We hiked up to Blood Mountain from the Byron Reese Trailhead. We didn't stay in the shelter and instead set up our tent near an overlook nearby. Perfect place for sunrise and sunset. It was a little buggy until the wind picked up -- it definitely cooled down at night even in the summer due to the wind so make sure you set up in a spot with a windbreak or bring layers!

We were past bear canister season so we hung our food nearby and had no issues.

We saw tons of lightning throughout the night over nearby towns but nothing hit us and we had no rain.

We are beginner backpackers and had a great time -- definitely recommend this for a quick one night trip if you're new to backpacking! The payoff of hiking uphill for ~2 miles is worth it, we loved the views.