The Lookout Book Club
We don’t just hike trails, climb towers, and document history at Idaho Fire Lookouts—we also love a good book. That’s why we teamed up with Luke from The Lookout Podcast to start The Lookout Book Club, a place where like-minded folks—whether active or former fire lookouts, outdoor adventurers, or history buffs—can come together to read and discuss books that celebrate the forests, the lookout lifestyle, wildfire, and the men and women who have lived and worked in the outdoors.
From memoirs of lone fire watchers to gripping accounts of historic wildfires, our reading list is filled with stories that inspire, inform, and connect us to the wild places we love.
Join the Conversation!
If you love fire lookouts, wild places, and the stories of the people who call them home, we’d love for you to join us in reading along. Whether you’ve worked a tower, fought a fire, or just enjoy a good outdoor adventure, there’s something in these books for you.
Follow our Facebook page for meeting times, discussion questions, and updates. Our virtual book club is open to all, and we encourage you to participate in the discussions!
Do you have a favorite book about lookouts, wildfires, or forest life? Drop us a recommendation—we’re always looking for new stories to add to the list!
What We’re Reading in 2025
We have another incredible lineup of books for the year ahead, featuring stories of fire lookouts, smoke jumpers, forest fires, and life in the wild.
- January 2025: The Big Burn – Timothy Egan
- February 2025: Fish Creek – Robert Lodder
- March 2025: Cloud Watcher – Wayne Pease
- April 2025: Above the Ashes – Kevin P. Conley Jr.
- May 2025: Hikes, Flights & Lookout Stories – G. Roger Schoenhals
- June 2025: Granite Mountain – Brendan McDonough
- July 2025: Forged in Fire – Jon Blew
- August 2025: The Nature of Disappearing – Kimi Cunningham Grant
- September 2025: Four-Eleven! : Pulaskis, Planes and Forest Fires – Rich Faletto
- October 2025: Smokejumper – Jason A. Ramos & Julian Smith
- November 2025: Struck: A Season on a Fire Lookout – Nancy Canyon
- December 2025: Desolation Angels – Jack Kerouac
Click the links to learn more about each book!
Books We’ve Read So Far
Since starting our book club, we’ve covered a fantastic range of titles. Here’s what we’ve read so far:
- January 2024: Tarzan The Mountain Man – John Crawford
- February 2024: Lookout: Love, Solitude & Searching for Wildfire in the Boreal Forest – Trina Moyles
- March 2024: Smokechaser – Warren Yahr
- April 2024: Fire Season: Field Notes from a Wilderness Lookout – Philip Connors
- May 2024: The Last Man on Red Mountain – Robert Wall
- June 2024: Young Men and Fire – Norman Maclean
- July 2024: Mountains of Memory – Don Scheese
- August 2024: Ridgerunner – Richard Ripley
- September 2024: One Winter in the Wilderness – Pat Cary Peek
- October 2024: Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World – John Vaillant
- November 2024: The Last Lookout on Dunn Peak – Nancy Sule Hammond
- December 2024: Squaw Peak Diaries – Lewis J. Faber
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