It's a super relaxing area. Definitely have to park right before FS 439. That road up there has almost 24 inches of snow. Soo many cars turned around up there. The only draw back of the lookout is that one of the window blinds is completely missing. The string lights didn't really work. Even the lights didn't work. Luckily I brought my USB light. I left my USB light bulb for future guests. So bring a power bank. You have to be super fit to get up there. It's no joke of a snowshoe. But if you train for it, then you will definitely be rewarded. Safe travels friends.

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!

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.