History
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Many of the alpine recreation trails that we enjoy today were originally constructed by the Conservation Construction Corps to lead to sites where they built fire lookouts. At the height of their time in the 1930's there were over 8000 lookouts completed across the United States.
The vast majority of these structures have since been removed or destroyed. Many of them were burned by lightning strikes. It was decided that the cost of preserving these structures would far exceed their historic value. A few have been protected and in many cases these last remaining lookout have been adopted by an outside party or individual who takes the responsibility for repairs and structural safety. A fraction of the remaining lookouts are still used for fire observation during the summer.
 High Rock Lookout |
This list will include the last remaining fire lookouts in Washington State. Those who have visited the peaks which have these structures on their summits understand the extra reward. If you know of a lookout which is not included in this list or if you have a photograph or new mountain page which is not shown below, please send me a private message.
Special thanks to the lookout experts Rex Kamstra (www.firelookout.com), Redwic, Eric Noel, and Steph Abegg (http://sites.google.com/site/stephabegg/) whose research has been very helpful in building this page.
For another list of the remaining WA lookouts, please see Greg Slayden's list on Peakbagger.com.
 Three Fingers Lookout |  Lookout Mountain Lookout |  Cascade Lookouts Map |
Lookout Removal
To help illustrate the rate at which these structures are going away, this section will keep track of the lookouts that have been destroyed since this page was created in 2009.In 2009 the North Mountain lookout has been scheduled to be removed by the Darrington Ranger District.
The Montana based group called Wilderness Watch is responsible for the scheduled removal of Green Mountain lookout and now they are targeting the Three Fingers lookout for destruction as well. Read more about it.
Sometime between 2010 and 2012 the Lone Mountain lookout was destroyed.
The Pine Mountain lookout was mysteriously removed recently some time between 2010 and 2012.
Lakeview Mountain lookout has been reported as collapsed.
Kloshe Nanitch Lookout was removed by by the Forest Service in 2012 after being defaced by vandals. Read more about it.
The List
 | Mount Adams | 12,276 feet | Yakima County | Completed 1920 |
 | Slate Peak | 7440 feet | Okanogan County | Replacement Built 1956 |
 | North Twentymile Peak | 7437 feet | Okanogan County | Replacement Built 1947 |
 | Mebee Pass | 7282 feet | Okanogan/Skagit County | Built 1933 |
 | Mount Bonaparte | 7257 feet | Okanogan County | Built 1914, 1964 |
 | Mount Fremont | 7181 feet | Pierce County | Built 1934 |
 | Goat Peak | 7001 feet | Okanogan County | Replacement Built 1950 |
 | Hidden Lake Peaks | 6890 feet | Skagit County | Built 1931 |
 | Three Fingers | 6870 feet | Snohomish County | Built 1931 |
 | Salmo Mountain | 6828 feet | Pend Oreille County | Replacement Built 1964 |
 | Columbia Mountain | 6782 feet | Ferry County | Built 1914 |
 | Moses Mountain | 6774 feet | County | Replacement Built 1938 |
 | Tyee Mountain | 6654 feet | Chelan County | Built 1950's |
 | Winchester Mountain | 6521 feet | Whatcom County | Built 1935 |
 | Monument 83 Lookout | 6520 feet | Okanogan County | Replacement Built 1953 |
 | Green Mountain | 6500 feet | Snohomish County | Replacement Built 2009 |
 | Sullivan Mountain | 6483 feet | Pend Oreille County | Replacement Built 1960 |
 | Jennies Butte | 6410 feet | Yakima County | Replacement Built 1942 |
 | Oregon Butte | 6387 feet | Columbia County | Built 1931 |
 | Grizzly Mountain | 6381 feet | Ferry County | Built 1941 |
 | Copper Mountain | 6265 feet | Whatcom County | Built 1932 |
 | Table Rock | 6250 feet | Columbia County | Replacement Built 1949 |
 | Nason Ridge (Alpine Lookout) | 6235 feet | Chelan County | Replacement Built 1975 |
 | Miners Ridge | 6208 feet | Snohomish County | Replacement Built 1953 |
 | Buck Mountain | 6135 feet | Okanogan County | Replacement Built 1961 |
 | Sourdough Mountain | 6120 feet | Whatcom County | Built 1933 |
 | Desolation Peak | 6102 feet | Whatcom County | Built 1932 |
 | Tunk Mountain | 6054 feet | Okanogan County | Replacement Built 1966 |
 | South Baldy | 5961 feet | Pend Oreille County | Replacement Built 1960 |
 | Tolmie Peak | 5939 feet | Pierce County | Built 1933 |
