[admiral]

Love to navigate and find Fire Lookouts. Some are manned lookouts, some not, and sometimes I can't get close enough to be sure what I'm looking at! Here are some lookouts, views, and some other things along the way. Lookout information provided by local signs and Rex's Fire Lookout Page.



Typical way I transported the mule, and solo camping.

Hawley Mt. Lookout, on Hawley Mt. Rd. N.E. of Horseshoe Bend, Idaho. Actually, closer to Garden Valley as the crow flies.

Elevation 7301ft. Unmanned, built in 1935, now used as communications/weather point.

No need to find a tree at Hawley Mt.

Pilot Peak L.O. Elevation 8128ft. Unmanned, built 1932, now used as a NASA UFO Tracking Site. (Just kidding, communications/weather point.

Can't see it, but Sunset L.O. is on the ridge in the distance.

 

[admiral]

Lookouts con't



Miners cabin off Forest Service rd. between Pilot Peak L.O. and Wilson Peak.

Sunset Mt. L.O. Elevation 7869ft. Manned, built in 1930, rebuilt 1958. Manned by a woman lookout who share fresh cherries with me. North of Idaho City.

View from L.O.

Pilot Peak L.O. on distant ridge. Can't see it though.

Jackson Peak L.O. East of Lowman, Idaho. Elevation 8124ft. Manned, built in 1927, rebuilt 1981. When I arrived lookout guy was reading a newspaper in his robe. I didn't stay, thus the long range pictures.

Upper rd in photo is from ridge to lookout, lower rd is from ridge jct. to spring (water supply for lookout).

Silver Creek L.O. North of Garden Valley/Crouch, Idaho. Manned. Lookout seemed unfriendly so we turned around quickly and took this photo at a distance.

Tripod L.O. North of Sage Hen Reservoir, S.W. of Cascade, Idaho. Unknown if it is manned. Can't ride all the way to it, have to hike to it and I wasn't up to the trek cause I was still recovering

from a knee injury.

Blue Lake below Tripod L.O. Photo taken from Snowbank rd. Trail from rd leads to lake, but again...knee!

 

[admiral]

Lookout con't



Further up snowbank rd. Thought this was a lookout site, but ended up being a FAA Flight Radar thingy!

Saw this to the right of the FAA Radar Thingy. Thought it might have been an old lookout. Didn't hike/ride to it cause of the...you know...knee. Looks like a

communication/weather point now. I'll go back here someday to find out for sure.

Thorn Creek Butte L.O. S.S.E of Idaho City, Idaho. Manned during this visit. Have been there before (no photo's) when it was unmanned as well. Built in 1933.

Sheephorn Mt. L.O. between Challis and Salmon, Idaho. Built in 1933, rebuilt in 1965. Unmanned and is now a Forest Service Rental. We plan to stay here one day.

 

[admiral]

Lookout con't final.



Here are a couple of lookouts we visited while traveling the historic Magruder Road between Elk City, Id and Darby Montana.



Green Mt. L.O. 4 miles off Magruder rd. Unmanned, used for emergency. Built in 1930, rebuild 1954 and is on National Historic Lookout Register.

Burnt Knob L.O. Elevation 8196ft. Unmanned. Built in 1922, rebuilt in 1930, restored in late 1980's. 1.5 mile off Magruder rd. and is on National Historic Lookout Register. It was on a very, very rought rd. Has some trails nearby and a couple nice lakes below. Pretty cold on this day, we wore jackets. Lots of forest fire damage in the area and throughout the Magruder rd. corridor.

Hope you enjoy the photo's.

 

[Rohnsman]

Looks like you've found some great places to ride! Perhaps we can meet up one day and go riding. Drop me an e-mail if you like - I live in Meridian, so getting together for some riding might be practical if you'd like - Rick



[email protected]

 

[Petrus]

Hi Admiral,



Its always a pleasure to read your posts and to look at your pictures.



Thank you

Petrus

 

[cptrout]

Very nice, Admiral. Fun looking at your photos.

 

[busyweb]

Thanks for the sharing the ride.

It's a very good idea of riding-theme....

This gave me some other idea of my riding, but not sure yet what !!! ^^;

 

[Gerry]

Admiral, looks like some great rides. I think I have a few Look-outs around my neighborhood but could not find any of the photos. I think it would be neat if you started a thread on Fire lookout or Relay towers that forum members have rode to. Generally they are high up and off on dirt roads and likely anywhere there are forests. Think it might give me a bit of a kick in the pants to get on the bike and look for a tower. Enjoyed your adventure (s). Gerry

Did Colby Mt. lookout 8/22 just for you. I'll do some research on this tower. It is 8 miles from Butte Meadows and likely 30 miles from Mt. Lassen in the Lassen National forest. Tower is at 6002' and was manned upon my arrival. Seems this Look-out is constructed like the three others that I have come across. That is to say, lots of metal triangles. Will try to post the video of the ride up the hill. Wanting to get this picture helped me get going Sunday morning...... Thanks for the inspiration

 

[admiral]

Gerry,



I can't tell you how much I have been inspired by the many photo's from our forum members. Once I found this forum I was amazed at how much was posted in adventures as well as the technical and performance sections. You have inspired me to get the trail tech vapor speedo/tach/temp instrument cluster although this will be a winter purchase. Bigger footpegs and different (higher) handle bars or risers are also on my list, of which I learned from this forum.



I don't know why I was drawn to lookouts. They gave me a destination when riding and are kind of a history thing I guess. Your photo of Colby Mt. L.O. is pretty cool. Like the one you visited which was manned, I find that many are not, and some are even dismantled or destroyed. I feel I'm intruding when I find a manned lookout, but most of the time I am invidted for a chat with the lookout which gives me even more history. One thing I found out was not all lookouts are forest service or BLM lookouts. Some are state owned (maybe taken over from the F.S. or BLM) and some are local fire protection district lookouts. Usually I can't tell the difference.



If I were to start a thread on lookouts/relay towers and such, what is your advise on how to set it up, meaning Adventure thread or Off-Topic?



Kris

 

[ATXthumper]

this thread makes me think of my favourite author, edward abbey...