Type: 53′ R-6 tower
Status: Not staffed
Elevation: 5,933′
Visited: August 30, 2026
Road 273 to the lookout is gated, so I parked along Sharps Creek Road and prepared to walk. You can see the lookout from there:
The gate was all shot up and full of bullet holes:
Hiking up the road:
The repeater:
All was quiet at the 53′ tower:
A rusty pair of scissors:
The tower was taken off the rental program in 2015 due to structural issues. Even though it underwent repairs four years ago in 2022, this old sign was still up:
The lookout is not staffed this season. Tiktok user @tbones45 documented his 2024 season staffing this lookout, and that was the last year it was staffed. When he showed up for the 2025 season he was at the lookout for a few days in July but left after he was told that due to DOGE budget cuts his contract was not being renewed (same for Cinnamon Butte and Pig Iron).
I climbed the stairs thinking I would get a view from the stairway, but was very surprised to find the catwalk hatch was unlocked and open:
The lock had been cut open:
The door to the cabin was ajar:
There was a lot of graffiti both inside and out, which was disheartening to see, and a window was missing:
Hopefully the firefinder was removed by the Forest Service last year, and not stolen by the vandals:
Whenever these floorboards were installed it appears they weren’t done correctly:
At least the catwalk seems to be in pretty good shape:
The window shutters are stacked on the catwalk:
This is the biggest glass-footed lightning stool I’ve ever seen:
Someone threw items onto the toilet roof:
Someone put up images above the windows indicating what you can see in that direction:
The views were fabulous on this gorgeous day. Looking northwest at Adams Mountain:
Looking northeast at Mt. Jefferson and the Three Sisters:
Close-up of Mt. Jefferson:
Close-up of the Three Sisters:
Looking east at Diamond Peak:
Close-up of Diamond Peak:
Looking south at Bohemia Mountain:
I caught a glimpse of some mining buildings down below to the north:
While I was up on the catwalk I caught movement below and saw a deer wandering around:
Back down on the ground I found trash littering the area around the base of the tower and in the outhouse:
A parting shot of the lookout taken later from the Musick Guard Station (which has also been vandalized and closed down):
More information
Forest Lookouts
Rex’s Forest Fire Lookout Page
National Historic Lookout Register
Peakbagger
Panorama Photos
History
A cabin was built on Fairview Peak in 1912.
A cupola cab was added to the cabin in 1924, and a road to the summit was built in 1934. The lookout is pictured here in 1937 when panorama photos were taken:
In 1936 a 20′ tower with an L-4 cabin was built.
1940
In 1972 that tower was replaced with a 53′ treated timber tower with an R-6 cabin, and it still stands today.
At some point in the 1990s or early 2000s the lookout became a rental. From what I can, the lookout was available to rent in spring and fall, and was staffed in summer.
In 2015 the lookout was removed from the rental program due to structural issues that made it unsafe for public occupancy.
In August 2022 Your Northwest Forests posted on Facebook:
The Fairview Lookout Tower on the U.S. Forest Service – Umpqua National Forest has received a much-needed facelift thanks to the funding from National Forest Foundation, Filson, U.S. Forest Service. The work just finished up recently and the structure absolutely sparkles!
These kinds of restoration projects requires many skilled hours and lots of funding. Filson and Zero Motorcycles made generous grants to this project and the Forest kicked in the rest. The contract value was $45,500 with the following breakdown:
– Filson: $18,154
– Zero Motorcycles: $16,575
– Umpqua National Forest: $10,771
One of the contingencies for getting the funding from Filson was that the tower would re-open for reservations within the next year. They understand that it’s an active lookout too, so it was okay if the reservation window was short, but we’re thrilled that members of the public will get the chance of a lifetime to stay at the special facility through reservations soon.
National Forest Foundation coordinated the administrative side of things, which added capacity for forest staff to focus on other important projects.
We so appreciate our corporate and non-profit partners who add so much value to enhance the experience for our visiting public to enjoy.
It’s unclear why the lookout was not returned to the rental program in 2023. The nationwide DOGE purge of Forest Service employees in February 2025 certainly didn’t help. I heard that the Umpqua National Forest had 14 recreation staff before that, and after the cuts they only had 2.5 positions left. But what happened before that in 2023 and 2024?
The lookout was last staffed in 2024. The person staffing it showed up for the 2025 season and was told his contract was not being renewed due to the DOGE cuts.
At some point since July 2025 the lookout suffered vandalism including graffiti, a broken window, and the theft of copper wiring. Its fate is uncertain. For some reason the Umpqua National Forest website make it sound as though you can still rent this lookout, and there is even a (broken) link to the recreation.gov page.
Screenshot from Forest Service page, which says it was last updated August 10, 2026