As a fan of history, photography, and the great outdoors, it was only a matter of time before I fell head over heels for fire lookouts. From the moment I set foot in my first one, I was hooked—not just on the towers themselves, but on the stories of the men and women who built, maintained, and lived in them.
These days, most weekends are spent chasing those stories: hiking, backpacking, or bouncing down some forgotten forest road. If there’s a lookout involved, I’m in.
Photo by Mark Moak The lookout community is a network of unique souls. A bunch of people who are perfectly comfortable being alone on a mountaintop for weeks or months at a time, but who light up the minute they’re in a room full of others who get it. People who’ve spent their lives scanning the horizon, and people, like us, who’ve spent ours scanning old maps...
Abandoned in 1969
The lookout is staffed every fire season by the Southern Idaho Timber Protective Association.
Destroyed 1966
Abandoned since the 1950's
During its last few years in service, it was possibly the most remote active lookout in the continental US.
Burnt in Forest Fire 2000
Destroyed in fire 2018
Burnt in the Mustang Complex Fire
The current structure is on emergency status.