Sedge Ridge Lookout Site

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The 2-story lookout was built in 1929, lasting until abandoned in 1961. According to one of the lookouts, Tom Bigley:

“Sedge Ridge was a creaky old two-story ground cabin that sat atop the ridge directly above the Ahtanum Ranger Station. The firefinder and bunk were upstairs, the cookstove and general storage below. There was no catwalk but all the upstairs windows could be slid open to provide cross-ventilation and clearer viewing. Sedge Ridge featured a full panorama of the city of Yakima to the east, the Cascade Mountains, including Mount Adams, to the north and west, and the Yakima Indian Reservation to the south -- with occasional visits by bands of Indian ponies who loved to rub their sides against the corners of the building.”

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Access:

Elevation: 4,837 feet
Hiking Distance: Drive-up
Access: Most cars should be ok if taken slow

From Yakama, take Ahtanum Road to the Ahtanum State Forest. The 2400 road leaves the far end of the Ahtanum Campground area where the large snow park parking is located. The road is decent enough for most cars. At a Y intersection, you have two routes to the ridge. I went left on a dirt road that a bit of higher clearance is best. Use map provided. Note that timber harvest could affect the roads or the road access at any time.

August 21, 1958 in the Mt. Adams Sun: "Braving the quiet loneliness of a solitary life in a mountain lookout atop Sedge ridge, 30 miles west of Yakima, is Merlynn Quackenbush, 19-year-old Trout Lake girl. The blue-eyed blond is but one of several young women manning forest outposts this summer for state and federal agencies. Sedge Ridge is located between the north and south forks of Ahtanum creek. The lookout is perched on a rocky point 1 1/2 miles above the Ahtanum Guard Station."