We were staying overnight in the rental of Tyee Lookout, but instead of testing the high clearance of my vehicle, we decided to pack in from Billy Ridge.  I had completed Billy Ridge as a day hike a couple of years ago, though without a full pack, and my wife had not been yet.  So loading up with water, meals, a blanket and a change of clothes, off we went.

The road up to the trail head is terrific.  It is well paved all the way to the turnoff for the Lookout, and then well graded dirt/gravel to the trail head (#1413).  There is a lot of room by the gate for parking.  The trail itself is primarily for bikes/motorbikes, so it is a bit more narrow and deep for my liking, but generally in very good shape except for the amount of dust.  While on the way up, we did hear some bikes up along the ridgeline, but did not encounter any on the trail.

We had broken clouds that day, so the hiking was pretty comfortable, and I did not use the entire water bottle I was carrying, as I did last time.  The trail is a mix of woods, burned out areas that have not yet recovered, and some open field switchbacks.  It is a pretty good grade throughout, nothing too strenuous.  At the top, the trail meets the Lookout road, and we met some hikers there that had come up the road for a day hike.

The lookout was great, though I have to admit I was not prepared for how cold it was overnight - there is no heat source like in Steliko. The finder is still present in the middle of the room, and there are four padded beds, framed along the sides of the room.  There were a few supplies - TP, some handy solar powered lamps - but otherwise you are on your own.  We had only one spoon between the two of us, so had to take turns with meals.  There's a nice folding table and chairs, so we played a couple of games, and then took the chairs and we sat outside for a while.

After sunset, a nearly-full supermoon lit up the surrounding ridges, really beautiful.  When it set, lots of stars.

The next morning, we packed it all back up and made our way back down Billy Ridge.  Brilliant blue sky as it started getting warmer, but we were moving a lot faster downhill so it was fine.  

Not a lot of wildlife to report, mostly chipmunks and ground squirrels, but we did have a raven and a hawk, and several nutcrackers hanging around.

We started the hike just below Tyee Mt. on trail 1415 Tyee Ridge. The last part of the road .7 mi from Tyee Ridge (signed) turn off to a junction, then from there to the trailhead, this part of the road is very rough and we got a flat tire.

The trail is in great condition, thanks to the motorbikes with the chain saws.  All the burned trees that had fallen were cleared from the trail.  Thank you! No snow on the trail. 

There are many ups and downs along the ridge and in and out of burned areas.  We went as far as just below Signal Peak, then left the trail for the easy walk up to the summit.  On the way back we visited the lookout.

Amazing views today and not too hot. Only saw one bike on the trail. 

As noted in the description, this hike is easy access to the base of FS5713 but that road is for high-clearance 4WD. We drove about halfway up FS5713 and decided we weren't doing much faster than walking pace, besides it was a nice day, so we switched to feet. Path is obvious, but at about a mile below the top, you get a nice view up the south ridge to the lookout, and at this point we left the road and went up the grassy slope directly to the lookout. This is a more open hike than the road, with lots of flowers and good views over the rocky ridge crest. Then we came down the road.

In Ardenvoir we passed about 100 motorbikes but they were headed elsewhere and we never heard or saw them again. Really nice, scenic, paved road to the Tyee Lookout sign. You can park at the sign or drive up farther on a very rocky road—but doable. Note: if you have the book, Fire Lookouts, by Amber Casali, the directions in the book tell you to go left where there is now a sign for the LO telling you to go right. If you go right, you will be hiking the road to the top. It’s a gradual climb, but a longer route than the Billy Ridge trail. We followed the sign, and parked at the junction beyond the sign and walked the rest. The lookout is in amazing shape. The shutters were open but it was locked. This is the first weekend it’s being used as a rental. There was no one in it when we got there (but met a couple heading up later). The lookout has been painted since the pic was taken in the Fire Lookouts book, has new flooring, new signage at the lookout, and a new privacy screen for the toilet. I would love to stay here! Very windy day and cold at the top. We only ran into 3 other parties all day but everyone was dispersed and we had the LO to ourselves. 

Hiked up to the lookout via Billy Ridge Trail (#1413).

Road Conditions. Tyee Ridge Rd (#5700) was paved up the junction with the spur road that climbs to the lookout (#5713). Not a single pothole, but had to watch out for occasional blowdowns protruding onto the road from either side. Continued another 2.5 miles on Tyee Ridge Rd to the intersection with Billy Ridge Trail; this section of the road was unpaved, but wide, and in great condition. The road continued here past an open gate, to I don't know where.

Trail Conditions. The trail was clear of obstacles, just had to remove some wimpy blowdowns. Despite motorbike use, the tread was very nice, for the most part (some loose rocks, especially near the top). The lookout was shuttered, and the toilet was not yet installed; the lookout can be rented from June 16 to Oct 15. Had cell signal for most of the hike, including at the lookout.

Highlights. Lots of glacier lilies above 6,000 ft, not much else in bloom yet. Large population of chipmunks and ground squirrels.

Snow Conditions. Couple tiny spots of snow here and there, likely gone within a week.

Crowds. Crossed one party with UTVs on the way up, and a pickup truck on the way down, both on the final half-mile road walk section.