Little Mt. Hoffman Lookout

The gate at the bottom of the hill was sprung and required 3 of us to lift and swing it up inti the post to lock it.

The lookout and restroom were very well taken care of. On the way up, medicine lake was a nice spot to enjoy. The 360 views of the night sky was the best part of the lookout!! It does get really cold at night later in the season so bring extra blankets!

We spent 3 nights up there, fantastic. Quiet, perfect weather, and didn’t forget anything. What an experience, definitely will try to get back in the future. We went to Little Glass Mountaintain and just loved it. We brought blowup paddle boards and kayaks for a day at the lake, just perfect. I brought a 250 gallon water tank which we all enjoyed, hot showers, clean dishes, and no rationing. We ate great, drank heartily, and slept peacefully. Views of sunrises,and sunsets magical. Thank you little Mount Hoffman

Awesome experience at Little Mt. Hoffman Fire Lookout on Saturday night, July 12th. Getting a reservation takes some determination (make sure you get on-line first thing in the morning, or you'll never get the dates you want, and you still might need to try a couple times to get ahead of others). Otherwise the process was easy and the communication and reminders from Recreation.gov were very good. A gate code was sent about 3 weeks before our reservation date.

The dirt road from Medicine Lake to the lookout it pretty rough with some big ruts and rocks in places. We had an SUV but I wouldn't recommend it with a regular sedan. We were there on an extremely hot weekend, but it was still great. The gate itself is very heavy; it's easier if you have two people. We left the gate open because we planned to go out to Little Glass Mountain after unloading our gear at the lookout, and one vehicle did drive up while we were getting settled in. Later in the evening, we had two separate parties (2 people each) who walked up from the gate to get the views. They didn't stay long and respected our privacy.

The weather was pretty clear. There was a small fire to the NE so the hills had quite a bit of haze (but not smoke) in the evening and less the next morning. The views were amazing. We were pleasantly surprised to find toilet paper well-stocked by the USFS in the restroom, as well as a couple containers of wet wipes, fly swatters, a lantern (didn't use), binocs. Restroom/cabin were clean and tidy. Lots of flies and in the late evening, lots of mosquitoes. The cabin only has two small half-screens so it got a bit stuffy and we couldn't open the door without letting in flies and mosquitoes.

Beautiful sunset, full-ish moon so it stayed light pretty much all night, early sunrise. Highly recommend this "glamping" experience. There was wood stocked, but we didn't use the wood stove. We brought a camp stove so we could have coffee in the morning. Bring flashlights, bug spray.

This was SUCH a great trip! It was a bit smoky from the Park fire, but the lookout wasn't in the smoke most of the time, just the surrounding area. We had great views most of the time too, although even Shasta disappeared for a day. The lookout itself is really cozy, and provided shade throughout the day. As others have said, the lookout does get hot inside, even with the two windows and door open, but sitting in a camp chair in the shade was great. If you have a dog and keep a water dish outside, just know that it will be full of bees drinking from it too, which we were fine with. The proximity to Medicine lake was awesome! Just a short drive to a beautiful little lake. :)

This is a fine lookout/cabin albeit a tad pricey in comparison to other lookouts that are offered. It is very basic - no lights, water, sink, heat except for a wood stove, which by the way, seems to be working now. The weather was on the warm side so I didn't test it. The two beds are good with OK mattresses. The outhouse is fairly decent - no odors. The flies can be a problem. Although the yellow jackets weren't a big problem for me I still brought a baited trap with me per the warnings from other reviews, and I caught about 60 of them so they weren't as annoying as they could have been. The two windows that open with screens are not quite enough to really get air flowing so I left the door open and of course the flies and yellow jackets came in but by dusk they were gone. They just bounce against the windows and the noise can be bothersome but that's it.

My first night there was smoke coming in from the Park Fire but by my second day the northern area of the state was clear enough to give some great views. I came in via Medicine Lake and left via Glass Mountain - both roads are very good and 4 wheel drive is not needed. I went to Medicine Lake to get water.

And the views! Beyond compare. I did have two sets of visitors while I was there each day - all very friendly and only there for 10 minutes at a time.

Well we ended up staying during the cool rainy period from hurricane Hillary, so Monday and Tuesday were cold and damp, so have the woodstove inoperable was a sad thing indeed. It was 48 degrees when we arrive
On Monday! Look out in good repair. The beds are in good repair but hard for our liking, so we’re glad we brought our pads. No dishes or any other utensils often found in lookouts, so almost were caught short there. Bathroom clean and non smelly. Large table for games ect and 3
Wooden chairs. There is a gate now that we locked after
Entering, so no surprise tours or visitors at all. Generally a great place and late Tuesday and Wednesday morning when the clouds cleared, there were great stars and views all around!

This was the first time my family stayed in a lookout and we would definitely return. Almost full 360 views, and a completely full view of Mt. Shasta was impressive. We brought a large surplus of water in 7gal jugs, and a canopy was perfect for needed shade during the day. Next time, we'll bring battery powered fans to pull air into the lookout building since there are two windows that stay open but are small and don't allow air circulation during the day (it gets kind of hot inside). There were a good amount of honeybees and bumble bees around the site, so be prepared if that's a big issue. None of my family got stung. Also, the McCloud ranger station is closed Saturday through Mondays, so you need to check-in at the Shasta one, or get the code days prior- the recording on the call is inaccurate. Beds were comfortable and there was still room for a cot and the rest of our camping stuff (coolers, luggage, etc.)

Recreation.gov info needs updated. McCloud ranger station is closed sun-mon. Should give an alternative ranger station /phone no to call sun-mon. There was no mop on site. This is needed at a minimum to clean up spills! At $75+/nite some basics s/be provided. Renters s/be forewarned on days when organized groups will come on site. We had an organized group of 50+ visit & it sounds like they visit every year so this c/be coordinated!

The location is perfect- close to Medicine Lake, Lava Bed National Monument and Glass MountaIn. The views from the Lookout are breathtaking! The beds are comfortable enough that you don’t need to bring pads. The wood stove is out of order so don’t count on that. The wind blows almost constantly so be prepared for that too. Most definitely worth visiting- I will be back.