Posing next to the structure that was once part of a lookout tower, abandoned in the mid-1950s and destroyed in 1968. I hadn’t realized that there was once a lookout tower on top until I did some research afterward the trip.
The dogs and I had attempted the trip from the east last year but we ran out of daylight. The road was incredibly boring and it seemed to go on forever before we started gaining elevation. This time we approached form the south since there wasn’t enough snow yet to keep us from getting to the parking area.
The weather was dreary all day and we saw a total of three hikers on the way up. Two didn’t make it to the top and one we saw just before the final approach. Once we left the service road and got on the trail, there was a lot more snow but we were still able to walk comfortably without postholing. By that point we were only a couple hundred feet below the summit, so the snowshoes I brought never saw any snow.
It wasn’t terribly windy on top but I did hide behind some trees to change out my shirts. Low visibility all around, so yes, no grand view of Mount Stuart ether.