Room With View

Winter camping

For the first time, the Burley Mountain lookout is being opened for overnight recreation use during winter, the Gifford Pinchot National Forest reports.

The North Cascades lookout is managed by the Randle Ranger District, which warns that the shelter has no amenities.

The lookout is essentially a great windbreak on a peak - a reward for enduring a good workout and possibly some avalanche danger.

There’s no wood stove, lights or water atop 5,310-foot Burley Mountain, about 30 miles southeast of Randle in southern Lewis County. The lookout was built in 1934 and is still used in summer. The outhouse is 75 feet away.

Access to the lookout is by cross-country skis, snowshoes or snowmobiles for about four miles from where you leave your vehicle, depending on the snow level. The road is not plowed.

The 14-by-14 foot wooden building has a pyramidal roof and windows on all sides, but wooden shutters are nailed closed in the winter. Small openings allow light to enter the building, and provide “a limited view,” the Forest Service says. The single room contains one built-in bed with mattress and enough room on the floor for three adults.

The lookout is available for rent through Memorial Day for $20 a night. Info: (360) 497-1100.