The lookout was super cozy and we loved having a wood stove….

Activity: Snowshoe or cross country ski

Distance: 6 miles roundtrip

Time: couple of hours each way

Difficulty: moderate

Season: December to April (booking season is a little longer)

Dog Friendly: Yes, the fire lookout is exposed and the stairs are steep…Jedi cried the first couple of times going up and down the stairs…so we had to drag and/or carry him. Eventually he got it.

Pros: You’re out in the middle of nowhere, snowshoeing, sledding, wood stove, 1 bed + 1 cot, some utensils provided, firewood provided, easy to navigate to

Cons: No electricity, no running water, going out to the vault toilet when it’s below freezing, shorter season due to lower elevation

A couple mountains peaking through the clouds on the road up to Five Mile Butte fire lookout.

To get to the fire lookout it’s a 3 mile hike along a road that begins across from the Billy Bob Sno-Park. The lookout sits at 4,627 feet and when it’s not cloudy there are some great mountain and forest views along the way.

Taking a break on the road up to the fire lookout.

As the hike is a solid three mile uphill trek we stopped for a couple of breaks along the way. In early December, when we went, there wasn’t a ton of snow, but it was definitely icy and we were happy we brought our Black Diamond Trekking Poles and MSR Snowshoes.

View of the access road from the lookout.

We made it!!! The lookout sits about 40 feet off the ground and has some pretty steep and narrow stairs. We were happy to have the wood stove because the temperature was dropping fast and we wanted to melt some snow to make warm drinks. My Sorel Pac Boots boots were super comfy and warm….no cold toes for me.

Pretty frozen tree reminds me of the holidays

We spent most of the evening reading over the old guestbooks, chatting, and drinking spiked apple cider and hot cocoa. The lookout stayed toasty all night long and we all slept great.

We found a beat up plastic sled in the wood shelter and took advantage of the icy conditions.

We found a sled in the wood shed and had to get a couple of good runs in before we headed out for the day. The dogs were a little freaked out by it…but we had a great time!!!

Super slick sledding….thank goodness for the sports setting on my camera!!!

Jedi rocking his ice beard after our hike back down from the lookout.

Back at the Sno-Park we finished off the last of our hot chocolate…that was still piping hot after all of our sledding and the hike out. The dogs stayed toasty with their packs layered over their winter jackets and were rewarded for all of their hard work with some treats when we got back to the car.

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