Warner Mountain Lookout

Hello hikers and rangers – some critical info here:

The final 342 spur on the left is marked with a large state park sign which may be covered by snow at some points in the season but is otherwise obvious. The distance of the final spur to the actual shelter is not noted in these directions, which is a dangerous oversight.

My family arrived at the spur during high winds and low visibility. In the snow, there is no clearly marked final route to the lookout. The “orange poles identify the final route” was not the case. The lookout, also, does not seem to have a light, reflective tape, or anything else to make it easily visible in the dark, or during a storm. You will not see it towering over the treeline. It does not, as you may wish, function like a lighthouse. It is made of wood, bookended by pines, and in low visibility becomes essentially invisible. There is nothing worse than making a 6+ mile trek in the snow uphill with otherwise good directions to be searching for a spur road which – once finally located – is unmarked and of indeterminate length.

Rangers and caretakers – you have a beautiful location here, and it is well-cared for and loved. It is the case that my family nearly thought we had to
snow-camp after 9 hours of grueling hiking because the final leg felt like an unmarked free-for-all of indeterminate length. The meadow could go in any number of directions. Once could easily make an error and branch off the wrong direction and never locate the shelter.

Please consider darkness, snow, white-out conditions, fatigue, and fog when signposting this last critical leg. If it were not for the small blue light at the base of the solar panel, we never would’ve found it.

Other than that – and as others have noted – this is a beautiful but grueling uphill hike. We went during the first week of May, and encountered the conditions described above. Final 2.0 miles may be tough on morale. Once you arrive, all is worth it!

I love Warner mountain but be aware that forest service won’t remove downed trees on the road in winter even where snow is gone. Not a huge deal except there is no option for a refund if you only booked one night. I spent many hours removing downed trees and ran out of daylight. I would hope the high fees for this lookout would also go toward this type of maintenance as well as better updates when you call the ranger station. I stay at a lot of lookouts and I think this one is top notch but road maintenance is not. I’ll still book any chance I get but understand you are gambling your money more here than some others.

This is a great lookout and perfect location! We stayed early winter and there was just a bit of old snow on the ground. We were able to drive right up to the gate. Beware you can't drive all the way to the LO, the gate is locked and it's a roughly 1/3 mile walk from there. We personally don't understand why renters who are paying can't drive right up to it when the road actually winds around the other side directly below it and people park there in the road and walk right up daily. One other major issue we had here was the tower does not lock and the hatch is locked OPEN. This is ridiculous for those paying to rent a space but have no way to lock their belongings inside to keep them safe. We never felt like we could leave the LO without packing up all of our gear and taking it with us. We had a number of visitors walk right up to the lookout and some right up to the deck and were startled that we were there. They had planned to walk right in assuming it was open to anyone. We, however, really enjoyed the views and the amenities inside. The carpet was a nice change of pace! The little propane heater barely kept us warm and it wasn't even winter yet. We decided we would never rent this again unless it was early or late season, as we don't see it being warm enough after a long trek in the snow.

Perfect winter getaway!

Very well maintained lookout cabin, no signs of rodents. Propane stove takes a long time to warm up the cabin, could really use a convection heat fan to sit on top of the stove to move the warm air around. Previous occupants appear to have used a cast iron skillet (that apparently lives at Warner) and did not clean it; it was absolutely disgusting. Really appreciate having a table and chairs in the cabin! We were likely the last occupants to be able to drive up to the gate this season, drove the "wrong" way but still made it! Short 1/4 mile walk in was a treat :)

With not much snowshoe experience, this was incredibly challenging, but I was quickly hooked to the activity upon being rewarded with the incredible views and honor of being a steward of the historic lookout tower and surrounding forest. We came well-prepared and touched base with the nearby ranger station ahead of time.

Spotted several sets of bear and wolf tracks but had no trouble making our way.

Definitely not for the faint of heart, but well worth a visit up. Beautiful. Beautiful.

We love going to fire lookouts, and let me just say, Warner did not disappoint. It was maintained so well, we were super impressed. We had a propane fireplace to keep us warm and cozy, which was a total lifesaver. It made us feel like we were camping, but with the added bonus of having a little bit of luxury. The snow shoeing in 10 miles (due to recent snow fall) was extremely challenging, but it made getting to the lookout all the more satisfying. Incredible experience!

Such a great experience. Tower is stocked well and has solar powered lights which was not expected. Verizon and ATT cell coverage is good.

We were able to park 2 miles from the LO in my lifted Jeep, which left an easy snow shoe the rest of the way up. The group right before us parked 5.5 miles away, so really just depends on your vehicle and driving capabilities. Bring recovery gear if you’re trying to go up high. I got stuck a few times. Great service here. I was able to stream movies at night and watch them on my portable projector. Super windy at night even when it clears up. Unfortunately didn’t see any wildlife, but woke up to turkey tracks everywhere. All dishes we needed were at the LO. Even a large pot to boiling snow for drinking water. Bathroom was well taken care of and didn’t stink! Great views and totally worth it.