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
Categories: Adventures Tags: 4wd, 4x4, backcountry, bass, buck mountain, buck mountain lookout, conconully, dnr, fishing, forest, forest service, four wheel drive, gps, lookout, lookout tower, loup loup summit, map, mepps spinner, mountains, national forest, national register of historic places, okanogan, okanogan lookout, okanogan national forest, quad, seasonal pond, shady pines resort, summit, trout, washington, washington lookout
Exploring the Washington Okanogan – 07.07.2009
A few months back, my cousin Frank invited my family to come over to Conconully, Washington for a few days in July. Every year for the approximately the past ten years, his family has been spending their summer vacation at the Shady Pines Resort on the shores of the Conconully Reservoir. Having only drove through the town a few years ago on my Washington Cascade Overland Adventure, I knew it would be a fun place to hang out and explore for a few days. Luckily, there was a cabin available for four nights so we booked it.
I spent the week prior to the trip getting prepared. My daughter had never been fishing and I hadn’t gone for a long time myself, so new fishing poles and tackle were in order. I also borrowed my son’s ARB Freezer/Fridge for the trip to keep the frozen goods nice and cold for the trip. I then had to figure out how to pack three people, a large dog crate, the freezer, tools, recovery gear, spare parts, fishing gear, food and personal stuff for three people for five days into the Land Cruiser. Good thing we were not camping (still have to figure that one out).
This trip also marked the first real test of my Toyota FJ80 Land Cruiser since I installed the rebuilt 3FE engine. The engine had just recently logged 2000 miles on the new rebuild and it was time to put it through the test.
Day One – Tuesday, July 7, 2009
My goal was to be out the door by 6:00 AM for the trip to Conconully. To my amazement, we actually were out the door five minutes early. I think my daughter was excited for the trip. We fueled up at the local coffee stand and headed East.
From our home in Edgewood, Washington, we headed East over SR-19 to I-90 to Cle Elum, Washington. We stopped at the Cottage Cafe in Cle Elum for a very large and delicious breakfast (as usual). From Cle Elum, we headed over US-97 Alt over Blewett Pass to US-2 to Wenatchee, Washington. From Wenatchee, we drove North on US-97 to Lincoln Rock for the first fuel stop. We drove a little further and stopped at the Beebe Bridge Park to let the dog out and to take a little break from the drive. Our next stop was in Omak, Washington were we topped off the fuel tank and picked up some perishable groceries for the week. From Omak, Conconully is about a twenty-something mile drive. We arrived at the Shady Pines Resort a little after 2:00 PM, said our hellos and checked in our cabin.
Shady Pines Resort is located on the West shore of the Conconully Reservoir. There are lake side RV spaces, a log cabin duplex (where we stayed) and then across the road, there are several individual cabins to rent. Our cabin was equipped with two queen beds, a trundle bed to sleep a few extra people, a dining table, a full size refrigerator, a full size range, a fully equipped kitchen, a 3/4 bathroom and an excellent view of Conconully Reservoir (if you look past the RVs down below you).
We spent our first day just visiting and relaxing. It had just cooled down to the mid-70’s from the weekend where the temperature was in the upper 90’s. That night we watched the nearly full moon rise over the lake.
Note: This is the first 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
Categories: Adventures Tags: beebe bridge park, blewett pass, cle elum, conconully, conconully reservoir, okanogan, omak, pacific northwest, shady pines resort, washington, washington state, wenatchee
