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Fire lookout · Plumas County, California

Black Mountain Lookout (Plumas NF)

Also known as Black Mountain Lookout

CCC-built 1934/35 R-5 design cab in Plumas NF, NHLR-listed 2007, converted to a Recreation.gov rental cabin in 2011.

Visit & stay

You can rent this lookout for overnight stays through recreation.gov.

Sleeps
Up to 4 people

Overview Black Mountain Lookout is located on the eastern edge of the Beckwourth Ranger District, 10 miles from Highway 395, near Milford, California. The lookout was constructed in 1934 and is a great example of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) architecture. The C-3-type lookout is situated on a single story 10 foot tower and is extremely well-preserved. The lookout tower is normally available for Memorial Day weekend through October, offering guests a unique lodging experience in Plumas National Forest. Recreation Hiking, birding, stargazing and wildlife viewing are popular among guests of the lookout. On a clear night, visitors can gaze upon the expansive sky as it unfolds with a dazzling display of stars. Facilities The one-room lookout cabin is set on a tower, rising 10 feet above the ground. It is furnished with two single beds with mattresses, but can accommodate up to four people. There is also space for tent camping adjacent to the lookout, for up to four visitors. The cabin has a small table and chairs, a refrigerator, a small stove, heater, and lights, all powered with electricity. A picnic table and vault toilet are also on site. Although the lookout provides a few amenities, guests must bring several of their own, including food, cooking utensils, sleeping bags, towels, dish soap and garbage bags. No water is available at this facility, so guests must bring their own water for drinking, cooking and washing. Packing an additional light source is also recommended. Natural Features The Plumas National Forest is defined by its unique land features and pleasant climate. Outdoor enthusiasts are attracted to the many streams and lakes, beautiful deep canyons, rich mountain valleys, meadows and lofty peaks. Guests at Black Mountain Lookout are treated to striking views of Honey Lake to the north, and Last Chance Creek to the south. Diverse vegetation provides a habitat for wildlife including deer, coyotes, bald eagles and osprey. Frenchman Lake is within a 30-minute drive from the lookout. This lake is popular for swimming, water skiing, fishing and camping. Charges & Cancellations reservations may only be modified or cancelled up to three days in advance of arrival date.

Book on recreation.gov

Rental details from recreation.gov, checked 19 Oct 2026. Rules, fees and seasons change, so confirm on the booking page before you go. Data source: ridb.recreation.gov

Access

Open to the public. Rentable cabin via Recreation.gov; dirt road access, high-clearance vehicle recommended, combination lock code from Beckwourth Ranger District

Can you climb it?
Yes
Road to the top?
No, you have to hike
Trail
Dirt road, high-clearance recommended
Staffing
Unknown

Facts

Status
Standing
Type
Enclosed tower14'x14' C3 live-in cab with catwalk, Forest Service R-5 (California region) design, on an 11' enclosed timber towerThe design: C-3
Built of
Wood
Built
1934
Height
11 ft (3.4 m)
Elevation
6,735 ft (2,053 m)
Agency
U.S. Forest Service
Land
Federal land
Location
Plumas County, California
Coordinates
40.11194, −120.32028
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 19 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-ca-black-mountain-plumas-nf

View from the cab

What you see from the cab: every ridge out to about 93 miles, the named peaks in sight, and other fire lookouts within view, worked out from terrain data in your browser.

Downloads about 3.4 MB of terrain data the first time.

Or see what it could see on the map: the ground in its line of sight.

History

Then and now

  1. 1934 BuiltNHLR description says constructed in 1934 by the CCC, though the register's own 'Built' field elsewhere lists 1935Source: nhlr.org
  2. 1935 Built'Built' field on NHLR detail pageSource: NHLR register entry
  3. No record between 1935 and 2007
  4. 2007 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterRegistered as NHLR US 692 on April 23, 2007Source: nhlr.org
  5. 2010 Opened as a rentalNewly opened as a visitor rental by the Forest Service.Source: firelookout.org
  6. 2011 Opened as a rentalGrand opening as a recreational rental on May 26, 2011, at $60/nightSource: nhlr.org
  7. 2011 RestoredRecently restored, with a grand opening in 2011.Source: firelookout.org
  8. TodayStandingIt still stands, as far as our sources know.

Old maps of this spot

USGS topographic maps from the years a lookout stood may show it, often as a small symbol labelled “Lookout”. See the old topo maps around it on the Firefinder map, or find every scanned sheet of this spot on USGS TopoView (click the spot there to list them, with dates and downloads).

Story

Researched 4 Oct 2026, fact-checked.

