Pratt Lake Trail - Lookout Point

Trail legend says a lookout was once located near Pratt Lake. The story is based from a shelter located in a spot near the lake called Lookout Point. It was on the 1960 USGS Bandera map. It was also on a 1952 Mountaineers Map. At that time, the only trail to Pratt Lake was from the Granite Mountain Trailhead exit 47. Today, a quicker route is the Talapus Lake Trail, exit 45 Here is a quote from the 1966 "100 Hikes in Western Washington", hike 6: "At 3 miles is another good resting spot, the Lookout Shelter, built as a memorial to a Seattle Boy Scout killed in World War II. The shelter has had hard, thoughtless usage, but enough remains to moderate the force of wind and rain." By the 8th printing in 1971, the book said "Lookout shelter has burned down. Near its site a new trail leads down to Talapus Lake." Others confirm the Lookout Point shelter was an open sided cabin that was in such bad shape that it was burned by the USFS North Bend Ranger District in the summer/early fall of 1971. Whether the location was ever used as a fire lookout remains uncertain, but the map shows it as a lookout so I've included it in my list.

Pratt Lake Trail - Lookout Point

Washington Lookout Sites