These are the 10 hardest-to-book fire towers in the country
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COMING SOON
JULY 2022
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Location: Seeley Lake, Montana
Days of the year open: 16
Max days you can book: 1
Days of the year booked: 16
A closer look: The Double Arrow Lookout offers gorgeous views of the Seeley Swan Valley and Swan Mountains from high above the hillside. With electric lights, heat, a cook stove and a small refrigerator, Double Arrow is all about that home-away-from-home feeling.
Seeley Lake and its lovely scenery is about two miles away and is a hot spot for boating, fishing and other water-related recreation. Another option for outdoor adventuring is the Clearwater River Canoe Trail. The trail, only accessible by water, can be completed in a few hours while you take in the stunning environs and local wildlife.
1. Double Arrow Lookout
Booked 100% of the year
Photo provided courtesy of @iiiisabelleeee on Instagram
Location: Leavenworth, Washington
Days of the year open: 44
Max days you can book: 2
Days of the year booked: 44
A closer look: The Old Snoqualmie National Forest has just two lookouts left, and Evergreen is one of them. On the National Register of Historic Places, Evergreen Mountain Lookout is located in the Wild Sky Wilderness and must be accessed via a steep, scenic hike on the Evergreen Lookout Trail.
Part of what makes this site so amazing is the perfect view, on a clear day, of Glacier Peak. Several other peaks, including Mount Rainier, are also visible. A quick but challenging hike will reward history buffs with views of the effects of the Evergreen Mountain Burn of 1967 and its alpine meadows, old forest growth and burn scars.
2. Evergreen Mountain Lookout
Booked 100% of the year
Photo provided courtesy of @whitney_hansen_co on Instagram
Location: Garden Valley, Idaho
Days of the year open: 98
Max days you can book: 3
Days of the year booked: 98
A closer look: At an elevation of about 7,500 feet, this historic Forest Service fire lookout on Deadwood Mountain provides sweeping panoramic views of the woodland terrain. Four nearby trails are accessible, including the Deadwood Ridge Trail which is popular among mountain bikers, hikers and equestrians.
The unimpeded views of the morning sunrise and magnificent, starry skies at night are the optimal bookends to a day at this 90-year-old lookout. An exterior catwalk surrounding the entire cabin is perched above a variety of colorful wildflowers that bloom around the base of the lookout during the summer.
3. Deadwood Lookout Rec Cabin
Booked 100% of the year
Photo provided courtesy of @el.clary on Instagram
Location: Harvard, Idaho
Days of the year open: 101
Max days you can book: 2
Days of the year booked: 101
A closer look: Bald Mountain is one of the tallest peaks of the Hoodoo Mountains situated in Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests. Already a mile above sea level, the lookout sits 50 feet off the ground and offers awe-inspiring views of mountainous terrain and forests of larch, red cedar, hemlock, western white pine, Douglas fir and Engelmann spruce. An exterior catwalk circles the cabin, which can accommodate four people. Basics (table, four chairs, futon, two cots, cooking stove, heater, cookware, dishes, utensils) are provided but there is no water or electricity.
The circa-1956 lookout tower provides expansive views over the St. Maries District to the north and the Palouse to the south, and plays host to sporadic visits from native wildlife such as eagles, bear, moose, elk and deer. The Bald Mountain Lookout is located along the 82-mile White Pine Scenic Byway, which traverses Idaho’s timber country.
4. Bald Mountain Lookout
Booked 100% of the year
Photo from Sunshine S on The Dyrt
Location: Troy, Montana
Days of the year open: 113
Max days you can book: 3
Days of the year booked: 113
A closer look: This lookout situated along the Pacific Northwest National Scenic trail in the Yaak area of the Kootenai National Forest is ideal for adventurers. Services and supplies are minimal, as the highlights of this tower include its exclusivity, lack of internet availability, breathtaking views and abundance of wildlife. The original lookout on Garver Mountain was a one-story log cabin, which still stands on the site.
Built in 1963, the tower is 40 feet tall and equipped with two twin beds, wood stove, table, chairs, shovel, bucket and cleaning gear. Trout fishing — cutthroat, rainbow, brook and bull — and hiking are big draws. Grizzly bears, wolves, elk and deer will be your temporary neighbors.
5. Garver Mountain Lookout
Booked 100% of the year
Photo from Michael I on The Dyrt
Location: McCloud, California
Days of the year open: 153
Max days you can book: 3
Days of the year booked: 153
A closer look: One of Shasta-Trinity National Forest's few remaining historic lookouts, Girard Ridge Lookout provides an unforgettable, off-the-beaten-path travel experience. Constructed in 1931 and restored in 1997, this tower sits 13 feet high and is a three-mile walk from the Pacific Crest Trail. Primitive accommodations (twin beds and a table) accompany panoramic views of the Sacramento River Canyon (Mount Shasta to the north, the gray spires of the Castle Crags to the west and Lassen Peak to the southeast).
