Arid Peak Lookout

BEAUTIFUL spot!! Do not trust Google Maps like we did to find the trailhead. There were tons of propane, plenty of kitchen supplies, but was running very low on TP. The huckleberries are abundant!

BEAUTIFUL spot!! Do not trust Google Maps like we did to find the trailhead. There were tons of propane, plenty of kitchen supplies, but was running very low on TP. The huckleberries are abundant!

I'm giving this review 3 stars, not so much because of the lookout but because of my experience getting in and out. First, I met in-person with the forest ranger in St Marie, ID day of, to check on the conditions and what route we should take. We were heading on after our stay via I-90 East, so we wanted to enter via Avery, ID, and exit to Wallace, ID. She confirmed that the weather was clear, 0 wildfire risk, and said that we should 'follow the state gravel road through Moon Pass to Wallace'. I then checked with locals in Avery and St. Marie to confirm that the roads were passable for our VW Beetle.

Getting to the lookout from Avery was easy. We had to take a bit of detour from the directions online based on the forest ranger's rec, but we had a full paper map with each road pass-ability marked out (so AWD-recommended vs. high-clearance needed etc). There was one part on the way with 4WD-recommended, but being cautious in a normal car worked just as well.

Our hike was not strenuous to the lookout, but as we reached the top we noticed louder and louder thunder. Taking note that the smoke around us was only getting denser making it impossible to see if a fire started, we decided to hike out -- though we got to see the lookout before we left, it was great! Then lightening struck around 50 ft from us, and we ran back to the car.

After running the 2.5 miles, the storm had passed over us with no impact on the road, so as night fell we decided to go on over the gravel road to Wallace. The way to get to Wallace involved going through Moon Pass, a 4-way dirt intersection. Now, based on the map we could either go straight or right to get to Wallace, with both roads marked as passable for all vehicles and no clear label for 'Moon Pass'. We went straight, as it was less windy.

DO NOT DO THIS. It is an old dirt forest service road. It would've been nearly impossible in a high-clearance car; we barely made it after 1.5 hours. ALWAYS DOUBLE CHECK/WALK AHEAD IN THE DARK!

I'm giving this review 3 stars, not so much because of the lookout but because of my experience getting in and out. First, I met in-person with the forest ranger in St Marie, ID day of, to check on the conditions and what route we should take. We were heading on after our stay via I-90 East, so we wanted to enter via Avery, ID, and exit to Wallace, ID. She confirmed that the weather was clear, 0 wildfire risk, and said that we should 'follow the state gravel road through Moon Pass to Wallace'. I then checked with locals in Avery and St. Marie to confirm that the roads were passable for our VW Beetle.

Getting to the lookout from Avery was easy. We had to take a bit of detour from the directions online based on the forest ranger's rec, but we had a full paper map with each road pass-ability marked out (so AWD-recommended vs. high-clearance needed etc). There was one part on the way with 4WD-recommended, but being cautious in a normal car worked just as well.

Our hike was not strenuous to the lookout, but as we reached the top we noticed louder and louder thunder. Taking note that the smoke around us was only getting denser making it impossible to see if a fire started, we decided to hike out -- though we got to see the lookout before we left, it was great! Then lightening struck around 50 ft from us, and we ran back to the car.

After running the 2.5 miles, the storm had passed over us with no impact on the road, so as night fell we decided to go on over the gravel road to Wallace. The way to get to Wallace involved going through Moon Pass, a 4-way dirt intersection. Now, based on the map we could either go straight or right to get to Wallace, with both roads marked as passable for all vehicles and no clear label for 'Moon Pass'. We went straight, as it was less windy.

DO NOT DO THIS. It is an old dirt forest service road. It would've been nearly impossible in a high-clearance car; we barely made it after 1.5 hours. ALWAYS DOUBLE CHECK/WALK AHEAD IN THE DARK!

Nice hike to the Lookout.

Nice hike to the Lookout.

Arid was a treat! The hike in, like others is pretty steep for the first half. After that, you’re cruising. As old and rickety as it appeared on the outside, this LO is as solid as can be on the inside. There was a nice Coleman there and a few cans of propane left by other folks. Unfortunately, the tree growth surrounding this LO blocks a lot of the sunset, and that was a little bit of a bummer. The sunrise, however was gorgeous. It was so peaceful and with no cell reception, it really is a wonderful thing to sit and relax, ponder. Meditate. Breathe. Listen. All of it. No distractions. We overall enjoyed our stay. Thank you FS for allowing us to enjoy the experience of staying here!

Arid was a treat! The hike in, like others is pretty steep for the first half. After that, you’re cruising. As old and rickety as it appeared on the outside, this LO is as solid as can be on the inside. There was a nice Coleman there and a few cans of propane left by other folks. Unfortunately, the tree growth surrounding this LO blocks a lot of the sunset, and that was a little bit of a bummer. The sunrise, however was gorgeous. It was so peaceful and with no cell reception, it really is a wonderful thing to sit and relax, ponder. Meditate. Breathe. Listen. All of it. No distractions. We overall enjoyed our stay. Thank you FS for allowing us to enjoy the experience of staying here!

The lookout isn't in very good shape, but we still had a great time, as always, when staying in one. We added 1800' and 2 1/2 miles to our trip, making it a 5-mile / 2500' elevation gain hike, because Google Maps took us to the wrong TH. Made for a really good workout, just unexpected. LOL
We checked out directions on this page, too, but they just give them from Avery, which would have added quite a few miles to the trip. I hope that this can be corrected in the directions. Also, one of the doors to the catwalk does not latch, which makes it a little tricky to get your stuff up there.
I slept on the catwalk and had a couple of pack rats visit, which made for an interesting night. All in all, it was a great adventure! :-)

The lookout isn't in very good shape, but we still had a great time, as always, when staying in one. We added 1800' and 2 1/2 miles to our trip, making it a 5-mile / 2500' elevation gain hike, because Google Maps took us to the wrong TH. Made for a really good workout, just unexpected. LOL
We checked out directions on this page, too, but they just give them from Avery, which would have added quite a few miles to the trip. I hope that this can be corrected in the directions. Also, one of the doors to the catwalk does not latch, which makes it a little tricky to get your stuff up there.
I slept on the catwalk and had a couple of pack rats visit, which made for an interesting night. All in all, it was a great adventure! :-)