Type: 41′ L-4 tower Status: Staffed in summer Elevation: 4.385 feet Visited: August 13, 2016 There are several lookouts in Oregon I know I will never get to see because they are not publicly accessible. Hickman Butte was on that…
Table Rock Lookout Saved From Rail Fire
Yesterday the Baker City Herald reported that the Table Rock Lookout was saved from being burned in the Rail Fire. On their Facebook page, the Malheur National Forest had this to say about it: Rail Fire Update (Monday, August…
Black Butte
Type: D-6 cupola (1923) and 35′ tower (1995) Status: Cupola is abandoned; Tower is staffed Elevation: 6,436 feet Visited: July 16, 2016 After attending the Sand Mountain anniversary celebration at the Fish Lake Historic Site, I decided to go for a…
Return to Gold Butte
Type: L-4 ground cabin Status: Summer rental Elevation: 4,618 feet Visited: July 5-7, 2016 Greg and I first stayed at Gold Butte almost three years ago, in September 2013. The weather was bad and we had almost no views, so…
Flag Point No Longer a Rental
Due to a combination of vandalism and careless renters, the Forest Service is removing Flag Point Lookout from the rental program. Flag Point is one of only three staffed lookouts in the Mt. Hood National Forest. I’ve been there twice…
Bone Point
Type: 30′ steel tower Status: Abandoned Elevation: 4,527 feet Visited: June 12, 2016 The FFLA Conference ended on Saturday, and on Sunday I began the long drive back to Portland. I decided to head home via Highway 395, which turned out…
Aldrich Mountain
Type: Three-story enclosed tower Status: Staffed Elevation: 6,998 feet Visited: June 11, 2016 On the second day of the FFLA conference we visited one lookout in the afternoon. Aldrich Mountain is southeast of the little town of Dayville. The drive up…
Black Butte
Type: 20′ L-4 tower Status: Abandoned Elevation: 6,235 feet Visited: June 10, 2016 After visiting Ritter Butte the FFLA group caravaned up to Black Butte. From Highway 395 we drove county road 88 to Road 3955 then up to Road 3956…
Ritter Butte
Type: Three-story enclosed tower Status: Staffed Elevation: 4,200 feet Visited: June 10, 2016 I attended the FFLA Western Conference in John Day this past weekend (more details here). Friday afternoon we visited two lookouts off of Highway 395. The first was…
FFLA Western Conference
Every year the Forest Fire Lookout Association holds a western conference. The last time the conference was held in Oregon was in September 2011, when I hadn’t yet become aware of the FFLA and what they do. This year the conference…