A Solitary Summit – Thorp Mountain on an August Sunday

I asked Chatgpt to recommend a hike using the following prompt:

"recommend a hike that is less than or equal to 8 miles for a 55 year old married couple who lives in Snoqualmie Washington. think harder to provide a unique experience which isn't very crowded. the plan should be for the 30th of August 2025. Limit drive time to no more than 5 hours round trip. include driving directions and details about what makes the hike unique. also include potential wildlife and flora, especially bird species possible."

It came back with a recommendation of Thorp Mountain.

I left Snoqualmie at 5AM on August 24, 2025, darkness still clinging to the Cascades. My destination: Thorp Mountain Lookout, reached not by the crowded Knox Creek shortcut, but by the quieter Thorp Creek trail. It promised solitude, a mountain lake, and a historic fire lookout that has watched over the Teanaway for nearly a century.

Getting There

The drive was easy enough—I-90 east to Exit 80, then through the towns of Roslyn and Ronald, where old mining houses sit beside espresso stands. Past Ronald, I turned onto a gravel forest road, FR 4308, washboarded but manageable. Apple Maps recommended I park at the start of the Forest Road which would have added another 2hours to the commute because it recommended walking to the trailhead from there. After three miles I turned right onto **FR 4312**, a narrow track that ended in a pullout big enough for just a couple of cars. At 7:30 a.m., I was the only one there.

The Trail

The first steps were across Thorp Creek, an easy rock-hop that set the tone: wild, unmanicured, a place where nature still had the upper hand. The trail climbed gently at first through dense forest. Late summer meant huckleberries, and I stopped more than once to taste their tart sweetness, each one a burst of mountain summer.

The Summit

The last push to the 1931 fire lookout was steep but short. When I stepped onto the wooden catwalk, the world opened in every direction: Mt. Daniel and Hinman to the north, the Enchantment Peaks shimmering to the east, and endless folds of forested ridges rolling westward toward Snoqualmie Pass.

I sat alone on the catwalk, my lunch spread out beside me. A Hamond's Flycatcher sang briefly from a snag, and I thought about how these birds had claimed these heights long before lookouts or hikers arrived.

What Makes This Hike Unique

Thorp Mountain is hardly unknown—but the Thorp Creek approach makes it feel like a hidden gem. Unlike the crowded routes to Lake Ingalls or Mason Lake, here I had the trail almost entirely to myself. The pairing of a quiet lake, a still-standing historic lookout, and the wide sweep of east-slope wildflowers and berries made it feel like three hikes in one.

Going Solo

Hiking alone always sharpens my senses. Every snap of a twig seemed louder, every bird call clearer. I moved at my own rhythm—pausing to photograph a Sooty Grouse, stopping at the lake longer than I would have in company, pushing hard on the final climb just because I wanted to.

By 11am I was back at the car, dusty and berry-stained, already replaying the morning in my mind. It was only a short drive home to Snoqualmie, but the solitude and clarity I found on that ridge stayed with me long after.

**Distance:** 7.4 miles round trip

**Elevation gain:** \~2,500 ft

**Driving time:** \~1 hr 20 min each way (3 hrs round trip)

**Flora:** huckleberries, asters, paintbrush, lodgepole pine stands