Fivemile Butte Lookout

The lookout is in great shape thanks to restoration efforts that wrapped up in 2021. The new floors are especially great! Don't forget to bring toilet paper with you just in case. We brought a roll for ourselves and good thing because there wasn't any up there.

The lookout is in great shape thanks to restoration efforts that wrapped up in 2021. The new floors are especially great! Don't forget to bring toilet paper with you just in case. We brought a roll for ourselves and good thing because there wasn't any up there.

The lookout was in great shape and exactly as described in the recreation.gov listing.
The oven and wood stove worked well, and we had a wonderful stay!

The lookout was in great shape and exactly as described in the recreation.gov listing.
The oven and wood stove worked well, and we had a wonderful stay!

You may find these driving directions (from Dufur) helpful: when you leave Dufur, the road will "Y" after 5 miles. Stay to the right. At approximately 16.4 miles, you will see the Billy Bob Sno Park on your left. The road to the cabin (4430) is directly across from this on your right. Then, in 0.6 miles, you will turn left on 120. After another 2.1 miles, turn left on 122. This last turn puts you on the long "driveway" to the cabin.
There were a couple of frying pans, 2 plates and 2 cups but we recommend bringing a pot and eating/cooking utensils. We assumed these would be up there but we were wrong. There were a few sheets of newspaper for starting the wood burning stove but I don't know if that will be re-stocked by the Forest Service so you may want to bring some paper of your own. Speaking of paper, it wouldn't be a bad idea to bring your own roll of TP. The solar lights were not working at the time of our visit but there were two bright lanterns that each took 4 D-cell batteries. I recommend bringing a couple of candles if you want a romantic touch but make sure they are safely housed so as not to be a fire hazard. We bought a tub for doing dishes in and left it up there.
Our stay in the cabin was wonderful. We had clear mornings with views of 3 peaks (Hood, Adams and even a peak at Rainier). One night was extremely stormy but we were warm and secure in the sturdy tower.
I had a strong enough signal (Verizon) to set up a hot spot and (reluctantly) participate in a meeting for work that I couldn't reschedule.
We would love to stay here again.

You may find these driving directions (from Dufur) helpful: when you leave Dufur, the road will "Y" after 5 miles. Stay to the right. At approximately 16.4 miles, you will see the Billy Bob Sno Park on your left. The road to the cabin (4430) is directly across from this on your right. Then, in 0.6 miles, you will turn left on 120. After another 2.1 miles, turn left on 122. This last turn puts you on the long "driveway" to the cabin.
There were a couple of frying pans, 2 plates and 2 cups but we recommend bringing a pot and eating/cooking utensils. We assumed these would be up there but we were wrong. There were a few sheets of newspaper for starting the wood burning stove but I don't know if that will be re-stocked by the Forest Service so you may want to bring some paper of your own. Speaking of paper, it wouldn't be a bad idea to bring your own roll of TP. The solar lights were not working at the time of our visit but there were two bright lanterns that each took 4 D-cell batteries. I recommend bringing a couple of candles if you want a romantic touch but make sure they are safely housed so as not to be a fire hazard. We bought a tub for doing dishes in and left it up there.
Our stay in the cabin was wonderful. We had clear mornings with views of 3 peaks (Hood, Adams and even a peak at Rainier). One night was extremely stormy but we were warm and secure in the sturdy tower.
I had a strong enough signal (Verizon) to set up a hot spot and (reluctantly) participate in a meeting for work that I couldn't reschedule.
We would love to stay here again.

One of the coolest family adventures we have done to date!

One of the coolest family adventures we have done to date!

Wow! Josh (a volunteer, I think) did such a phenomenal job restoring a lot of the wood work on the interior of the cabin. It is stunning. There's also a new box springs and mattress! The lookout has a fantastic view of Mt. Hood (we didn't see Adams or Ranier due to clouds to the north) and was very comfortable. Everything was working well (minus the lights - but there were two lanterns) and there was plenty of wood for the stove. This is one of my favorite lookouts. Highly recommend.

Wow! Josh (a volunteer, I think) did such a phenomenal job restoring a lot of the wood work on the interior of the cabin. It is stunning. There's also a new box springs and mattress! The lookout has a fantastic view of Mt. Hood (we didn't see Adams or Ranier due to clouds to the north) and was very comfortable. Everything was working well (minus the lights - but there were two lanterns) and there was plenty of wood for the stove. This is one of my favorite lookouts. Highly recommend.