Lookout · River Road Scenic Byway

Westgate Scenic Overlook

U.S. Forest Service

Looking north-east from Westgate Scenic Overlook. Terrain and imagery at true elevation.

Overview · Assembled from verified data

Westgate Scenic Overlook sits at 868 feet along the River Road Scenic Byway, facing 30 degrees with the land dropping 129 feet within 600 meters of the viewpoint. A kiosk at the site provides information on the Au Sable River and the River Road National Scenic Byway. A half-hour walk on a limestone path connects the overlook to the Rollways Day Use area. The location offers views of the river and is noted for fall color, and visitors may see birds including trumpeter swans and eagles. From this point, the Au Sable Highbanks Overlook is visible to the north-northwest, 11.8 miles away at 924 feet elevation. East Tawas lies 18.3 miles to the southeast, Skidway Lake is 23.0 miles southwest, and Gladwin is 48.4 miles southwest. Sunrise and sunset vary through the year, with sunrise at 5:51 and sunset at 21:24 near the June solstice, and sunrise at 8:09 and sunset at 16:59 near the December solstice. The Observation Deck lookout precedes this stop, and Foote Pond Overlook follows it along the byway.

Access

On the byway

Elevation

868 ft

View

Northeast · 30°

Relief

129 ft drop

In view

1 named features

Photos · Real imagery only

In view · Named features

What you’re looking at

Named terrain inside the view from this overlook, nearest first.

Au Sable Highbanks Overlook924 ftnorth-northwest · 11.8 mi

When to look · Sun at this latitude

Light

Date	Sunrise	Sunset	Golden hour
March equinox	07:39	19:48	19:09
June solstice	05:51	21:24	20:39
September equinox	07:23	19:34	18:56
December solstice	08:09	16:59	16:11

Local time (America/Detroit). Computed for this exact position.

Getting there · Position and access

Where it is

East Tawas18.3 mi southeast
Skidway Lake23.0 mi southwest
Gladwin48.4 mi southwest

← Before it: Observation Deck After it: Foote Pond Overlook →

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From the source · Verbatim

Westgate Scenic Overlook · U.S. Forest Service

There is a short, half hour walk on a limestone path to the Rollways Day Use area. Westgate features a kiosk that provides information on the Au Sable River and River Road National Scenic Byway. This is a great location to view the river and see fall color. Wildlife abounds and visitors will have many opportunities to see the varied bird life of the area, particularly trumpeter swans and eagles.

Brochure with map:

River Road National Scenic Byway (pdf) - this brochure shows River Road, the Au Sable River and Lumberman's MonumentHighbanks River Trail Map (coming soon)Eagle Run Trail Map (coming soon)The brochure is set to print on 11 x 17 paper, landscape (wide) orientation. To print on 8 1/2 x 11 paper set the print area to "shrink to printable area", this will make the text on the page smaller. The trail maps are set to printon 8.5x11 paper.

Flickr Photo Albums:

Au Sable River - Alcona Dam to Lake HuronVisitor Center and Grounds ProgramsMonument CampgroundRiver Road National Scenic BywayIargo SpringsHighbanks River TrailEagle Run Trail

Read it at U.S. Forest Service →

Common questions

How high is Westgate Scenic Overlook?

Westgate Scenic Overlook sits at about 868 feet (264 m).

What can you see from Westgate Scenic Overlook?

From Westgate Scenic Overlook: Au Sable Highbanks Overlook (NNW, 12 mi).

What is the nearest town to Westgate Scenic Overlook?

East Tawas, 18 miles SE of Westgate Scenic Overlook.

What is the next lookout after Westgate Scenic Overlook?

Foote Pond Overlook is the next surfaced lookout along the same route after Westgate Scenic Overlook.

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Locals make it Verified.

Westgate Scenic Overlook — confirmed, rated, and photographed by people who actually pulled over. A local confirmation is what upgrades a lookout from Discovered to Verified. Zero hallucinations.

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