Traveling west on Hwy 153 out of Pateros, there is a fishing access around mile post 20 where visitors can stop for multiple points of interest from the 2014 Carlton Complex Wildfire. From this fishing access, look to the northeast and you will see where a lightning strike ignited the Stokes Fire up on the hills ahead. On the hills to the southwest, lightning strikes sparked the Gold Hikes Fire. These two fires grew together, along with the Cougar Flat Fire and the French Creek Fire, to form the Carlton Complex Fire and burn over 256,000 acres of land. From this same spot, to the north is where the fire eventually jumped the Methow River.
Information and photo sourced from https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3967/.