How to Hike to Kerouac’s Fire Lookout at Desolation Peak

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If you’ve read The Dharma Bums or Desolation Angels by Jack Kerouac, then you’re familiar with the beloved fire lookout tower that sits atop Desolation Peak overlooking the North Cascades in Washington state. The Beat Generation author lived and worked there as a fire lookout during the summer of 1956, another chapter in his endless search for enlightenment.

Yes, for I’d thought… ‘When I get to the top of Desolation Peak and everybody leaves on mules and I’m alone I will come face to face with God or Tathagata and find out once and for all what is the meaning of all this existence and suffering and going to and fro in vain’ but instead I’d come face to face with myself.

— Jack Kerouac

As he gazed out over “The Void” each day for 63 days, he contemplated not only the striking beauty of the Cascade Range, but also its unwavering stillness and ambivalence. It’s as if he longed to know The Void for its peace, but when faced with it he instead recoiled from its stark emptiness. His mind sprints back and forth between awe and an almost anti-natalist despair. 

The Void is not disturbed by any kinds of ups or downs, my God, look at Hozomeen, is he worried or tearful?…[but] Even Hozomeen’ll crack and fall apart, nothing lasts, it is only a faring-in-that-which-everything-is, a passing-through, that’s what’s going on.

— Jack Kerouac

The prose born of Kerouac’s experience at Desolation has inspired countless readers to wonder what exactly makes the view from this summit so powerful. Over the years, Kerouac fans have pilgrimaged to find out for themselves. I am now among their ranks.

There are multiple ways to get to Desolation Peak. I chose to do it as a day hike, because I hadn’t dreamt this trip up back when permit applications began, and I also couldn’t rely on walkup permits since I was driving all the way from Arizona. 

*Looking for a longer overnight backpacking excursion? Not comfortable solo hiking in the North Cascades, or prefer all the logistics to be taken care of for you? Wildland Trekking offers guided hiking tours in the North Cascades, including an itinerary called “Ross Lake Desolation Peak”.

Ways to Hike to Desolation Peak

Overnight Backpacking Trip

From the South:
If you want to hike the entire distance from the south, you would drive Highway 20 to milepost 138 for the East Bank Trailhead. It’s 16 miles from the trailhead to Lightning Creek campsite, where the Desolation Peak Trail starts. Most people would camp at Lightning Creek and then begin the Desolation Trail to Desolation Peak the following day.

From Lightning Creek to the summit of Desolation is 6.8 miles, but Desolation Camp is 1 mile prior to the summit (you cannot camp at the summit itself). A backcountry permit is required for all overnight camping at both Lightning Creek and Desolation Camp, and permit availability is limited. Only one group may camp at Desolation Camp.

You can apply for a North Cascades National Park backcountry permit at pay.gov each year between March 15-April 15 for camping between the dates of May 15-September 15. There is a $20 non-refundable fee to apply, even if your application is unsuccessful. The Park Service should be able to let you know the status of your application by May 15th. If it is successful, you’ll need to pick up the permit in person sometime before 11am the day your trip begins. 

If you were not able to get a permit, or if you missed the application timeframe, you can try to get a walk-up permit. Walk-up permits are issued in-person only on a first-come first-serve basis, and can only be secured the day before or day of a desired trip date. In “The Before Times” there were many different ranger stations where walk-up permits could be secured, but during COVID only the Marblemount Wilderness Information Center has been issuing permits. 

From the North:
If you are coming from the north, another option is to access the summit from Hozomeen Campground at the Canadian border via Hozomeen Lake Trail. Hozomeen Campground has 75 campsites available first-come first-serve and does not require a permit or fee. However, this camp is more difficult to get to during COVID because of border closures, and some of the hiking route itself is an off-trail scramble. First you hit Pt. 5967, 1.5 miles north of Desolation. According to SummitPost and hiker Mike Collins, as of 2005 only 7 people had signed the register at Pt. 5967, and 3 of them were rangers working at the fire tower at Desolation who just walked over from the lookout. This is a very unmaintained route.

