Fire Lookouts

highz

highz

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Jul 13, 2008
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Sacramento Mountains, NM
I thought I would start this topic, since I have a love of fire lookouts, and I didn't want to continue hijacking another thread on gps units that drifted into discussing the PLSS which then drifted into the Osborne firefinder.

I'll start the thread with a link to a short blog about last year's season as a lookout.

I am sorry to say that "creeping volunteerism" has taken a paid position and turned it into a volunteer one in my local National Forest district. I understand that is true in other districts as well. Honestly, there may be better places to spend money, since a lot of fires are turned in by citizens with cell phones, and spotter plane recon and satellite imagery also plays a big role. Still, I believe there is a place for the lookout in the tower. A plane or satellite only gives information a few times per day. A human in a tower can catch a fire early and give a good position (not always true when a visitor to the forest tries to describe a location). Plus, we provide a daily eye on fire weather.

I would also love to hear about other people's trips to fire lookouts around the West, US and world, for camping, sightseeing or work - hopefully with pictures! I know Craig333 likes fire lookouts and I'm sure others here do, too.

LuckyDan, I've heard about DragonPlot. I seriously doubt I could convince our district to spring for it under the current budget. We feel lucky to get new Kestrel weather units to replace the old belt weather kits. And, if the budget improves, I'd rather see it go to providing a paid job in the tower for someone.

This upcoming fire season, we're actually looking at staffing two fire lookouts. Of all the lookouts in the Lincoln's Sacramento Ranger District, only two still have working Osborne Firefinders. The rest of the lookouts here are all in various stages of decay. I hope to go to Sacramento Lookout this season. It's more remote (I like that) and I'll use my FWC to camp there, since the lookout's cabin burned in a fire back in the '70's.
 
I'd have loved to work a season in a lookout. I was really saddened to see the remains of the Kettle Rock Lookout just shoved down the mountain. Such a sad way to go..

 
I've camped in the Calpine fire lookout (near Sierraville, CA) and it was a blast. You can reserve it by going to Recreation.gov and querying Calpine Lookout. It has propane gas plumbed inside, an apartment sized stove, propane mounted lanterns and a heater. It doesn't have running water, but it does have a sink that drains to a septic tank. It also has two twin beds, a dining table, and it's stocked with books, board games and even a journal for everyone to write in.

I believe there's another fire lookout you can rent close by, but I can't recall the name off hand. The only thing bad about is that there are NO curtains in a fire lookout, so you'll be up with the roosters every morning as the sun spills in, but the views are incredible.
 
You probably have already been to this site: http://www.firelookout.org/

Many old lookouts are rentals now, or use volunteers. When I was up in the Bitterroot Valley, at least two private lookouts were built by wealthy landowners - and one of the landowners actually would go up during storms and record strikes. While we now use webcams in place of people, I truly believe that having an experienced lookout gave me much more information about fire behavior, movement and weather than any automated system that has been developed to date. Plus I just like 'em. Thanks for the post.
 
Yes, many lookout towers are for rent, generally through the various National Forest recreation/camping/cabins websites and www.recreation.gov, the national reservation site for Federal properties. There are some in western MT and in ID which are very remote.

Foy
 
I've visited many fire lookout sites because they are scenic and they are near geocaches. There are at least 3 "challenge caches" for the states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho. The one for Oregon involves finding (or hiding) 4 qualified caches in each of the 8 regions in the state. There are currently 398 qualifying caches with new ones being added every year. I own 3 caches near LOT sites including the active tower on Black Butte near Sisters.

Most of the locations are historic sites where the tower was removed decades ago. Foundations, anchors and benchmarks are usually all that it left. Some can be driven to but many are in remote areas that require long hikes. There are still a few active towers, some of which can be rented in the off-season. I know one fellow who spends the winter solstice at a tower in the Fremont-Winema NF every year.

