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JULY/AUGUST 2019
22 BACKPACKER.COM RYAN LIMA PHOTOGRAPHYMcCART LOOKOUT
BITTERROOT NATIONAL FOREST, MT
Be grateful for this hike’s short
approach—it just means more time
to savor the view from the restored
fire lookout’s catwalk, where you can
spy three different ranges. Hop on
the gentle McCart-Johnson Peak
Trail, climbing just 500 feet in 1.5
miles through lodgepole pines to an
obvious junction. There, turn north
and follow a short path—lined with
Indian paintbrush—to the wooden
tower. Upon arrival, climb on up and
see the serrated spine of the
Bitterroot Mountains to the west, the
peaks and ridges of the Anaconda-
Pintler Wilderness on the horizon to
the south and east, and the rolling
Sapphire Mountains to the north.
Can’t tear yourself away from the
view? Reserve McCart for the night
(up to six months in advance; $30;
recreation.gov), then spend the next
day exploring the Continental Divide.
Contact http://www.fs.usda.gov/bitterrootHISTORIC HARNEY LOOKOUT TOWER
BLACK ELK WILDERNESS, SD
Hikers who stand on the summit of
Black Elk Peak enjoy a double dose of
accomplishment—this 7,242-foot
mountain is South Dakota’s high-
point and the tallest mountain east
of the Rockies. And that doesn’t even
include the 20-foot boost you’ll
score from the stone tower at the
top. Get there on a 7-mile loop from
Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park:
Take the Sylvan Lake Shore Trail
across a creek and veer north onto
the Black Elk Peak Trail. Ascend to a
saddle overlooking the sprawling
Black Hills (green in real life), then
summit near mile 3.5 and savor the
view: On clear days, you can see 90
miles northwest into Montana and
60 miles south into Nebraska. Close
the loop on the Norbeck Trail and
Trail #4, which passes the granite
hulk of Little Devils Tower and the
needle-like Cathedral Spires.
Contact http://www.fs.usda.gov/blackhillsMT. CAMMERER LOOKOUT
GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL
PARK, TN/NC
Break out of the Appalachian Trail’s
green tunnel for a view-packed
ridgewalk to this lookout, perched on
an outcrop at 4,928 feet. The stone-
and-timber tower—with its wrap-
around porch—was built by the
Civilian Conservation Corps in the
1930s for spotting fires in the newly
established national park. Like a
crow’s nest, it looms above the blue-
hued peaks, offering a vantage
across the Smokies all the way to the
edge of the Pigeon River Gorge. From
Cosby Campground, link the Low
Gap, Appalachian, and Mt.
Cammerer Trails on an 11.2-mile out-
and-back to get there. Near mile 5,
weave past rhododendron and
mountain laurel (peak bloom in
June) to the 10-foot-tall lookout,
which rises from the bedrock. (This
is a popular spot: Go midweek for
solitude.) Contact nps.gov/grsmINSIDERS GUIDE
Play List
DONE IN A DAY
TOWERS
OF POWER
Score bird’s- eye views over
valleys and mountains on these
four treks to summit lookouts.7 By Mark Wetherington
Get an eyeful
from the McCar t
Lookout.