Android Stats:
Alright. I've pretty much got this turd of a hill figured out. Granted it's the time of year in which I try to tackle it that makes things hard, but getting to the network of a trail system requires a bit of road finding too.
Getting There:There are four ways to approach Lookout (two from the northwest, one from the east and one from the south). Three of these are off of Road 44H so getting
there is first. On HWY 34 heading west out of Loveland, pass a gas station on the right and just around a mile later will be a somewhat hidden right turn at an elementary school (with a small green road sign labeled "Masonville"). This is N County Road 27/Buckhorn Road. Follow this for several miles until it ends at a 'T' intersection in Masonville. Turn left and continue on N CO RD 27/Buckhorn. Continue for several miles and start watching for a left turn with WAY too many signs all over it. There will be Pannock Pass, 44H and Buckhorn Road amongst the throngs of placards. Now you're only 30 minutes away from three separate trailheads!
The first option is Crystal Mountain Road. This road is ablaze in no trespassing and private property signs. No worries, it applies to the stuff on the sides. If you follow this to the high point, a trail heading west puts you about 2 miles of the summit. A bit too short for my tastes.
The second option is the one we opted for this time. After turning left back at the 44H sign, the next turn is a left about 9 miles up. This road is also plastered with the same kind of signage that makes it look private. It's not. This is Forest Road 129/Ballard Rd. From here it's a simple 3 mile drive to the trailhead. It's a large open area with tons of broken glass and a couple of fire rings. The trail heads south from here.
The third option is the long slog from the Buckhorn Ranger Station. After passing Forest Road 129, keep heading up Buckhorn Road and past the ranger station. Just after the cattle guard there is a parking area on the left. This is where the Donner Pass Trail begins and heads towards the trailhead at Ballard Road. From the scarce information available online, this appears to be a 6-7 mile one way trip.
I am not familiar with the Glen Haven/Southern approach. But I will definitely update this when I figure that one out.
Our Hike:Anticipating a Saturday birthday party we set out to wear down the dogs. Due to timing we ended up taking Kosmo too. He's incredible and above all, silent. At first we thought the long route would fit just right. Then the stark reality of what time it was as we headed up 44H set in. We needed a shorter route. Somewhere around 9:45 A.M. we greeted some other fellow trail hunters, geared up and took off south with just the trailhead map to guide us...
Pretty close to a mile in the first junction appears. Someone has lightly etched "Lookout" into the sign to help guide the way. Left and up...
Kosmo was so confused, but it didn't take him long to settle in and hike...
Malamoos...
It didn't take long for Tambi to freeze. We weren't moving fast enough to keep her warm...
The trail is easy to see with snow on the ground. There are so many fallen trees that have been cut for the trail...
At the top of Donner Pass trails go in four directions. Signs are all over and finding the way to Lookout is straightforward...
Somewhere around half a mile from the pass we lost the trail and worked our way up to the ridge on the left. Soon a bunch of rocks appeared in front of us and we scrambled to the top just to see two higher outcroppings in the distance. But the dogs didn't care and the views weren't too bad either...
Cloud blanket over the plains...
Kosmo is cray to observe. He watched my dogs scramble through the rocks before trying it. Then he followed exactly where they went...
At this cairn the trail eluded me once again. Here's a good time to admit I didn't have the map or even download a jpeg to the phone. If I had, I would have known to go left (west) to the true summit. Instead we went right and at the top of the rock pile the west summit looked even across the way. Due to the time crunch for party prep, we couldn't afford the time to get the last high point for good measure. That means once again I have not made the summit of Lookout Mountain. However I do know what's up with getting there...
Kosmo absolutely collapsed in the van. Reports are he was mostly dead to the world for two days...
When we went it was probably the last time Ballard Road could be driven to the trailhead until summer, and the last time snowshoes wouldn't be helpful. The van made it up with no problems. Just take care at the beginning of the road where it looks worse than it really is. After that it's a reasonably smooth dirt road that eventually turns 4WD.
Nice hike. Hopefully I can get the summit shot in here next time.
