Day Hike - Heybrook Ridge

We'll start at Doolittle Pioneer Park and walk across the 5th Street bridge to the trailhead. This is an easy 3-minute walk. From the trailhead, we'll take the Heybrook Ridge Trail to the Bridal Falls Viewpoint (1.66 miles and 781 feet of elevation gain). If the weather is nice, we'll take in views of Philadelphia and Index. From there we'll head east about 1 mile to a junction with the Heybrook Lookout Trail. This section is mostly flat and almost entirely under power lines. From this point, we'll hike 0.3 miles (and gain 600 feet) on the Heybrook Lookout Trail to the lookout. We'll stop for a short time to catch our breath and take in the views. From the lookout, we'll hike another 0.3 miles (and gain 125 feet) to the top of Heybrook Mountain to see Merchant and Gunn. From here, we'll continue another 0.7 miles east on mostly flat terrain to our lunch spot. Here we'll see Persis, Index, Baring, Philadelphia, and Merchant. On the way back, just east of the Bridal Falls Viewpoint, there's another beautiful viewpoint we can't miss with sights of Baring and the South Fork Skykomish River.

This is a moderate hike with plenty of elevation gain and distance. Our average moving speed will be around 1.5 to 1.75 miles per hour. If you want to hike faster, please do not sign up for this hike. We'll take several breaks to view the mountain peaks and, of course, as needed. This is a mid-spring hike for those interested in increasing their distance and elevation gain. That said, it won't be easy, particularly if the weather is warm as we will be exposed to the elements under the power lines and on top of Heybrook Mountain. Bring plenty of water. When scouting this hike, we saw several first-time-out-for-the-season hikers completely exhausted and turning back before the 1 mile mark.

Date: Friday, May 12, 2023

Time: 9:00 a.m., packs on and ready to go

Meeting Place: Doolittle Pioneer Park in the town of Index, located north of the 5th Street bridge over the North Fork Skykomish River. The address is 308 5th St, Index, WA 98256. This park is just a 3-minute walk to the Heybrook Ridge Trailhead. The Google Maps location for the park is: https://goo.gl/maps/exdgvKsaDFCKm2W69. There are two bathrooms at this location, none at the trailhead parking lot.

DO NOT GO TO THE HEYBROOK LOOKOUT TRAILHEAD on Highway 2, you will be at the wrong place.

DO NOT GO TO THE HEYBROOK RIDGE TRAILHEAD, you will be at the wrong meeting location.

Park Pass: None