Granite Butte Lookout

I went up to get my last little taste of winter. The snow conditions were poor for cross country skiing, slushy on top and quickly deteriorating. I took the Marsh Cr Rd to the trailhead turnoff, and then skinned up the CDT the rest of the way. I wouldn't recommend that last part, the snow was very soft and difficult to travel across. However, the other way up, the "green" route, didn't have snow on the top half mile.

Beautiful sunny days the whole time I was there. I forgot sunscreen. Sun on snow burned me pretty good.

I went up to get my last little taste of winter. The snow conditions were poor for cross country skiing, slushy on top and quickly deteriorating. I took the Marsh Cr Rd to the trailhead turnoff, and then skinned up the CDT the rest of the way. I wouldn't recommend that last part, the snow was very soft and difficult to travel across. However, the other way up, the "green" route, didn't have snow on the top half mile.

Beautiful sunny days the whole time I was there. I forgot sunscreen. Sun on snow burned me pretty good.

The lookout tower was great! We didn’t experience much of the wind that the other reviewers noted. There is one bed and one working cot; there is a third cot in the tower, however, it is damaged/unusable. The trek in/out felt like the longest 4 miles of my life, we took the road in (via ski) and then the CDT out. I appreciated the novelty of being on the CDT, but it was definitely the hillier option. My friends who had on xcountry skis had a rougher go of it than me, on backcountry/touring skis. I appreciated the wider ski as we had to break trail the entire way. So, recommend that or snow shoes for others heading up there. Saw some cat tracks/scat, but no wildlife otherwise. Views were gorgeous, stars were incredible, highly recommend staying here.

The lookout tower was great! We didn’t experience much of the wind that the other reviewers noted. There is one bed and one working cot; there is a third cot in the tower, however, it is damaged/unusable. The trek in/out felt like the longest 4 miles of my life, we took the road in (via ski) and then the CDT out. I appreciated the novelty of being on the CDT, but it was definitely the hillier option. My friends who had on xcountry skis had a rougher go of it than me, on backcountry/touring skis. I appreciated the wider ski as we had to break trail the entire way. So, recommend that or snow shoes for others heading up there. Saw some cat tracks/scat, but no wildlife otherwise. Views were gorgeous, stars were incredible, highly recommend staying here.

Overall the lookout is really great. However, you'll either get lucky with the wind or you won't. It took us about 3 1/2 hours to ski up with a sled with the last mile taking the longest due to the intense wind. The cabin shook all night and we couldn't get the place warm so our liquids froze. If it wasn't for the wind, we would have been super stoked. Now I hear you all saying oh why didn't they check the weather, well we did and it said around 15 mph when it was more like 50. these strong winds also blew so much snow in front of the toilets it would have taken an hour or so to dig it out. Be prepared if you go in winter and it is better to head up early so that if the weather sucks you can ski back down in 1-2 hours.

Overall the lookout is really great. However, you'll either get lucky with the wind or you won't. It took us about 3 1/2 hours to ski up with a sled with the last mile taking the longest due to the intense wind. The cabin shook all night and we couldn't get the place warm so our liquids froze. If it wasn't for the wind, we would have been super stoked. Now I hear you all saying oh why didn't they check the weather, well we did and it said around 15 mph when it was more like 50. these strong winds also blew so much snow in front of the toilets it would have taken an hour or so to dig it out. Be prepared if you go in winter and it is better to head up early so that if the weather sucks you can ski back down in 1-2 hours.

Bring batteries for the lanterns. Never go to the potty without a dry roll of TP with you. Took us about 5 hours to get up by snow shoe during an active snow and a winter weather advisory. The ride was brutally windy and the toughest part but the structure is sturdy. Pack light as the cabin has more than you’ll expect! Pet friendly and we were all SO thankful for the on-site wood. An unforgettable adventure.

Bring batteries for the lanterns. Never go to the potty without a dry roll of TP with you. Took us about 5 hours to get up by snow shoe during an active snow and a winter weather advisory. The ride was brutally windy and the toughest part but the structure is sturdy. Pack light as the cabin has more than you’ll expect! Pet friendly and we were all SO thankful for the on-site wood. An unforgettable adventure.

The drive up is pretty tame, right up to the last 1.5 miles, which I agree with other reviewers: it is moderately rough. Although "rough" is somewhat vague. There are sharp, unsettled rocks along the entire stretch. Take your time, it's do-able. This lookout is kind of unique in that it's situated on top of a mostly bald mountain. Lots of field/meadow. That being said the vista is as stunning as any other lookout. There's all the standard amenities, mostly. There's one bed (hard as a rock) and several cots. a Nice table with benches. What is obviously lacking are hooks in the ceiling - just not a lot of options for hanging lanterns. This is also the first lookout I was tasked with removing the window boards myself. It seems ridiculous to just not remove them and store them on the 1st flight deck until the start of winter. There are some electric lanterns, but the batteries are dead, so bring C and D cells if you want. Some cooking utensils and pans/pots are available, but unless you bring your own portable propane bottles for the stove you'll need another source of cooking heat. There was also plenty of stacked firewood at the base of the tower. I was disappointed to see that the Osborne fire finder is not entirely intact. It has been crudely modified which pretty much renders it useless. Anyway, the lookout is in great shape and is pretty well-taken care of based on others I've seen. I was not disappointed given the ample space inside. Overall, it made for a very decent stay. If you bring dogs keep in mind they may not like the steep open stairs (second flight).

The drive up is pretty tame, right up to the last 1.5 miles, which I agree with other reviewers: it is moderately rough. Although "rough" is somewhat vague. There are sharp, unsettled rocks along the entire stretch. Take your time, it's do-able. This lookout is kind of unique in that it's situated on top of a mostly bald mountain. Lots of field/meadow. That being said the vista is as stunning as any other lookout. There's all the standard amenities, mostly. There's one bed (hard as a rock) and several cots. a Nice table with benches. What is obviously lacking are hooks in the ceiling - just not a lot of options for hanging lanterns. This is also the first lookout I was tasked with removing the window boards myself. It seems ridiculous to just not remove them and store them on the 1st flight deck until the start of winter. There are some electric lanterns, but the batteries are dead, so bring C and D cells if you want. Some cooking utensils and pans/pots are available, but unless you bring your own portable propane bottles for the stove you'll need another source of cooking heat. There was also plenty of stacked firewood at the base of the tower. I was disappointed to see that the Osborne fire finder is not entirely intact. It has been crudely modified which pretty much renders it useless. Anyway, the lookout is in great shape and is pretty well-taken care of based on others I've seen. I was not disappointed given the ample space inside. Overall, it made for a very decent stay. If you bring dogs keep in mind they may not like the steep open stairs (second flight).