Fire Lookouts of Sequoia National Forest

In their heyday during the 1930's there were over 8,000 fire lookouts that dotted mountain tops across the United States with over 600 in California.

Today there are only a few hundred in operation. Once considered a proud symbol of our nation's conservation heritage, fire lookouts are a fading legacy. There are 10 lookouts left on the Sequoia National Forest.

Photographs courtesy of the Buck Rock Foundation. Visit www.buckrock.org

Lookouts No Longer

PIUTE AND COOK PEAK LOOKOUTS

	Piute Lookout (1943 photograph) was built in 1934 and was on the Greenhorn Ranger District.	Cook Peak on the Greenhorn Ranger District was destroyed by fire and dismantled in 1938.

SHERMAN PEAK AND SUNDAY PEAK LOOKOUTS

Sherman Peak on the Cannell Meadow Ranger District.			Clara Mcdonald at the Sunday Peak Lookout, circa 1920.

KERN PEAK LOOKOUT

Kern Peak lookout.

Lookouts Still With Us

BAKER POINT LOOKOUT

	Baker Point was built in 1950 and overlooks the lower reaches of the Kern River and Lake Isabella.	Baker Point today. The elevation of the lookout is 7,754 feet.

BALD MOUNTAIN LOOKOUT

In 1954, mule trains hauled in all the materials used to build the 30 foot tall all steel lookout tower and cabin.		Bald Mountain Lookout, at 9,430 feet elevation is the highest lookout in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains.

BRECKENRIDGE LOOKOUT
	The original Breckenridge lookout was a "crows nest" lookout built in the top of an 87 foot tall tree in 1912. This tree still stands near where the current lookout is situated. In 1931 a wooden tower lookout was built near the tree, but not in the same position as the current lookout structure.	The 1931 tower was replaced in 1942 by the structure that stands today. During World War II Breckenridge Lookout was used by the Aircraft Warning Service to watch for enemy aircraft.

BUCK ROCK LOOKOUT

	Buck Rock Lookout sits perched atop a granite dome and offers a breathtaking view of the Great Western Divide and other spectacular high mountain peaks of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Access to the top is via a series of stair flights (consisting of 172 steps) suspended from the side of the rock.	Buck Rock 1925.

DELILAH LOOKOUT
Delilah today.	Until the current tower was built, access to the top was a ladder that went straight up the side of the tower. The photo shows Ranger Ray Stevens climbing the tower with Lookout Walker Parker.

JORDAN PEAK LOOKOUT
	Jordan Peak has the distinction of quite possibly being the oldest lookout site in Sequoia National Forest. The current lookout was constructed in 1934 and all of the materials were hauled in by pack animals. The 20 foot steel tower originally had open bracing, but in 1970, the tower was enclosed with metal siding.

MULE PEAK LOOKOUT
Mule Peak was constructed in 1936 and it overlooks the Tule River Indian Reservation to the west. All the materials for the construction of the lookout were packed in by horse and mule.	Servicing for the lookout is done either by helicopter or foot. A helispot is located 100 yards south of the tower and the trail from vehicle parking area to the tower is approximately 1.25 miles, with several switchbacks.

NEEDLES LOOKOUT

	Needles Lookout was built in 1937 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The lookout sits on a granite pinnacle. Access to the tower is along stairways and walkways that are suspended from the granite or across granite outcrops. According to Mark Swift, archaeologist who nominated Needles to the National Historic Lookout Register, Needles is "one of the most fantastic lookout locations in California, rivaled by Buck Rock on the North end of the Forest."

OAK FLAT LOOKOUT
	Oak Flat Lookout was constructed in 1934 in the Greenhorn Mountains to provide fire detection views along the Kern River Canyon. Today Oak Flat Lookout is where you can experience camping with a view. The historical lookout, overlooking the scenic Kern River, is open for year-round rental. At an elevation of 4,900 feet, the lookout provides clear skies and solitude for recreational visitors.

TOBIAS LOOKOUT

Tobias Peak was probably first used as a lookout observation point sometime around 1912. When Sunday Peak Lookout was built circa 1921, Tobias became "inactive" as a lookout, until 1935, when the Forest Service decided Tobias was the better location due to its blocking the view from Sunday Peak. Sunday Peak Lookout no longer stands.

The mountain view is still as it was when the tower was built, with the Kaweahs and Whitney standing very tall and the peaceful serenity of the wilderness valleys.

Sequoia National Forest