Here's a map of many locations with links to a brief description: http://www.firelookout.com/ORmap.html

I have hundreds of photos. View from the Agency Hill LOT (historic) near Klamath Falls on a recent trip. Mt. Shasta in background.
ed93d2d0-4490-44be-9def-4abb77f3c745_l.jpg


One of my favorite lookouts is a 1937 crow's nest on Black Mountain in the Ochoco NF. The 2012 photo shows the deteriorating ladder and an intermediate platform. There's another platform on top of the tree where I am told there are fine views of Big Summit Prairie.
f30c4223-736f-409c-9550-1958d50e3aac_l.jpg
 
highz, what a great topic! Thanks.

Thus far. the Lady & I haven't put it time but the fire guy did ask us if he could use us on one of the reopened lookouts one fire season as subs for the paid seasonal, also a friend of ours. Turned out Dave never needed a break.

Only about a quarter of our lookouts are now staffed during fire season. Converting decommissioned lookouts to public rentals has saved many from destruction, vast majority by vandals (you have no idea what people are capable of, believe me and don't ask), and helped keep the history alive.

Robbs Peak was the first USFS public rental in Region 5. Calpine, that GroovyDad mentions was the second after Robbs showed it would work and received great public support. During my 6 years of service on the California Recreation Resource Advisory Committee, several other rentals were brought on line and I hope this continues.

Our wonderful friends from down south, now retired, completed their training last year and volunteered as lookouts. They sent us their schedule but we were unable to make it down to the Sequoia and visit them on the job. We hope to this year!

They worked at both Delilah Lookout and the famous Bucks Rock.

So next season if you see their ATC camper parked below, be sure and say hello.

As a side note, California Condors have been enjoying Bucks Rock.

Here is a nice youtube video - Sociable Hermits

highz, great volunteering! :)
 
Good topic! I have climbed a few USFS towers in the Midwest- Superior NF (MN), Mark Twain NF (MO), Wayne NF (OH) come to mind. Always a treat to see the view. Windy days were exciting. Most were pretty small and cramped- you had to be on your toes to avoid stepping in the access hole. Would be tough to have a couple of people in there trying to sleep. I suspect they didn't really want people sleeping there anyway, when they're supposed to be watching the forest below. I can imagine staying in a larger one for a bit.
 
I've rented the Calpine lookout and the Black Mountain (Plumas NF) lookout. They're amazingly popular. I hope they fixed the windows on Black Mountain. When I was there you couldn't open them and it got amazingly hot when the sun came out.

There was talk of making the Kettle Rock lookout a rental but I think between the rehabilitation needed and the difficulty in getting there (pretty much need 4wd to access it) they never did. Too bad, I'd have rented it in a heartbeat.
 
Enjoyed the video and links, Ski. Your friends actually had official training? We learned on the job. This year with (hopefully) two more volunteers, we should do some training sessions.

Bigfoot, what a great vista toward Shasta. Here's a pano from Huckleberry LO near Oakridge, OR.
gallery_1623_142_1395437.jpg


And here's a view from the cab of Sacramento LO in the Lincoln NF, where I hope to be stationed this fire season.
SacLOcab.jpg

In my neighborhood, Wofford Lookout has had the cabin and shed renovated for rental, but so far, I haven't heard that it is available to rent. The tower itself is still a mess. At least its Osborne is safe at the District Office.
 
highz, Hume Lake District put on a couple days of training. I expect because Bucks Rock is a high ticket spot they get a number of potential volunteers and required training helps do some weeding. They were told you had to work as a volunteer for a season at other lookouts before you got Buck.

If you want to shed a tear, check out The Needles
 
Unfortunately some of these fire lookout sites aren't very up to date. One still shows Dixie Mountain as being staffed when the last time I was up there they'd removed the stairs. I emailed an update and they guy even knew of Dixie and seemed very concerned but no update. It had a nice scary walk along a cliff to gain access.
 
Back in the 60's, I spent a night in the Kekakabic fire lookout tower (BWCA; then unused, since removed). Windy, cold, creaky, swaying, twisting. Very uncomfortable night.
 
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