I came across a Reddit post about fire lookouts in r/camping – you know, the buildings the U.S. Forest Service utilize to watch for forest fires.
Color me intrigued.
Turns out, not all of them are still in service, but you can actually rent them out. The idea really pumped me up – nothing seems more peaceful than feeling on top of the world, under a blanket of stars. Also, the rentals are located in the most beautiful National Parks in the country. I’m all for alternative travel (obviously), and I have nothing better to do, so I went through all of them.
If you love being outdoors, and don’t mind an occasional bear encounter, check out my selections of the most appealing fire lookouts for rent (in my opinion). You can access the full list of fire lookouts on firelookout.org.
Arid Peak Lookout
Wallace, Idaho
Arid Peak, located in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest with views of the Bitterroot Mountains. If you love heights, aren’t afraid of bears, and willing to hike 3 miles to access it, the Arid Peak lookout seems to be an outdoor lover’s utopia. I checked out an album of Arid Peak Lookout photos that a Flickr user called Alexandra Taco (love it) shot while she was there, and they are incredible (the one I featured is hers).
Rental Info: Idaho Panhandle National Forests Headquarters, (208) 765-7233, $25/night
Bear Basin Lookout Cabin
Gasquet, California
The Bear Basin Lookout and Cabin caught my attention because of the breathtaking views of the Siskiyou Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. The area is ideal for horseback riding and bird watching, if you’re into that kind of thing. It’s a part of the Six Rivers National Forest, on top of the Bear Basin Butte. The photo above obviously doesn’t reflect modern day, but I still thought it was cool. Here’s a modern one I found on Flickr, a part of an awesome album posted by a traveler in 2008 (ChrisD2006).
Rental Info: The Bear Basin Lookout and Cabin, (707)457-3131, $75/night.
Indian Ridge Lookout
Blue River, Oregon
I’ll be honest, I added the Indian Ridge Lookout because it was the only listing that mentioned berry-picking. Located in the Williamette National Forest, Indian Ridge offers views of Three Sisters and Cascade Crest.
There’s also some incredible photostreams on Flickr that have better pictures of the actual cabin. The Dee Wright Observatory is only a drive away, which the other main appeal of Indian Ridge – the observatory is made entirely of lava stove.
Rental Info: Willamette National Forest Supervisor’s Office, 541.225.6300, $55/night.
Acker Rock Lookout
Tiller, Oregon
The Acker Rock Lookout, a part of the Umpqua National Forest, is still used to detect forest fires. The remote cabin (which seems like one of the nicer ones, just by pictures) has views of the South Umpqua watershed. It takes a steep 0.5-mile hike to get there, but it offers an abundance of hiking trails, opportunities for fishing, and spectacular photo ops.
This one is probably my favorite. Here’s a few albums from Flickr users (all rights reserved on these, so I can’t post the pictures here):
- Erik Martin’s trip to Acker Rock Lookout
- ebroskie1234’s pictures from Acker Rock Lookout
- Musgrove and Yogi’s awesome Acker Rock lookout pictures
Rental Info: Tiller Ranger District, 541-825-3201, $40/night.
Hirz Mountain Lookout
Redding, California
The Hirz Mountain Lookout, in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest in California, sits on top Hirz Mountain at an elevation of 3,540 feet.
::Pause for quick: I wanna go. I really wanna gooooooo!::
Anyway, Hirz Mountain, was held in high esteem by the McCloud River Wintu tribe and has staggering views of Mt. Shasta and Mt. Lassen (the photo I featured literally made me gasp. For more, check out TruckerChris’s photostream on Flickr). The lookout is only accessible with a high clearance vehicle and a 1/4 mile on foot. If you’re not afraid of rattlesnakes and bears, some appealing activities include mountain biking, hunting, and hiking.
Rental Info: Shasta-Trinity National Forest Headquarters, (530) 226-2500, $75/night
Cougar Peak
Thompson Falls, Montana
Cougar Peak Lookout, (within the Lolo National Forest in Montana) is a small space and isn’t lifted, but has amazing views of the Cabinet Mountains and the Coeur d’Alene Mountains. The surrounding area has an impressive amount of wildlife varieties, such as goats, elk, grizzly and black bears, swans, and herons (The usda.gov website seems intent on making sure visitors understand the real possibility of encountering a bear here). There are also a lot of opportunities for hiking, mountain biking and fishing. Rick Landry, a Flickr user that visited Cougar Peak, took really great pictures of the Cougar Peak lookout interior.
Rental Info: Lolo National Forest Supervisor’s Office, 406-329-3750, $30/night
Clear Lake Cabin Lookout
Clackamas County, Oregon
Ready for this, snow bunnies? Clear Lake Cabin Lookout, located on the Clear Lake Butte of Mt. Hood in Oregon is only accessible by snowmobiling, snowshoeing or skiing. Awesome, although the last time I was on skiis, I seriously hurt someone – not intentionally, I was only in third grade, but despite a pair of skiis from Santa one year, I haven’t tried again since.
Anyway, by appearances, Clear Lake looks like the perfect place to curl up and read some Robert Frost. Located near the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, the cabin offers views of Clear Lake, as well as endless snow kissed forests. There’s even a pulley system that enables you to lug supplies up the tower. Another travel blog, Loomis Adventures, actually went and wrote a blog post about snowshoeing to Clear Lake Cabin Lookout. It provides additional photos and obviously, a personal experience.
Rental Info: Cougar Peak Lookout, (406) 826-3821, $30/night.