Took advantage of a break in the weather to do a quick little hike via the lookout trail, connected to the ridge trail, check out the lookout, the peak, and the facilities. There were several trees down, but all of them were step over or duck under. There was no snow and even wet the tread was in decent shape. There is no bathroom at the TH, but there is a box toilet in good shape that is marked just past the lookout.
Road/Parking: Roadside pull in parking right on the highway and there was plenty on a drizzly weekend.
Lookout to Ridge Trail: I have been wanting to connect the two trails and finally gave it a shot. The intersection was a bit obscured, which is good to prevent anyone making a wrong turn on this popular trail. Once I spotted it, the trail was pretty well established and easy to follow, just a bit of a carwash on a damp day. It makes a fairly direct path over to the ridge trail and pretty soon you pop out of the trees in the powder line corridor and you are there. The view is about the same at the peak, which is much easier to find and isn't overgrown.
Lookout: Some rocky trail sections and trees down, but overall not too slick for how wet it was. I did it without poles with decent hiking trail runners. The lookout is in good shape and has been inspected recently. There are a few nail heads sticking out that can snag leashes and things. I was the only one there so I hung out for a little bit to watch the clouds shift.
Peak: Just past the lookout you can take the left fork in the road to go to the peak. It is basically a road up and has a nice little view at the top, similar to the ridge trail but a touch higher up. There was a small tarp shelter and a couple empty tin cans up there today.
Stats: With my exploring I clocked about 2.8 miles, 1000 ft elevation gain/loss, 1.5 hours total, 1.25 moving. I am a fast/moderate paced hiker who hikes weekly and I jogged a little of the way down.
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