Those afternoons, those lazy afternoons, when I used to sit, or lie down, on Desolation Peak…first time suddenly realizing “It’s me that’s changed and done all this and come and gone and complained and hurt and joyed and yelled, not The Void” and so that every time I thought of the void I’d be looking at Mt. Hozomeen (because chair and bed and meadowgrass faced north) until I realized “Hozomeen is the Void” – at least Hozomeen means the void to my eyes.

— Jack Kerouac

Day Hike

If, like me, you missed the permit application window and don’t want to trust walk-up availability, or if you simply only have one day to hike, then you can get to Desolation Peak as an out-and-back day hike. You will need to hire a boat (or bring your own) to get across Ross Lake. The boat can dock at either Lightning Creek or Desolation Trailhead. That 2 mile distance of trail between Lightning Creek and Desolation Trailhead is relatively gentle, so the hike really begins at Desolation Trailhead. For my trip, I opted to shave those 2 miles off and be dropped at Desolation.

If you don’t own a boat, you have a few options. At Ross Lake Resort, you can rent a kayak, motorboat, or canoe and navigate yourself across the lake to the trailhead. Or, you could pre-arrange to have a water taxi drop you off at your time of choice and pick you back up afterwards. The paddling distance is far and I read about strong winds whipping up the waves, so I didn’t trust that I’d make it to the trailhead in a timely manner by myself. I decided to shell out for the water taxi ride, which is very expensive. Luckily, the fare is per ride (not per person), so if other riders end up wanting to go at the same time as you, even if they’re strangers, the resort will let you all split the cost.  

You must pre-arrange the pickup and drop-off times for the water taxi. I would highly recommend allowing more time than you think you’ll need. I picked an 8:30am departure pickup and a 3:30pm return pickup because the hike is 4.7 miles one-way, or 9.4 miles roundtrip (not counting the 1 mile from your vehicle to the boat ramp, and then back again). My logic was that if I hiked 2 miles per hour, it would take me less than 5 hours to complete the full roundtrip. If I’m picked up at 8:30 and the water taxi takes 20-25 minutes to get to Desolation, that leaves an extra hour and a half to enjoy views, or for unexpected holdups. 

However, this hike was steeper than I ever imagined! When you read trail reports, you often see the descriptor “steep” attached to trails that I wouldn’t personally deem steep, so I don’t always trust it. I’ve hiked steep trails plenty and I like the challenge; it makes me feel good to know I’m working hard. Typically, you can still expect there to be at least some reprieve between the steep sections where you can catch your breath. Not so on Desolation. This entire trail is 100% relentless uphill at a degree of incline that at times forced me to hike on my tiptoes for leverage. For comparison, hiking from the bottom of the Grand Canyon to the rim via Bright Angel is 5000ft of elevation change over 10 miles. Desolation is 4500ft of elevation change over 4.7 miles. 

This is also one of the first big hikes I did after an extended break during the pandemic. By the end of my Washington trip I had my trail legs back and felt strong, but on this day, I took a thousand breaks and hiked slow as molasses on the way up. By the time I reached Desolation Camp I’d taken up more than half of my allotted time, and I worried I couldn’t finish the rest of the trail to the summit and still hike all the way back to the dock in time to catch the boat. I pressed on, but the only reason I made it was because I didn’t get to stay and enjoy the summit view for very long, and then I practically threw myself back down the mountain faster than I’ve ever hiked before in my life. I made it at 3:27pm. 

Trail Report: Desolation Peak Day Hike

To begin your day, first you’ll need to drive into the North Cascades via SR 20 and park at Ross Dam Trailhead at Milepost 134. Remember that trailhead break-ins do happen, so don’t leave valuables in your car while you’re away hiking. 

