Granite Butte Lookout

February 16-19: I skied up with a pack, took me 7 hours but I was going slow and taking breaks, plodding through 6" of fresh snow.

While I was up there, a wind storm took most of the snow off of the top of the butte. When the wind is blowing the wood stove gets all of the heat drawn out of it, so be prepared for cold.

Can't beat the quiet on a still day, or the colors of the sky at dawn and dusk.

One of a kind adventure!

The trip great overall.

This lookout was amazing! There was very little snow at the "Y" of the Stemple Pass Rd, so we attempted to drive all the way to the cabin. We were pleasantly surprised to be able to go the whole way with 4WD and Studded snow tires! There is plenty of wood at the cabin for the next several months for sure if not the next winter.
We had packed our own wood as we were unsure if there would be, but there was plenty! There is also a small propane heater, but this is missing a thermocouple, so it is non functional. There were two small propane tanks there for the propane cook stove that we did not use.
We had a great stay! Except for the beds are awful. My husband has chronic back pain, and although we had booked for two nights, we were unable to stay the second day as the foam pad on ply wood was just not sufficient.
The additional beds are just camping cots. Nice ones! But still just spring frame camping cots.
We will defiantly be back, but will only plan to stay one night.

Building is in need of repairs, especially around the windows. Large gaps let in a huge amount of flies and bees. The mattress on the bed was pretty stained and not something we wanted to touch. We took it off and put on of the air mattresses we brought on. The views though are beautiful and the bathroom was clean and well stocked.

The lookout was left clean and mostly stocked. The outhouse was very clean and stocked. We happened to be there during a storm and the entire night it felt like we were on a train (moving and wind/rain noise). There were many flies inside when we arrived but there was a fly swatter (a new one may be warranted). Having the games there was nice as the wind and lightening prevented a desire to hike. Not super crowded, but there were a few through hikers who stopped by. The wood stove worked fine, we brought our own jet boil. I think I would bring sleep pads and plan on sleeping on the floor next time. The twin "bed" was uncomfortably dirty and the cot was pieced together. Overall, a fun experience and I would do it again.

No complaints about the facility and the provided outhouse. Everything was clean and the amenities are pretty accurate according to the listing and recent reviews. However, if you would like to rent out a fish bowl and have everyone looking in the windows at you, then this is the place for you. We tried everyday to keep people off the top deck and hikers still came up unannounced and without permission. We even had some ATVers that decided to have a picnic right below the tower and some teenagers that came up one evening on their four wheelers to smoke weed. There is zero privacy during daylight hours. Probably the two WEEKDAYS we were there we saw at least 30 people up there between the hikers and the lookie loos. We tried putting the grate to the top deck down to keep people out and they still barged on up upon seeing our truck down below. Maybe we should have put our cooler on it in hindsight. I get that the tower is amazing as well as the views and people want to see it, but for someone who has had a reservation for 6 months, and booked over several weekdays to avoid crowds, the overall experience was quite disappointing. The forest service really needs to put up a sign at the base of the tower to be courteous of the occupants’ privacy. It’s one thing to have hikers pass by on the CDT, it’s a whole other thing to have them up in your space at any given moment. Also a side note, it was extremely windy the whole time, but honestly, that was far less disappointing than the revolving door of visitors.

You're paying to be the tower host. You have zero privacy.
You will be greeting people, and your belongings and space will be their space.
People start rolling in as early as 7 am and don't let up until 9 pm, from surly locals, ossified retirees, CDT hikers, and everyone in between.
No need for an alarm clock, if the footsteps of plucky hikers upon the planks don't wake you up, the sound of straight-piped UVTs driving up in droves will.
It is a gorgeous area to explore, the tower has breathtaking views. But to rent this with the impression that you are in a cabin atop a tower is just not accurate.

We had a great time watching a thunderstorm roll in. The views are beautiful and you can explore in all directions. Only downside is way too many visitors. Do not have any expectation of privacy, even in the slightest. There are people coming up the lookout constantly. It is very popular! So, if you love company, this is the place for you!

In Sum: Quiet, Mostly Private, and a Great Time!

Despite 3 days of near constant rain, cloud cover so dense you couldn't see 2 feet in front of you, and the occasional wind gust, we had a great time and stayed warm in the cabin! Ample firewood was available though the splitting maul in the cabin was pretty well dulled with rolls and chips in some spots. (If you're driving up, consider bringing your own!)

No wildlife but plenty of recent elk sign near the mines. I'm certain they just held out on us due to the weather. From reading other reviews, privacy seems to be hit or miss. We only had one visitor on the very first day. He rode up on a motorcycle, talked to my spouse for a few minutes, and then made his way back down the mountain, then no other visitors in the remaining 2 days - and our stay took place over the weekend.

The road up near the top when you get out of the trees was decently steep and rough. I wouldn't take a sedan up there, but I don't think you need a lifted pick up to make the drive either.

We did some exploring in the area and especially enjoyed the two antique stores available for browsing. One, Rusty Relics, and the other a hidden gem found by following the posted signs on the main road back in a more residential area.

We checked out Aunt Molly's WMA and Brown's Lake as well and will be back to visit both again!

Things to Note:
• 2 battery operated lanterns were available, 4 D batteries are needed for each. There were two smaller lanterns also available which required AA batteries.
• One of the available descriptions of the cabin listed fire rings/pits and a picnic table. These things are not available. The only things currently outside the cabin are the firewood stack and the "beacon".
• Leaving the cabin clean and organized leaves the experience enjoyable for those who come after you - no one wants to check in to a chaotic cabin. :)