Mount Pilchuck State Park occupies 1,903 acres of alpine terrain on the western edge of Washington’s Cascade Mountains, about 7 miles east of Granite Falls. Centered on Mount Pilchuck, it is known for a 3-mile summit trail leading to a fire lookout 5,324 feet above sea level. Built by the U.S. Forest Service in 1918 and staffed until the 1960s, the lookout connects the mountain’s recreational use with its earlier role in fire detection. The name Pilchuck comes from a Native American term meaning “red water.” A ski area operated on the slopes from 1957 to 1980 before closing because of poor snow conditions.