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Fire lookout · San Diego County, California

Boucher Hill Lookout

A 1948 CDF 809R enclosed tower on Boucher Hill in Palomar Mountain State Park, abandoned in 1983, restored 2011-12 and staffed by FFLA volunteers since 2012.

Visit & stay

Not rentable. As far as we know, this lookout cannot be booked for overnight stays.

Access

Open to the public. Open to the public as staff resources permit; typically May 1 to late November; drive-up access

Can you climb it?
Yes
Road to the top?
Yes, you can drive up
Trail
Boucher Trail about 3/4 mile from the Silvercrest parking lot; one-way Boucher Hill loop road; summit observation deck is wheelchair accessible
Staffing
Staffed by volunteers

Facts

Status
Standing
Type
Enclosed towerCDF 809R design: 30-ft enclosed K-brace tower with a 15x15 ft octagonal cab (FFLA gives a 16x16 ft base)The designs: CDF 809R, D-5 (4-AR)
Built of
Wood
Height
30 ft (9.1 m)
Elevation
5,406 ft (1,648 m)
Agency
California Department of Parks and Recreation (Palomar Mountain State Park)
Land
State land
Location
San Diego County, California
Coordinates
33.33450, −116.91890
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 8 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-ca-boucher-hill

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 3.0 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. 1921 BuiltFirst tower on the site; FFLA cites a 1991 CDF lookout survey, Friends of Palomar gives 1921Sources: ffla-sandiego.org, friendsofpalomarsp.org
  2. 1934 Replaced by a new structureReplaced by an enclosed 30 ft wood tower with a 14x14 ft cabSources: nhlr.org, sandiegouniontribune.com, friendsofpalomarsp.org
  3. 1936 EventLookout and site transferred to the California Department of ForestrySource: nhlr.org
  4. 1948 BuiltCurrent CDF 809R tower built and placed in serviceSources: nhlr.org, ffla-sandiego.org, sandiegouniontribune.com
  5. 1948 Replaced by a new structureThe present CDF 809R tower was built and put into service.Source: ffla-sandiego.org
  6. No record between 1948 and 1973
  7. 1973 AlteredAluminum siding and new windows in the lower living quartersSource: nhlr.org
  8. 1983 Last staffedIn service until 1983; abandoned after thatSources: ffla-sandiego.org, sandiegouniontribune.com, sandiegouniontribune.com
  9. No record between 1983 and 2002
  10. 2002 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterRegistered January 15, 2002 as US 394, CA 58Source: nhlr.org
  11. 2007 FireEmber from the Poomacha fire lit the roof; two state park employees put it out with a hoseSource: sandiegouniontribune.com
  12. 2010 EventAgreement reached with California State Parks, which now holds the former Cal Fire lookout, to restore and operate it.Sources: firelookout.org, firelookout.org
  13. 2011 RestoredStructural stabilization and restoration by CAL FIRE and DGS during 2011-12; Cal Fire spent more than $300,000Sources: nhlr.org, sandiegouniontribune.com
  14. 2012 StaffedSan Diego-Riverside FFLA chapter volunteers began staffing the tower; tower reopened in September 2012Sources: ffla-sandiego.org, sandiegouniontribune.com
  15. 2013 RestoredFull refurbishment through the San Diego-Riverside FFLA chapter (Friends of Palomar date)Source: friendsofpalomarsp.org
  16. 2014 StaffedReached 100% fire-season staffing; FFLA reports the same level every year since, with few exceptionsSource: ffla-sandiego.org
  17. 2017 RestoredHistoric weather mast refurbished and put back on the tower; contractors engaged to stop rain leaks in the cab and to seal windows and paint cab and catwalk.Source: firelookout.org
  18. 2019 EventFFLA stabilization grant of $300 to the San Diego Riverside Chapter, plus chapter funds, for emergency repair of water intrusion in the siding and around the windows.Source: firelookout.org
  19. 2023 EventFFLA emergency stabilization grant of $300 in May to the San Diego-Riverside Chapter, plus chapter funds, to repair a rotting door frame and water intrusion damage.Source: firelookout.org
  20. 2023 RestoredMay 2023 (5/21, 5/23): repairs to the weather station sensor mast facilitated; FFLA funds for structural repairsSource: firelookout.org
  21. 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 8 Oct 2026, fact-checked.

