HIKING / BACKPACKING

Distance: 9 miles round trip Hiking Time: 7 hours High Point-. 4849 feet

Elevation Gain: 3400 feet

Maps: USGS Mount Higgins Greentrails - Oso 4W

The trail is a steady climb passing through forest. At 3.3 miles a junction is reached with a trail to the left that drops down to Myrtle Lake. The main trail (to the right) climbs slightly passing through swampy meadows for 0.2 miles then climbs gradually through boulder fields and dense forest until the summit is reached. The summit is the site of the Mount Higgins Lookout which was used from 1929 to 1949. You can see Glacier Peak to the east, White Horse, Three Fingers and Mount Rainier to the south, and the Olympics and Puget Sound to the west.

Directions: From Arlington travel east on Highway 530 to just before milepost #38 and turn left (north) on a road signed #SL-0-5500. The No Trespassing sign is intended for the right of way and not the road. Continue on the road for 2.9 miles, crossing the North Fork Stillaguamish River. just before the first switchback, the trailhead is visible on the right. Parking is along the side of the road.