Reviews for this site — 001, Loop: AREA ARID PEAK LOOKOUT

4.3
(46 reviews)

Showing 4 of 46 reviews

Veronica P Verified
Stayed date
Aug 2024

I'm giving this review 3 stars, not so much because of the lookout but because of my experience getting in and out. First, I met in-person with the forest ranger in St Marie, ID day of, to check on the conditions and what route we should take. We were heading on after our stay via I-90 East, so we wanted to enter via Avery, ID, and exit to Wallace, ID. She confirmed that the weather was clear, 0 wildfire risk, and said that we should 'follow the state gravel road through Moon Pass to Wallace'. I then checked with locals in Avery and St. Marie to confirm that the roads were passable for our VW Beetle. Getting to the lookout from Avery was easy. We had to take a bit of detour from the directions online based on the forest ranger's rec, but we had a full paper map with each road pass-ability marked out (so AWD-recommended vs. high-clearance needed etc). There was one part on the way with 4WD-recommended, but being cautious in a normal car worked just as well. Our hike was not strenuous to the lookout, but as we reached the top we noticed louder and louder thunder. Taking note that the smoke around us was only getting denser making it impossible to see if a fire started, we decided to hike out -- though we got to see the lookout before we left, it was great! Then lightening struck around 50 ft from us, and we ran back to the car. After running the 2.5 miles, the storm had passed over us with no impact on the road, so as night fell we decided to go on over the gravel road to Wallace. The way to get to Wallace involved going through Moon Pass, a 4-way dirt intersection. Now, based on the map we could either go straight or right to get to Wallace, with both roads marked as passable for all vehicles and no clear label for 'Moon Pass'. We went straight, as it was less windy. DO NOT DO THIS. It is an old dirt forest service road. It would've been nearly impossible in a high-clearance car; we barely made it after 1.5 hours. ALWAYS DOUBLE CHECK/WALK AHEAD IN THE DARK!

Veronica P Verified
Stayed date
Aug 2024

I'm giving this review 3 stars, not so much because of the lookout but because of my experience getting in and out. First, I met in-person with the forest ranger in St Marie, ID day of, to check on the conditions and what route we should take. We were heading on after our stay via I-90 East, so we wanted to enter via Avery, ID, and exit to Wallace, ID. She confirmed that the weather was clear, 0 wildfire risk, and said that we should 'follow the state gravel road through Moon Pass to Wallace'. I then checked with locals in Avery and St. Marie to confirm that the roads were passable for our VW Beetle. Getting to the lookout from Avery was easy. We had to take a bit of detour from the directions online based on the forest ranger's rec, but we had a full paper map with each road pass-ability marked out (so AWD-recommended vs. high-clearance needed etc). There was one part on the way with 4WD-recommended, but being cautious in a normal car worked just as well. Our hike was not strenuous to the lookout, but as we reached the top we noticed louder and louder thunder. Taking note that the smoke around us was only getting denser making it impossible to see if a fire started, we decided to hike out -- though we got to see the lookout before we left, it was great! Then lightening struck around 50 ft from us, and we ran back to the car. After running the 2.5 miles, the storm had passed over us with no impact on the road, so as night fell we decided to go on over the gravel road to Wallace. The way to get to Wallace involved going through Moon Pass, a 4-way dirt intersection. Now, based on the map we could either go straight or right to get to Wallace, with both roads marked as passable for all vehicles and no clear label for 'Moon Pass'. We went straight, as it was less windy. DO NOT DO THIS. It is an old dirt forest service road. It would've been nearly impossible in a high-clearance car; we barely made it after 1.5 hours. ALWAYS DOUBLE CHECK/WALK AHEAD IN THE DARK!

Sandra L Verified
Stayed date
Jul 2020

Nice scenery and wild flowers. Someone built a very neat stone fire pit and pathways. Lookout is in a isolated area so be sure to have supplies/gas before arriving in Avery.

Sandra L Verified
Stayed date
Jul 2020

Nice scenery and wild flowers. Someone built a very neat stone fire pit and pathways. Lookout is in a isolated area so be sure to have supplies/gas before arriving in Avery.