I've hiked the Lookout Mountain trail out of Clarkia three times now. The first time was on a group hike led by another, shortly after I moved west in 1988. We took a wrong turn and ended up at Widow Mountain instead - a fine destination, for sure, and an easy mistake since the trails weren't well marked at that time.

The second time, I took three friends to Lookout for a fancy picnic. About the time we got the wine bottle open and the food out, it began to thunder. Given the very exposed nature of Lookout, there was no question that the right thing to do was pack the food and wine and head down NOW.

The third time was last fall, and this time I was actually able to sit down and enjoy the views, a long-delayed reward for the attention-getting 20 minutes or so of serious uphill out of the parking area. Those views are 360 degrees of mostly nice forest country.

In September of last year when we hiked it, that meant a whole circle of colorful fall foliage against the dark green evergreens that dominate the landscape. A small lake sits in a part of it just below, adding to the decorations.

The top itself is a stark place, rocky and narrow and boasting one of the finest rock cairns I've ever seen. It's also strewn with flat rock that will probably be there forever since it'd be too difficult to cart any home to use for walkways or patios. It's definitely a spot worth hiking to.

The way there is a fine hike, too, at least after that first steep uphill. It's in the woods for a bit at the start, then largely in the open, from past the junction with the Delaney Creek Trail and until the Widow Mountain spur heads off.

The next 11/2 miles or so alternate woods of hemlock, spruce and fir that feature a lot of huckleberry understory, with meadows featuring abundant beargrass. I think it's fair to say that this whole area of Freezeout Ridge is famous for its beargrass bloom and its huckleberries. In the open, however, Grandmother and Grandfather Mountains, plus the Delaney and Marble Creek drainages dominate the views.

There's a brief downhill into a saddle west of Lost Lake, the latter a spot that no longer has a trail to it from this side. The old trail was very steep, and it is my understanding that someone actually died after a fall from that trail. However, you can drive there from the other side if you really want to visit that lake. (You can see Lost Lake from some spots in this section of trail if you move a bit off the trail to the north.)

When you break out into the open coming out of the saddle, what you see in front and above you really is almost the top of Lookout. It's not one of those places where you think you see the top, but once you get there, there's yet another "false top," and perhaps another after that. At Lookout, once you get as far up as you can see, there's just a small rise left to hike.

If you go:

DESCRIPTION AND DIFFICULTY: Lookout Mountain; Idaho Panhandle National Forest Trail No. 52. A strenuous hike, it's 3 to 4 miles, with about 1,000 feet of elevation gain going in as well as 300 feet of loss.

Note: The last bit of trail has a fairly steep dropoff and is perhaps not suitable for young children. I'm sure that there would be impressive wildflowers along the trail in season. Interestingly enough, though there appears to have been a lookout on Lookout Mountain, Widow Mountain is higher.

Directions: Drive north on Highway 3 from Bovill until just past milepost 54. Turn right into Clarkia and again as the road turns right, and then left after the school. Drive 1 mile, then right onto Road 301. Stay on 301 by turning left and heading up the hill after 4.4 miles. Stay left again on 301 at 8.6 miles and 9.3 miles. The Lookout Mountain trailhead is 20 miles in on the left, in a saddle rather than where it's shown on the U.S. Geological Survey map.

Map: U.S. Geological Survey, Widow Mountain, Idaho

Information: St. Joe Ranger District, Idaho Panhandle National Forest at St. Maries, (208) 245-2531.

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Aegerter is an avid hiker/backpacker who lives in Uniontown. She may be contacted at city@lmtribune.com.