The beautiful landscape at Girard Ridge is the main draw but there are numerous options for hiking, hunting and fishing in the area. Castle Crags State Park provides hiking trails and access to the Castle Crags Wilderness and the cool Sacramento River waters offer up swimming and fishing.
6. Girard Ridge Lookout
Booked 100% of the year
Photo provided courtesy of @scottrousseau on Instagram
Location: Dufur, Oregon
Days of the year open: 365
Max days you can book: 3
Days of the year booked: 362
A closer look: Fivemile Butte Lookout is a cabin atop a 40-foot tower and is available for reservation year round. During the winter, this spot is popular among hunters and winter sports enthusiasts and can only be accessed by skiing, snowmobiling or snowshoeing from a parking area at the Billy Bob Sno-Park. In the summer you can drive right up to the lookout. A rope-and-pulley system is available to transport gear and firewood up to and down from the tower.
A standard lookout tower was destroyed by heavy snow in 1942 but this non-typical structure was built on the same site 15 years later. The lookout is surrounded by ponderosa pine, Douglas fir and western hemlock forests and is near Eightmile Creek and Eightmile Trail. There are views of Mount Rainier, Mount Adams and Mount St. Helens and the summit of Mount Hood is only 10 miles to the west. Keep an eye out for local wildlife including golden eagles, wild turkeys and grouses.
7. Fivemile Butte Lookout
Booked 99.2% of the year
Photo provided courtesy of Andrew Sacchini of @sacchini_productions on Instagram
Location: Bakersfield, California
Days of the year open: 230
Max days you can book: 3
Days of the year booked: 228
A closer look: The historic Oak Flat Lookout is nestled in the Greenhorn Mountains in the Sequoia National Forest and Sequoia National Monument. Bright skies and seclusion are the selling points, in addition to birdwatching and stargazing. Once you arrive, you’re a mere 40 steep steps away from panoramic views of the mountains, canyon and Kern River Valley.
The wraparound deck has unobstructed views for miles and miles in all directions. Oak Flat Lookout was built in 1934 and was operational until the 1980s. However, neighboring Breckenridge Lookout is still operational during the summer months. There is no electricity or water, but a thermostat-controlled propane heater and propane range are included.
8. Oak Flat Lookout
Booked 99.1% of the year
Photo provided courtesy of @josanborn3 on Instagram
Location: Buffalo, Wyoming
Days of the year open: 108
Max days you can book: 3
Days of the year booked: 107
A closer look: Sitting nearly 10,000 feet above sea level atop Sheep Mountain in Bighorn National Forest, this circa-1950 lookout promises breathtaking views of the Cloud Peak Wilderness, Powder River Basin and Devils Tower National Monument. Access to the facility may be dependent on snow accumulation. Amenities are limited — a single vault toilet, one set of bunk beds and no running water, indoor plumbing or electricity — but the views are seemingly unlimited from the Bighorn Mountains all the way out to South Dakota's forests.
You may be surprised at the amount of people in the area because it’s a popular destination for ATV riding, mountain biking, hiking, fishing and hunting. Located not too far away is the Crazy Woman Canyon Road, which is a hidden gem and wonderful canyon drive for visitors.
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9. Sheep Mountain Fire Lookout
Booked 99.1% of the year
Photo provided courtesy of @tamaschka on Instagram
Location: Blue River, Oregon
Days of the year open: 103
Max days you can book: 3
Days of the year booked: 102
A closer look: The Indian Ridge Lookout sits above the treeline of the Willamette National Forest next to Cougar Reservoir. The tower is 30 feet high and to this day is still staffed occasionally during emergencies. Accommodations are primitive with two twin beds with foam mattresses, a table and chairs.
Nine significant Cascade peaks from Mount Hood to Diamond Peak can be seen from Indian Ridge. The open ridge is covered with beargrass and huckleberries with several rocky outcroppings covered by wildflowers and mossy vegetation. The Three Sisters Wilderness can be accessed via the French Pete and Erma Bell Lakes trail networks. Cool swimming holes and beaches on the South Fork McKenzie and the North Fork Middle Fork Willamette rivers are just a few of the choices available along the West Cascades Scenic Byway, a paved road that connects the McKenzie and Willamette passes.
10. Indian Ridge Lookout
Booked 99% of the year
