Return to Soda Mountain

Type: 10′ wooden tower with ODF cab
Status: Not staffed
Elevation: 6,091 feet
Visited: May 28, 2023

On our second day of Memorial Day Weekend hiking we re-visited Soda Mountain, which we first hiked in July 2017. You can read about the hike itself over on my adventure blog.

The summit is still crowded with communications equipment:

Soda Mountain Hike

Soda Mountain Hike

We were lucky enough to have the place all to ourselves. There wasn’t even anyone staffing the lookout. On our 2017 visit this one was still being staffed. But now it is all closed up and has a camera for remote monitoring:

Soda Mountain Hike

Soda Mountain Hike

Soda Mountain Hike

Soda Mountain Hike

This photo from June 2020 shows that the cameras were originally mounted on the structure:


John Sparks

The shutter over the door was not in place so I could see through the window. The interior bore no signs of a lookout that is still being staffed. No bed, no stove, no firefinder:

Soda Mountain Hike

Later I contacted the BLM and they confirmed this lookout is no longer staffed, but said that even though it is BLM land, the lookout was actually operated by the Oregon Department of Forestry. I contacted ODF for more info, but never heard back.

There were a lot of clouds, so the views were only partial. View of Mt. Ashland:

Soda Mountain Hike

Soda Mountain Hike

Mt. Shasta is out there somewhere:

Soda Mountain Hike

There were flowers in bloom up here including balsamroot:

Soda Mountain Hike

And a whole bunch of phlox:

Soda Mountain Hike

Soda Mountain Hike

Soda Mountain Hike

Soda Mountain Hike