Black Mountain Lookout stands at 6,735 feet in the Plumas National Forest, in Plumas County, California.1 The Civilian Conservation Corps built it in 1934 (the National Historic Lookout Register also lists 1935 as the tower's "built" year, a common discrepancy between when construction started and when it was finished or commissioned).1 It's a classic 14-by-14-foot C3 live-in cab with a catwalk, following the Forest Service's R-5 design used across the California region, mounted on an 11-foot enclosed timber tower.1

Records available for this tower don't give a clear staffing history, so it isn't known how long Black Mountain was actively staffed as a fire lookout or when regular staffing ended.

The lookout was entered on the National Historic Lookout Register on April 23, 2007, nominated by Daniel Elliott, the district archaeologist, under the sponsorship of the Beckwourth Ranger District.1

Black Mountain's working life as a fire lookout gave way to a second life as a rental cabin. The Forest Service held a grand opening for the lookout as a recreational rental on May 26, 2011, at a nightly fee of $60.1 Today it's booked through Recreation.gov. The cabin has two single beds and can sleep up to four, with a small table and chairs, a refrigerator, a stove, a heater and lights, all running on electricity; there's also room for tent camping next to the tower for up to four more visitors.2 Guests bring their own food, sleeping bags, towels and similar supplies.2 Access is by dirt road, with high-clearance vehicles recommended, and entry to the cabin is by combination lock, with the code available from the Beckwourth Ranger District.2

  1. Black Mountain Lookout (Plumas NF), National Historic Lookout Register, http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/ca/black-mountain-lookout-plumas-nf/ (accessed 2026-10-04). ↩
  2. Black Mountain Lookout, Recreation.gov, https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/233296 (accessed 2026-10-04). ↩

Photos

Photo of Black Mountain Lookout (Plumas NF)
Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Photo of Black Mountain Lookout (Plumas NF)
Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Vault toilet building near lookout
Vault toilet building near lookoutPhoto: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Enjoy a meal outside at the picnic table
Enjoy a meal outside at the picnic tablePhoto: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Table with chairs next to heater
Table with chairs next to heaterPhoto: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Two beds, table with chairs, fire finder stand
Two beds, table with chairs, fire finder standPhoto: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Electric stove, refrigerator and dry sink
Electric stove, refrigerator and dry sinkPhoto: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source

Photos keep their own rights and are shown with credit. Is one of these yours? You can ask for a different credit or for removal.

Sources

  1. National Historic Lookout Register (NHLR) Gave us: name, location, county, elevation, what it is built of, register numbers, agency, dates, photos, links National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved (American Resources, Inc.); facts extracted only, no prose copied. · retrieved 4 Oct 2026
  2. Forest Fire Lookout Association (FFLA) - US lookout lists Gave us: type, status, register numbers, links Forest Fire Lookout Association (firelookout.org) · No licence stated; facts extracted only, no prose copied. · retrieved 8 Oct 2026
  3. Recreation Information Database (recreation.gov) Gave us: ownership, access, rental details, links Data source: ridb.recreation.gov · Public data from the US government · retrieved 19 Oct 2026
  4. Forest Fire Lookout Association: lookout rentals Gave us: rental details, links Forest Fire Lookout Association rentals list (firelookout.org) · No licence stated; facts extracted only (state, name, booking link, manager, closure note), no prose copied. The FFLA says it is not involved in managing any rental program. · retrieved 19 Oct 2026
  5. Forest Fire Lookout Association chapter reports Gave us: dates, links Forest Fire Lookout Association, chapter and restoration-grant reports (firelookout.org) · No licence stated; facts only (dates, names, the kind of work done). Every note is our own wording and every event links to the FFLA report it comes from. Positions are copied from the NHLR, FFLOS and FFLA records. · retrieved 8 Oct 2026
  6. OpenStreetMap -- fire lookout structures Gave us: links © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL 1.0. (c) OpenStreetMap contributors. · retrieved 4 Oct 2026
  7. FOREST LOOKOUTS -- western US (Ron Kemnow's weebly sites) Gave us: links Ron Kemnow's Forest Lookouts sites (westlookouts, californialookouts, idaholookouts, montanalookouts, oregonlookouts and washingtonlookouts .weebly.com) · No licence stated; facts only (county, land manager, status word, coordinates where the page's own map widget gives them, township-range-section, height and design hints, links). The site's own newspaper quotes, citations and narrative are not reproduced. · retrieved 8 Oct 2026
  8. Firefinder research Gave us: summary, design, height, status, agency, access, visiting details, dates, links, fact-check Firefinder research (sources cited in the story footnotes) · Our own research notes; each fact cites its source in the lookout's story

More about this lookout elsewhere

Firefinder takes facts (places, dates, numbers) from these sources and writes its own words. See all sources and licences.