Note: Technically North Cascades National Park and Ross Lake Recreation Area are two separate designations, but they are both within the North Cascades National Park Service Complex. So is Lake Chelan National Recreation Area.

Next you’ll hike 1 mile down the trail until you reach a gravel road. Turn right to continue down this road towards the boat ramp. Prior to reaching the ramp, you’ll see a little trail off to the left which leads to a phone. The phone is in a box attached to a power pole, and there’s instructions inside about how to dial the resort to tell them you’ve arrived. Now you’ll wait at the boat dock for your water taxi! 

The boat ride itself is gorgeous, and you’ll spot little islands along the way which have boat-in campsites. If I ever return to Ross Lake, I’d love to rent a kayak and paddle to camp at one of these sites overnight. Then it’d be a quick little jaunt to Desolation the next morning. I could spend all day hiking with no time limit and then paddle back to my private camp (where there’s unlikely to be bears).

From the moment you’re dropped off at Desolation trailhead, the route is already steep. I remember thinking “is this a sign of things to come, or does it let up?”. It does not let up. You are in for it. 

Most of the first few miles are all under heavy tree cover. The shade is helpful, but at times my hair stood on end as I imagined how much the bears must love the thick brush. Within the first mile I did see a pile of fresh bear scat right there on the trail. Thankfully I was working so hard that I didn’t have time to fret about it; all my focus was on the climb. 

After countless long, difficult switchbacks in dense forest you will finally start to reach peek-a-boo views of Ross Lake and its surrounding mountains from high above. This is a taste of things to come at the summit. 

Until Desolation Camp, I hadn’t seen anyone else on the whole hike (this was on a Wednesday in July). Finally as I rested there, contemplating whether I’d make it in time, two other hikers reached the camp and offered me words of encouragement that I could likely make it to the summit and back if I hustle. They also informed me they had seen the bear who made the scat, hanging out right next to the trail in that same spot back in the first mile. The bear must have been very nearby when I passed!

I was emboldened by their advice and pushed on. From the camp to the summit the views become more and more spectacular and alpine, and I thought I must be getting close. When I turned a corner and saw that the fire lookout tower sat atop this massive hill in the distance that I still had to hike, I was exasperated:

I took my pack off at this point and charged up the hill. The distance to the top of the hill turned out not to be as far as it looked, thank god, and I was there before I knew it, gazing upon that view which fueled Kerouac’s existential battle with The Void.

Hozomeen, Hozomeen, most beautiful mountain I ever seen.

— Jack Kerouac

A fire lookout does currently man the station, Ranger Jim Henterly. He emerged from the tower to welcome me, even pointing out which mountain and glacier was which. I was so grateful for his friendliness, and sad that I couldn’t stay to ask him more questions. I would have loved to hear his stories and get an idea of what it’s been like to live there for so many seasons. At one point he posited whether a distant haze might be smoke, and following his line of sight I squinted at the horizon and felt as if I was a lookout myself for a brief moment. A gorgeous documentary about Ranger Jim called Ode to Desolation fills in some of the blanks from my short visit.

We lived in wilderness for most of our career here on the planet and that’s where our brain developed, and that’s where we learned beauty.

— Jim Henterly

I told him I had two hours left to get back to my boat, and I was worried about making it. He offered to quickly take my picture in front of Hozomeen, which was incredible since I usually hike solo and can’t get wide angle pictures of myself with landscapes. He echoed what the other hikers said, that if I set a solid pace I could still make it back to my boat in time. I thanked him and set off to embark on a daunting task. 

I hiked so fast going down that I broke into a full sprint a few times, heavy pack and all. I basically blacked out the whole way, my only thought “do not lose time”. Well, I also thought “remember about the bear”, but when I arrived in that area he was no longer there or else was hiding in the trees (I did finally get to see a bear a few weeks later, at Colchuck Lake!). 

When I reached the dock I was so proud of myself that I couldn’t help but laugh. The ascent and descent had both been hellish, but the view from the summit was transcendent. The things we do for love.

