Heybrook Lookout — Local services in Monroe

The parking lot is right off of HWY 2 and if people park right, 20-30 cars can easily park there. If you just parked, the trailhead is to the far left. It's not a long hike at all but the girlfriend and I saw a lot of people give up before hitting the half mile mark. The trail is rated "easy", I'm assuming because of the distance, but the first .5 mile is pretty steep. If you have never done this hike before and are just going because you saw it's "easy", just know after the half mile mark, it does get easier and when you're close to the lookout tower, the views start opening up so you know you're close. Don't give up. Take as many breaks as you need, it is beautiful up there. Maybe carry something to track your distance so you know you hit that .5 mile mark (or how close you're getting to it). We went yesterday and the views were gorgeous! Once to the tower you can climb it and there was a fantastic cool breeze that made it all worthwhile (well, the views made it worthwhile as well). You can rent the tower (the very tippy top part) but you'll have regular people/hikers under you that's open all night (quiet hours are 10pm-6 or 7am). There's a chain and gate to separate the two levels. I know I said this before, but a lot of people went maybe a quarter of a mile and gave up because it was steep. If I can do it (and I hate incline) anyone can do it. Bring water, it's muggy on...

Going up the trail is not difficult if you are in fair to good health. It is a continuous set of step ups. Key word is up. Take a break or 3 or 4 on the way up. The top is waiting. No rush. Enjoy some scenery on the way up. Many hikers have dogs on leashes. There are many large rocks to go around in the trail and many places it is covered with tree roots. Be careful, you shoes can easily snag a root, especially if you become tired. Going down can be riaky, there are places of loos gravel. Use caution and take breaks. Take water with you, you will get warmer. At the tower, the stairs are narrow and only permit one person width, be patient and courteous. At the tip the tower does wiggle. There is no weight limit posted nor maximum capacity. Early in the day there is a low cloud layer but will be gone by mid afternoon. If you have a fear of heights or unsafe feeling about being in an older, wooden structure then stay on the ground because the tower isn't brand new and it is steep stairs and a lot of open space. The steps are open and the floor boards have cracks to see through. Allow an hour each way for ascending and descending and you will be ok. It can be stressful from the repetitive stepping up and watching the...

Gorgeous mountain view at the top of the lookout. But not so much view along the trail though as you will be in the woods until you get to the lookout tower.

We considered ourselves beginning hikers as we usually find trails that take no more than 3 hours round trip. And we found this very manageable. It's definitely not a trail with gentle slope and is with some elevation. However, you can always go at your own pace. And the merit of this trail is that it's a rather short one, so even if you go slow, it won't take too much time. It took us 2 hours, including break and snack time at the lookout. The Parking is free and is on US route 2. We arrived at around 10:00 on a Saturday morning and had no issues finding a spot.

There were some bugs along the trail. But as long as you keep moving, it's not a big issue. (The reason...