Boucher Hill, in Palomar Mountain State Park in San Diego County, has carried a fire lookout since the early 1920s.1,2 The first tower on the site was replaced by an enclosed wooden tower in 1934.1,3 The one standing today was built in 1948 to the CDF 809R design, a 30-foot enclosed tower with an octagonal cab.1,3 In 2011 the Union-Tribune reported that only six towers of that design were built and that only two still existed.4

The tower stayed in service until 1983, when it was abandoned.4,3 In 2007 the Poomacha fire sent an ember onto its roof. Two state park employees grabbed a hose, ran inside, climbed to the top and put the fire out, so the tower came close to burning.4

After 1983 the tower fell into disrepair, and a 2011 newspaper story said it had been decaying for a couple of decades.4 CAL FIRE and DGS completed a structural restoration in 2011 and 2012.1 Cal Fire put more than $300,000 into the work, and ownership of the tower passed from the forestry department to the state park system.4,5 The Forest Fire Lookout Association, Palomar State Park and Cleveland National Forest worked together on the revival, and the tower reopened in September 2012.3 The park's friends group dates the full refurbishment to 2013, a year later.5

Since 2012 the San Diego-Riverside chapter of the Forest Fire Lookout Association has staffed the tower with volunteers, reaching full fire-season coverage in 2014.2 Those volunteers also work as park docents.2 In May 2023 repairs to the weather station sensor mast were facilitated, and association funds went toward structural repairs.6

The tower usually opens May 1, at the start of fire season, and closes in late November.2,5 The sources disagree on the daily hours. The chapter says it is typically staffed seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., while the friends group lists 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. until daylight time ends and 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. after that, so check before you go.2,5 Visitors can drive up the one-way Boucher Hill loop or walk a trail of about three-quarters of a mile, and the tower is open to the public as staff resources permit.5,2

  1. Boucher Hill Lookout, National Historic Lookout Register, http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/ca/boucher-hill-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  2. Boucher Hill Lookout, Forest Fire Lookout Association San Diego-Riverside Chapter, https://www.ffla-sandiego.org/boucher-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  3. Lookout towers once again found useful for spotting fires, Karen Brainard, Ramona Sentinel (San Diego Union-Tribune), https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2012/09/23/lookout-towers-once-again-found-useful-for-spotting-fires/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  4. Palomar Mountain gets a second fire lookout, J. Harry Jones, San Diego Union-Tribune, https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-palomar-mountain-gets-second-fire-lookout-2011jun19-htmlstory.html (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  5. Boucher Hill and Historic Fire Tower, Friends of Palomar Mountain State Park, https://www.friendsofpalomarsp.org/boucher-hill--historic-fire-tower.html (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  6. Year-End Report 2023, Forest Fire Lookout Association California-South Division, https://firelookout.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/cr-cal-south-2023.pdf (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩

Photos

July 29, 2013 photo of restored lookout
July 29, 2013 photo of restored lookout (2013)Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Tower in 1920 and 1934
Tower in 1920 and 1934 (1920)Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Twin Towers 1948
Twin Towers 1948 (1948)Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
1951
1951 (1951)Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Photo of Boucher Hill Lookout
Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Photo from prior to restoration
Photo from prior to restorationPhoto: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
2013 Volunteer Lookout Staff
2013 Volunteer Lookout Staff (2013)Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
1946
1946 (1946)Photo: Barbara Bradford Collection, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
CDF Lookout Operator Robert Bisbee - Mid 1940's
CDF Lookout Operator Robert Bisbee - Mid 1940's (1940)Photo: Barbara Bradford Collection, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Photo of Boucher Hill Lookout
Photo: Barbara Bradford Collection, via 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.

Where sources disagree

We show disagreements between sources instead of quietly picking one. If you know which is right, please tell us.

  • Sources disagree on the year it was built.

    • NHLR: 1948
    • FFLA San Diego-Riverside Chapter: 1921

    Sources give different build years. Often one counts the first lookout on the site and another the structure there now.

Sources

  1. National Historic Lookout Register (NHLR) Gave us: name, location, county, elevation, what it is built of, register numbers, agency, ownership, 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. FFLA San Diego-Riverside Chapter Gave us: design, staffing, dates, links Forest Fire Lookout Association, San Diego-Riverside Chapter (ffla-sandiego.org) · No licence stated; facts only (dates, designs, the kind of work done). Every note is our own wording and every event links to the chapter's page it comes from. Positions are copied from the NHLR, FFLOS and FFLA records. · retrieved 8 Oct 2026
  4. 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
  5. OpenStreetMap -- fire lookout structures Gave us: links © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL 1.0. (c) OpenStreetMap contributors. · retrieved 4 Oct 2026
  6. 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
  7. FFLA chapters, affiliates and Friends groups: lookout pages Gave us: register numbers, links FFLA chapters and Friends groups (each link names the group) · Links to the groups' own pages; facts only from the California-South chapter's tower table (register page, operator, condition). No text or photos 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.