Baughman Lookout

Type: 54′ steel tower
Status: Not staffed
Elevation: 2,866′
Visited: April 18, 2026

The Baughman Lookout is located west of Roseburg on Weyerhaeuser land. Some sites call this Baughman Mountain or Baughman Point, but there is no such geographic name here. Two nearby high points have served as lookout sites here and neither of them are called Baughman.

Driving out that way from Roseburg you can see the mountains just popping straight up out of the valley. Fortunately Callahan Road does the climbing for you so you don’t have to hike up that:

Baughman Lookout Hike

Accessing the lookout requires a recreation permit for the Coos Bay – Millicoma district. In case you weren’t aware of that fact, MANY signs along the last stretch of road before the gate will inform you:

Baughman Lookout Hike

Callahan Road is paved to within about a tenth of a mile of the gate. There’s a wide pull-out just before the gate where I parked:

Baughman Lookout Hike

Then I set off down the road:

Baughman Lookout Hike

Interesting rock formation:

Baughman Lookout Hike

This is managed timber land, of course, so there are lots of clearcuts and regrowing trees:

Baughman Lookout Hike

My first sighting of the lookout:

Baughman Lookout Hike

Another sighting of the lookout. So close, but still a bit more road hiking to do:

Baughman Lookout Hike

Baughman Lookout Hike

After 4 miles I reached the junction where I turned off for the lookout:

Baughman Lookout Hike

Then half a mile later I turned onto a short spur up to the lookout:

Baughman Lookout Hike

Baughman Lookout Hike

Baughman Lookout Hike

Baughman Lookout Hike

Baughman Lookout Hike

The stairs are still intact so I climbed part of the way up:

Baughman Lookout Hike

Looking north:

Baughman Lookout Hike

Looking east towards the Cascades:

Baughman Lookout Hike

Looking northeast. Mt. Jefferson at far left. The double snowy peaks at center are North and Middle Sister:

Baughman Lookout Hike

Looking east at snowy Diamond Peak. The mountain in front of it is Scott Mountain, which had a fire lookout that burned in the 2020 wildfires:

Baughman Lookout Hike

Snowy Mt. Bailey, with the pointy tip of Mt. Thielsen just to the left:

Baughman Lookout Hike

I seem to not have taken a photo of Mt. McLoughlin while up there. This shot is from the road on the hike back:

Baughman Lookout Hike

Looking southeast:

Baughman Lookout Hike

Looking west:

Baughman Lookout Hike

Baughman Lookout Hike

Looking northwest:

Baughman Lookout Hike

You’re being watched:

Baughman Lookout Hike

Footings from previous tower that was built in 1953:

Baughman Lookout Hike

Overgrown stone enclosures near the lookout. Maybe someone was trying to grow a garden here once?

Baughman Lookout Hike

Baughman Lookout Hike

Weather station:

Baughman Lookout Hike

The site of the former Lander Lookout is right along the road not far from the gate where I parked. I looked for footings or other signs of it, but found nothing:

Baughman Lookout Hike

I saw a surprising variety of wildflowers along the way. Wild strawberry:

Baughman Lookout Hike

Oregon grape:

Baughman Lookout Hike

Flowering currant:

Baughman Lookout Hike

Fairy slipper:

Baughman Lookout Hike

Baughman Lookout Hike

Monkeyflower:

Baughman Lookout Hike

Baughman Lookout Hike

Baughman Lookout Hike

Baby blue eyes?

Baughman Lookout Hike

Buttercup:

Baughman Lookout Hike

Fawn lilies:

Baughman Lookout Hike

Oregon Iris:

Baughman Lookout Hike

Larkspur:

Baughman Lookout Hike

More information
Forest Lookouts
Rex’s Forest Fire Lookout Page
National Historic Lookout Register
Peakbagger
Panorama Photos

History

In 1925 a lookout tree was established on an unnamed high point west of Camas Valley. (The 1934 panorama photos refer to the spot as Baughman Point, but no such geographic name officially exists.) In 1934 a 10′ tower was built.

In 1953 a new tower was built 1.5 miles east. Its purpose was to cover the area once covered by the nearby Lander Lookout, which had burned in the 1951 Hubbard Creek Fire. (Some sources say “Landers” instead of “Lander.)

Baughman Lookout Hike
1955 topo map

In 1979 the 54′ steel tower from Shivigny Mountain was moved here and new cab constructed on the top.


Ron Kemnow, 2006

Baughman Lookout Hike
1990 topo map showing the former site (marked “Baughman”) and the new site (marked with the “Wolf” benchbark and “lookout tower” label)

The lookout stopped being staffed sometime in the early 2000s.