This is the Great Knowing, this is the Awakening, this is Voidness – so shut up, live, travel, adventure, bless and don’t be sorry.

— Jack Kerouac

I only saw one side of the coin that Kerouac observed. Hozomeen and the North Cascades did not stir thoughts of emptiness in me. Hozomeen is sharp and forbidding, to be sure, but it was Nohokomeen Glacier, forming a crater in the center of Jack Mountain, that most captivated me. How might his writing have changed if his bed faced south instead of north? Sometimes I think Kerouac would have seen The Void wherever he looked. I did feel the profound vastness, the immortality of the range, which has been and will continue to be whether I am here to behold it or not. These impressions only gave me comfort and roused reverence during my brief encounter with Desolation. Certainly, though, I can’t fathom the reflections that might arise if I were to watch these mountains change (or not change) through seasons, through weather, and through dawns and dusks over the course of 63 days or longer. Only Jack, Jim, and the other lookouts truly know.

No clock will tick, no man yearn, and silent will be the snow and the rocks underneath and as ever Hozomeen’ll loom and mourn without sadness evermore… Farewell, Desolation, thou hast seen me well… All I want is an ice cream cone.

— Jack Kerouac

Resources and Packing Recommendations

• You probably already plan on checking AllTrails trip reports in the lead-up to your hike, but be sure to check Washington Trails Association as well. This resource is more trusted locally.
• There is one spring that happened to be trickling lightly while I was there in mid/late-July, but it’s best to assume there is no reliable water source along Desolation Peak Trail. Pack your water in.
• I relied heavily on SummitPost for my pre-hike research and found the information to be accurate.
• You will not have cell service. Bring a Garmin InReach or other SPOT tracker in case of emergency.
• Pack your food Leave No Trace style. Especially if you have a permit to camp overnight, be sure to store all scented items in a bear canister.

🏨 Find budget hostels in Winthrop or search hotel options in Winthrop or Bellingham.
🏕️ Find free or paid campsites near the North Cascades.
✈️ Coming to Washington from further afield? Use an Airalo eSIM for affordable international cell data and don’t forget to protect your investment with travel insurance.

Fast Facts

• The lookout tower was built in 1932.
• The tower used to be brown, but has been painted white (according to Lynn Elizabeth who used to work for the park).
• Desolation Peak has an elevation of 6,102 feet. From trailhead to peak is 4,500 feet of elevation change.
• “The name ‘Hozomeen’ comes from the Salish word meaning “sharp like a knife,” referring to both the sharp peaks of the mountains and also chert, a type of rock commonly worked into sharp-edged tools by early Native Americans and First Nation members.” – Park Service
• According to the Ode to Desolation documentary, there used to be 9000 lookout towers, but today only 60 remain staffed.
• The North Cascades are the ancestral homeland of the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe, Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, Samish Indian Nation, Nooksack Tribe, Lummi Nation, Stó:lō Nation, Nlaka’pamux Nation, Colville Confederated Tribes, Syilx/Okanagan Nation.
• There are an estimated 25,000 black bears in Washington state.
• There are a few ways fire lookouts’ supplies can be replenished, depending on the location. Mules might bring things in, or supplies can be dropped by helicopter. Back in the day, and still in some locations (Shane Turner of Mountain Mansion says they still operate this way in Canada), lookouts hardly ever left their post, so these were the only options. Nowadays, as Ranger Jim told me, most lookouts work something like 10 days on and then 4 days off. In these cases, they may be able to hike in some of their own resupply.
• The character Japhy Ryder in Kerouac’s The Dharma Bums is based on real-life poet and educator Gary Snyder.

Which method would you prefer to take in order to reach Jack Kerouac’s fire lookout at Desolation Peak? Have you ever made it a goal to complete a particular trail based on reading about it in a book, or seeing it in a movie? Did hiking the trail help you understand the character/author’s perspective?

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