.

Conveniently, the trail was suitable for the practice of further learning how to use my GoPro on the fly. Regardless of how much of a technical fuddyduddy as it likely makes me seem, figuring out the little tricks of using that thing is far more suited for flat and relatively banal mileage than the slopes of Mt. Si (spoiler alert). Mostly what I learned from my GoPro 5 is that the 12 I decided to buy when the replacement batteries for the 5 didn’t work was infinitely better, so it wasn’t entirely a waste. 

I have no intention of making St. Cloud seem like a featureless wasteland, despite my mostly playful ribbing earlier. Not to worry, no one in St. Cloud has ever said an unkind word about the Twin Cities or anyone who lives there, so I apologize for this uncharacteristic diversion of my usual completely objective travelogue. It’s not like I dared to be annoyed by horseshit on the Fort Ridgely Hiking Club trail during a Polar Vortex and the deepest pit of the Sickness or anything. That would just be silly.

I got 12 miles out of it. There are worse ways to spend a Sunday. I’m from Northeast Ohio, I would know.

Hike With Me - Frontenac State Park

Frontenac State Park

Frontenac, Minnesota

Trail Hiked: Waconia Cliffs Trail, Sandstone Trail, Upper Bluffs Loop, 

Distance Hiked: 7.57 miles

Elevation Gain: 883 ft.

Duration: 2h 50m

Frontenac State Park is one of those places that I end up more often than intended. Not in a negative way necessarily, just that it's closer than the North Shore, less crowded than Barn Bluff, and good to get some elevation gain when I can't get out to a place with mountains; which, given that I live in Minnesota, is most of the time.

One particular thing I enjoy about (some of) these state parks is when I find a trail that I didn't know about, even after a dozen visits like Frontenac, and what a lovely time to discover them as when I'm coming back because "well, I've been there plenty of times, but never with my camera, so that's a new way to give these trails replay value." Doesn't always work (see future episode or previous entries for Nerstrand-Big Woods State Park), but this was a pleasant instance.

Typical traffic flow (if you can call it traffic most days) heads up the Hiking Club trail toward the bluffs. That is, unless they parked at the top and skipped the initial incline, but that's their prerogative. Most people I've seen are headed that way and end up on the bluffs trails, upper and lower. On other visits, I've taken the prairie loop on the front side, and there's also the oddly separate Rattlesnake area that's lovely... if you can find it on that road so remote it makes Lake Bronson State Park in the winter seem metropolitan. 

On this hike, I was headed the opposite way, intending to take the initial elevation gain up toward the campground, mostly to mix it up a little given the aforementioned frequent visits. But, at the point where I would've turned right to head up the grassy rise, I saw a small brown sign indicating a Waconia Cliffs trail. Not on AllTrails, and since that junction was usually where I turned toward the parking lot, I never noticed it before.

A wonderful world of hills and wildflowers awaited, followed by views of the same quality as the Hiking Club trail and other blufftop hotspots. At the vista point over the lakes below, another brown sign for the Sandstone Trail indicates another access point to these views, so I looped back to the initial junction and took that route. While easily the least maintained of the contiguous park trail, the name isn't false advertising. Journeying up the sandstone cliffs over which the vista peers, they aren't quite as towering as the climbing hotspots back in the other areas, but still rather nice all the same. I don't think I saw another person on either trail the entire time.

With those two completed (and submitted to AllTrails afterward as new routes, so expect to see them never,) I did a final loop around the more common areas. Still gotta get those miles and elevation gains up, after all. Those trails were predictably crowded on a beautiful August day, but at least I enjoyed solitude first.