Exploring the Washington Okanogan – 07.08.2009
Day Two – Wednesday, July 8, 2009
After a relaxing and leisurely morning in Conconully, Washington, we followed my cousin Frank and his wife Diane on their quad up to the Buck Mountain Lookout.
From the Shady Pines Resort, the Buck Mountain Lookout (48° 26′11N 119° 49′15W) is approximately a 15 mile drive (give or take a few miles) on mostly well maintained gravel road. From the West Fork Salmon Creek Road (County Rd. 2017), the road becomes NF-42 (Okanogan National Forest).
Somewhere in the vicinity of 48° 26′33N 119° 50′17W ( give or take a mile or so – I did not record the location with my GPS) there is a road to the left that leads to a gravel pit (I can’t remember if it’s marked or not – it’s not on the forest service map or my GPS). This road winds through the forest, passes a seasonal pond, then begins to climb and eventually meets up with Buck Mountain Road (that leads to the 6135 foot elevation summit and lookout tower. The last section of the road requires a high clearance vehicle (preferably four wheel drive to prevent causing damage to the loose road surface).
From the summit of Buck Mountain, you have a 360 degree view of the the surrounding countryside. From the forested mountains to the drier lands to the East and South. The lookout tower at the summit (maintained by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources) is a 20 foot tall wooded structure that is used for emergency use only. From the information I could find, the existing tower was built in 1961 and is listed on National Register of Historic places. Unfortunately (but probably a good thing), access to tower is restricted to DNR personnel.
Note: You can also drive to the Buck Mountain Lookout from SR-20. Its about 15 miles West of Okanogan, Washington just before Loup Loup Summit. The Buck Mountain Lookout trip is listed as Tour 30 in the book Washington Byways: Backcountry Drives For The Whole Family available HERE.
On the way back to Conconully, my wife experienced here first ride on a quad (as a passenger). from the smile on her face, I think she had a great time.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing. We did a little fishing where my daughter caught here first trout – one of the few caught from shore. Since the trout fishing was slow, I played around with an old Mepps spinner I had and caught quite a few small bass.
Note: This is the second installment of a five part series on our family trip to Conconully, Washington in July 2009.
Part 1: Exploring the Washington Okanogan – 07.07.2009
Part 2: Exploring the Washington Okanogan – 07.08.2009
Part 3: Exploring the Washington Okanogan – 07.09.2009
Part 4: Exploring the Washington Okanogan – 07.10.2009
Part 5: Exploring the Washington Okanogan – 07.11.2009