 | Thorp Mountain | 5854 feet | Kittitas County | Built 1930 |
 | Shriner Peak | 5834 feet | Pierce County | Built 1932 |
 | Sugarloaf Mountain | 5814 feet | Chelan County | Built 1949 |
| Dodger Point | 5760 feet | Clallam County | Built 1933 |
 | Omak Mountain | 5747 feet | Okanogan County | Replacement Built 1986 |
 | Lookout Mountain | 5699 feet | Skagit County | Replacement Built 1962 |
 | High Rock | 5685 feet | Lewis County | Built 1930 |
 | Jumpoff Lookout | 5670 feet | Yakima County | Replacment Built 1958 |
 | Clearwater Lookout | 5660 feet | Garfield County | Built 1938 |
 | Granite Mountain | 5629 feet | King County | Built 1955 |
 | Evergreen Mountain | 5587 feet | Snohomish County | Built 1935 |
 | Lookout Mountain | 5515 feet | Okanogan County | Replacement Built 1937 |
 | First Butte | 5491 feet | Okanogan County | Built 1938 |
| Gobler's Knob Lookout | 5485 feet | Pierce County | Built 1933 |
 | Timber Mountain | 5474 feet | Pend Oreille County | Replacement Built 1959 |
 | Park Butte | 5440 feet | Whatcom County | Built 1933 |
 | Kelly Butte | 5400 feet | King County | Replacement Built 1950 |
 | Red Top Mountain | 5361 feet | Kittitas County | Built 1928 |
 | Mount Pilchuck | 5324 feet | Snohomish County | Built 1938 |
 | Burley Mountain | 5304 feet | Lewis County | Built 1934 |
| Kalispell Rock | 5276 feet | Pend Oreille County | Built 1927 |
 | Sun Top Mountain | 5271 feet | Pierce County | Built 1934 |
 | Aeneas Mountain | 5167 feet | Okanogan County | Built 1980 |
 | Quartz Mountain | 5162 feet | Spokane County | Built 1979 |
 | Funk Mountain | 5121 feet | Okanogan County | Replacement Built 1943 |
 | Signal Peak | 5100 feet | Yakima County | Replacement Built 1964 |
 | Mount Leecher | 5020 feet | Okanogan County | Replacement Built 1956 |
 | Indian Mountain | 5014 feet | Pend Oreille County | Replacement Built 1953 |
 | Big Butte | 5009 feet | Asotin County | Replacement Built 1950 |
| Red Mountain | 4965 feet | Skamania County | Replacement Built 2011 |
 | Puyallup Ridge | 4877 feet | Pierce County | Built 1964 |
| Keller Butte | 4811 feet | Ferry County | Replacement Built 1964 |
| Cody Butte | 4764 feet | Ferry County | Built 1931 |
 | Whitestone Ridge | 4762 feet | Ferry County | Replacment Built 1985 |
 | Gold Mountain | 4686 feet | Ferry County | Replacement Built 1986 |
 | Watch Mountain | 4664 feet | Lewis County | Replacement Built 1963 |
 | Sopelia Lookout | 4589 feet | Klickitat County | Built 1959 |
 | Armstrong Mountain | 4587 feet | Okanogan County | Built 1939 |
 | Flagstaff Mountain | 4255 feet | Stevens County | Replacement Built 1952 |
 | Satus Peak | 4182 feet | Yakima County | Replacement Built 1976 |
 | Johnny George Lookout | 4090 feet | Ferry County | Built 1938 |
 | Tower Mountain | 4000 feet | Stevens County | Built 1975 |
 | Whitmore Mountain | 3949 feet | Okanogan County | Replacement Built 1953 |
 | Spokane Mountain | 3869 feet | Stevens County | Built 1934 |
 | Knowlton Knob | 3852 feet | Okanogan County | Replacement Built 1966 |
 | North Mountain | 3824 feet | Skagit County | Built 1966 |
| Franson Peak | 3786 feet | Ferry County | Replacement Built 1986 |
| Meadow Butte | 3620 feet | Klickitat County | Built 1944 |
 | Wellpinit Mountain | 3413 feet | County | Built 1964 |
 | Lookout Mountain | 3120 feet | Spokane County | Replacment Built 1976 |
 | Steliko Point | 2586 feet | Chelan County | Built 1947 |
 | Mount Constitution | 2407 feet | San Juan County | Built 1930's |
 | Lorena Butte | 2291 feet | Klickitat County | Replacement Built 1974 |
 | Heybrook Ridge | 1701 feet | Snohomish County | Replacement Built 1964 |
 | Goodman Hill | 480 feet | Pierce County | Built 1955 |
Additions and Corrections
[ Post an Addition or Correction ]
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| Redwic | Wellpinit? | |
Voted 10/10 | Which county is Wellpinit Lookout located in? You currently only list it as "County". Also... no photo for Alpine Lookout? | |
| Posted Jun 6, 2011 10:26 am | ||
| Redwic | Need to add Pyramid Mountain... | |
Voted 10/10 | The Pyramid Mountain lookout is not shown on your list, but is shown on Steph's map. The building still exists and is shown on other existing fire lookout lists and maps, so perhaps it should be included here, too. The funny thing is... the Pyramid Mountain lookout building was originally constructed to help spot enemy aircraft during WWII, not wildfires. It is not a true "fire" lookout, but is a lookout building, all the same. | |
| Posted May 6, 2013 1:26 pm | ||
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