Thursday, June 20, 2024
Greg and I visited Acker Rock during a heat wave on June 26, 2015 while renting Pickett Butte Lookout. I haven’t been back since, but almost exactly nine years later I revisited this lookout.
I parked at the gate on Road 950 and started hiking:
Paintbrush blooming along the road:
View of the backside of Acker Rock. The lookout isn’t visible from here:
View to the south from the road:
Crews had recently brushed the shoulders of the road:
Rhododendrons in bloom:
Not sure which flower this is:
View to the west from the road just before it ends:
Stonecrop and montia in bloom along the trail:
Mariposa lily:
I passed the composting toilet:
The lookout came into view above me:
Yet more stonecrop and other wildflowers:
There’s so little room on the summit that the propane tanks are down the hill:
The walkway to the lookout is fenced for safety:
There was a camera affixed to the railing. I’m guessing this is here because they’ve had vandalism issues:
This wasn’t being staffed or rented and the shutters were only up on two sides:
View to the southwest. It’s barely indistinguishable from the surrounding hills, but Abbott Butte is almost directly above the fenced walkway, to the right of the tree:
Looking east at Highrock Mountain and Hershberger Mountain:
Looking west at many minor peaks and buttes that all blend together:
The view to the north includes Dumont Butte, Black Butte, Cavitt Mountain, and Quartz Mountain:
View to the northeast with Quarts Mountain at far left, the top of Diamond Peak right of center (hard to see here), and the pointy tip of Black Rock at far right (I hiked up there the next day):
A better shot of Diamond Peak and Black Rock:
I didn’t see anyone else the entire time I was up here. Beautiful day, although hot!
Gaia stats: 3.4 miles, 950′ elevation gain
