Shorty Peak Lookout

Thank you forest service for keeping Shorty Lookout our favorite place to unwind! This was our 5th trip so you know we love it! The stars, Milky Way and the Comet were amazing!

Thank you forest service for keeping Shorty Lookout our favorite place to unwind! This was our 5th trip so you know we love it! The stars, Milky Way and the Comet were amazing!

We were pleasantly surprised at how clean the fire tower was inside. It made you proud of our backpacking community, you could tell guests had left things better than they found them. Previous guests also generously left a few needed supplies stashed in the room (which came in handy) and there were also some games. The guys were so excited to find poker chips! One of the coolest features was the mapping tool still in the tower from the 1930's. There is a guest book which we forgot to sign :( Bathroom is a bit of a rocky trek from the tower at night (esp in Grizzly territory) and smelled awful (when do they not?) but other than that it was definitely a fun and memorable experience. We never did hike in to the spring, which is a side-trail about 1/2 mi from the top, so can't say much for the water supply or the length of the trail to the spring. We packed all our water in and managed to get by. But, it is the only potential water source up there and would be bit of a hike from the tower if you didn't get it on your way up.
The morning sunrise is pretty intense as you're up on a peak and the windows have no UV protection/tinting. I recommend sunglasses or that big orange fiery ball will stare right at you!

We were pleasantly surprised at how clean the fire tower was inside. It made you proud of our backpacking community, you could tell guests had left things better than they found them. Previous guests also generously left a few needed supplies stashed in the room (which came in handy) and there were also some games. The guys were so excited to find poker chips! One of the coolest features was the mapping tool still in the tower from the 1930's. There is a guest book which we forgot to sign :( Bathroom is a bit of a rocky trek from the tower at night (esp in Grizzly territory) and smelled awful (when do they not?) but other than that it was definitely a fun and memorable experience. We never did hike in to the spring, which is a side-trail about 1/2 mi from the top, so can't say much for the water supply or the length of the trail to the spring. We packed all our water in and managed to get by. But, it is the only potential water source up there and would be bit of a hike from the tower if you didn't get it on your way up.
The morning sunrise is pretty intense as you're up on a peak and the windows have no UV protection/tinting. I recommend sunglasses or that big orange fiery ball will stare right at you!

We were pleasantly surprised at how clean the fire tower was inside. It made you proud of our backpacking community, you could tell guests had left things better than they found them. Previous guests also generously left a few needed supplies stashed in the room (which came in handy) and there were also some games. The guys were so excited to find poker chips! One of the coolest features was the mapping tool still in the tower from the 1930's. There is a guest book which we forgot to sign :( Bathroom is a bit of a rocky trek from the tower at night (esp in Grizzly territory) and smelled awful (when do they not?) but other than that it was definitely a fun and memorable experience. We never did hike in to the spring, which is a side-trail about 1/2 mi from the top, so can't say much for the water supply or the length of the trail to the spring. We packed all our water in and managed to get by. But, it is the only potential water source up there and would be bit of a hike from the tower if you didn't get it on your way up.
The morning sunrise is pretty intense as you're up on a peak and the windows have no UV protection/tinting. I recommend sunglasses or that big orange fiery ball will stare right at you!

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Absolutely loved our stay at Shorty Peak! The 2.5 mi hike in isn’t too bad, just the first .25 mi and the last .25 mi are slightly steep. The lookout itself was immaculately clean as well as the outhouse, which was a nice surprise. The current configuration was two twin beds and a table. Was hoping for a stove/fireplace like Little Guard, but we were never cold at night, even when the temp dropped to about mid-40’s overnight. Great view of Creston, BC at night.

Absolutely loved our stay at Shorty Peak! The 2.5 mi hike in isn’t too bad, just the first .25 mi and the last .25 mi are slightly steep. The lookout itself was immaculately clean as well as the outhouse, which was a nice surprise. The current configuration was two twin beds and a table. Was hoping for a stove/fireplace like Little Guard, but we were never cold at night, even when the temp dropped to about mid-40’s overnight. Great view of Creston, BC at night.