Cloud Chasers
Sierra Buttes
A Lakes Basin landmark crowned by a lookout; the Sierra City approach makes a big day.
Quest challenge 6/10 · Bold Ascent
Quest estimate for the described approach: endurance, altitude, and technical terrain combined. Conditions can change the difficulty. This is not an AllTrails or climbing grade.
Meet the mountain
The approach: PCT from Highway 49 near Sierra City, then the lookout spur
Summit finish: The summit lookout reached by the exposed stair finish.
The lookout atop Sierra Buttes is a memorable Lost Sierra prize above the Lakes Basin. This rating uses PCTA’s long Sierra City approach: 16.8 miles round trip with 4,238 feet of gain. Shorter trailheads reach the same summit with different effort. The stair finish adds exposure; confirm trail and lookout access when planning.
Budget for a long return day and discuss the exposed stairs before committing to the finish.
A SUMMIT QUEST TALL TALE · FICTION
The upstairs department
A cloud ordered a lookout with an upstairs. The delivery crew took this personally. The cloud left a review reading “excellent upstairs; surprisingly little downstairs.”
Explore the Field Guide’s peak legends →Before you set out
Every good quest starts with a little map time. Explore these route guides and check the latest updates before setting a date.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-08. Check the links for current conditions. The approach above explains our challenge rating; logging this peak does not assign that route to your outing.
PCTA Sierra City to Sierra Buttes ↗
Verified long approach, route measurements, and summit lookout.
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Search for an approach that matches your plan.
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Check dates and route choices; reports do not replace current land-manager information.
Opens in a new tab“Find AllTrails routes” opens a Google search restricted to AllTrails trail pages, not a selected route. Completion is tracked in Summit Quest and does not sync with AllTrails.