FirefinderFire lookouts of the US

Fire lookout · San Luis Obispo County, California

Hi Mountain Lookout

Also known as HI (High)

Lookout first manned in 1926, cab replaced in 1961, restored in 1996 as a condor field station; the lookout is closed to visitors at present.

Closed

The site is closed to visitors. The lookout, its visitor center and the gate are closed to visitation; the surrounding area is open to visitors when conditions allow

Visit & stay

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

Access

Closed. See the warning at the top of this page.

Can you climb it?
Unknown
Road to the top?
Yes, you can drive up
Trail
Road is maintained but may close in bad weather; a creek crossing may be impassable at times; about 60 minutes from San Luis Obispo
Staffing
Staffed by volunteers (as of 2026-10-08)

Facts

Status
Standing
Type
Two-story buildingSteel CL-100 cab with catwalk and flat roof on a 10-foot concrete block base (1961)The design: CL-100
Built of
SteelGoing by its design; no source says so in words.
Height
Unknown
Elevation
3,129 ft (954 m)
Agency
U.S. Forest Service
Land
Federal land
Location
San Luis Obispo County, California
Coordinates
35.26003, −120.42514
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 8 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-ca-hi-mountain

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. 1926 EventFirst lookout on the site went into service as a Forest Service fire lookout; replaced in 1961Sources: nhlr.org, condorlookout.org
  2. 1930 EventNewsletter dated January 3, 1930 recalls a Christmas Day fire report from the Rinconada, confined to 20 acres on private landSource: californialookouts.weebly.com
  3. 1932 EventJune 1932 notice says a lookout opened the stationSource: californialookouts.weebly.com
  4. No record between 1932 and 1959
  5. 1959 EventWinds of 70 miles an hour blew down the lookout house in January 1959, per a newspaper item; the woman on duty was forced to fleeSource: californialookouts.weebly.com
  6. 1961 BuiltCurrent CL-100 steel cab with catwalk and flat roof on a 10-foot concrete block baseSource: nhlr.org
  7. 1961 Replaced by a new structureOriginal lookout replaced and improved for fire detectionSources: nhlr.org, condorlookout.org
  8. No record between 1961 and 1996
  9. 1996 RestoredMorro Coast Audubon Society and the Forest Service began restoring the lookout as a biological field station and public education centerSource: condorlookout.org
  10. 2003 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterDate registered July 22, 2003Source: nhlr.org
  11. 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.

Hi Mountain Lookout sits on the crest of the Santa Lucia Mountains in San Luis Obispo County, in the Los Padres National Forest.1,2 The register gives its elevation as 3,129 feet, while the project site says 3,198.1,3

The first lookout here began service in 1926.1,2 In 1961 a steel CL-100 cab replaced it; the cab has a catwalk and flat roof and sits on a 10-foot concrete block base.1

Lookouts were staffing the station by the early 1930s.4 A January 1930 newsletter recalls a Christmas Day fire report from the Rinconada that was held to 20 acres on private land.4 A June 1932 notice says a lookout opened the station.4 A January 1959 newspaper item, quoted on another lookout site, describes a woman then in her thirteenth year at the station, and says winds that registered 70 miles an hour blew down the lookout house, forcing her to flee.4

The lookout later fell out of fire use. According to the project history, it fell into disuse, and for some 15 years across the late 1970s and 1980s it was neglected and vandalized.2 Morro Coast Audubon Society volunteers had used it to watch a nesting pair of peregrine falcons, and in 1996 the Audubon society and the Forest Service began restoring it as a biological field station and public education center.2

Today the restored cab has solar lights, a pump, and a propane stove and refrigerator, and volunteers and staff use it in support of "Condor Watch at Hi Mountain."1 The project describes the site as a field research base and remote tracking post for the critically endangered California Condor. It offers seasonal internships and volunteer roles.3

The lookout, its visitor center and the gate are closed to visitors at the moment, though the surrounding area is open when conditions allow.3,5 The road is maintained but can close in bad weather, and a creek crossing may be impassable at times.5 For the latest access and road-closure information, call the Santa Lucia Ranger District at (805) 865-0416.5

  1. Hi Mountain Lookout, National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org), http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/ca/hi-mountain-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  2. Project History, Hi Mountain Lookout (condorlookout.org), https://www.condorlookout.org/project-history (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  3. Hi Mountain Lookout, home page, Hi Mountain Condor Lookout (condorlookout.org), https://www.condorlookout.org/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  4. Hi (High) Mountain, Forest Lookouts California (californialookouts.weebly.com), https://californialookouts.weebly.com/hi-mountain.html (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  5. Current Weather and Road Conditions, Hi Mountain Lookout (condorlookout.org), https://www.condorlookout.org/current-weather-and-road-conditions (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩

Photos

Hi Mountain Lookout - 1970
Hi Mountain Lookout - 1970 (1970)Photo: J. Delaney, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Cabin interior and fire finding alidade
Cabin interior and fire finding alidadePhoto: USFS - Craig R. Carey Collection, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
1926 Built California Region 5 Plan 4AR - 1961 Last Year of Service
1926 Built California Region 5 Plan 4AR - 1961 Last Year of Service (1926)Photo: Hi Mountain Condor Lookout Collection, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Lookout with Aircraft Warning Service Cabin
Lookout with Aircraft Warning Service CabinPhoto: Hi Mountain Condor Lookout Collection, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
CL-100 cabin on a block tower - Built 1961
CL-100 cabin on a block tower - Built 1961 (1961)Photo: Hi Mountain Condor Lookout Collection, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
During recent restoration
During recent restorationPhoto: www.condorlookout.org, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Photo of Hi Mountain Lookout
Photo: www.condorlookout.org, 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: 1961
    • Hi Mountain Lookout Project: 1926

    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. Hi Mountain Lookout Project Gave us: dates, links Hi Mountain Lookout Project (condorlookout.org) · No licence stated; facts only (dates, the kind of work done). Every note is our own wording and the events link to the project's page. The position is copied from the NHLR record. · retrieved 8 Oct 2026
  4. FOREST LOOKOUTS -- western US (Ron Kemnow's weebly sites) 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
  5. 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
  6. Firefinder research Gave us: summary, design, agency, access, staffing, 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.