FirefinderFire lookouts of the US

Fire lookout · Tulare County, California

Jordan Peak Lookout

Sequoia NF lookout on Jordan Peak: 1934 cabin on a 20-foot steel tower, destroyed by the SQF Complex Fire in 2020, replaced by a new metal tower listed as New 2026.

Visit & stay

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

Access

Open to the public. Original lookout was accessible only by trail and was open to the public per a 2013 page; access to the 2026 replacement is not confirmed in the sources read.

Can you climb it?
Unknown
Road to the top?
No, you have to hike
Trail
Reachable only by trail, per the National Historic Lookout Register (describes the original structure).
Staffing
Staffed by volunteers

Facts

Status
Standing sources disagree
Type
Enclosed towerOriginal 1934 Region 1 cabin with a modified L-4 style cab on a 20-foot steel tower, enclosed with metal siding in 1970; the 2026 replacement is a new metal lookout described as honoring 1936 designsThe design: L-4
Built of
Steel
Built
1934
Height
20 ft (6.1 m)
Elevation
9,038 ft (2,755 m)
Agency
U.S. Forest Service (Sequoia National Forest, Tule River Ranger District)
Land
Federal land
Location
Tulare County, California
Coordinates
36.18150, −118.59700
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 8 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-ca-jordan-peak

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. 1923 EventRegister says a lookout has been on the peak since at least 1923.Source: nhlr.org
  2. 1934 BuiltCurrent (then) structure constructed as a Region 1 cabin on a 20-foot steel tower.Sources: nhlr.org, fire-lookouts.org
  3. No record between 1934 and 1970
  4. 1970 AlteredTower enclosed with metal siding; cab modified.Sources: nhlr.org, fire-lookouts.org
  5. No record between 1970 and 1999
  6. 1999 EventInactive in 1999 and 2000.Source: nhlr.org
  7. 2001 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterReturned to active service in 2001 and registered on the National Historic Lookout Register on June 10, 2001.Source: nhlr.org
  8. 2009 RestoredNew roof finally installed after a three-year delay tied to archaeological clearance rules.Sources: firelookout.org, firelookout.org
  9. 2013 StaffedPage last updated March 1, 2013 reports staffing five days a week, closed Wednesday and Thursday, and open to the public.Source: fire-lookouts.org
  10. 2020 BurnedDestroyed by fire during the SQF Complex Incident, September 14, 2020.Sources: nhlr.org, firetower.org
  11. 2020 Added to the Former Fire Lookout Sites RegisterAdded to the Former Fire Lookout Sites Register on September 15, 2020.Source: firetower.org
  12. 2020 Removed'Removed' field on NHLR detail page: "2020".Source: NHLR register entry
  13. 2026 RebuiltNew metal lookout tower on Jordan Peak, reported by the design-build firm and listed by the FFLA as New 2026.Sources: linkedin.com, firelookout.org
  14. 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.

Jordan Peak rises to roughly 9,000 feet in the Sequoia National Forest in Tulare County, and the register says a lookout has stood there since at least 1923.1 Sources disagree on the elevation, giving 9,038 feet or 9,122 feet.1,2 One lookout history site calls it possibly the oldest lookout site in the forest, and notes signs of an observation post there around 1914.2

The structure that stood until 2020 went up in 1934 as a Region 1 cabin on a 20-foot steel tower.1,2 Its L-4 style cab was modified over the years, and the tower was enclosed with metal siding in 1970.1,2 The lookout went inactive in 1999 and 2000, returned to active service in 2001, and was registered on the national register on June 10 of that year.1 A lookout history page last updated in 2013 reported it staffed five days a week and open to the public.2

The fire came in 2020.1 Jordan Peak was destroyed by fire during the SQF Complex Incident on September 14, 2020.1,3 The site was added to the Former Fire Lookout Sites register on September 15, 2020.3

A new tower now stands.4,5 TETER Architects and Engineers describes a design-build project for new metal lookouts on Jordan Peak and Mule Peak, built to replace wooden towers lost to wildfire.4 The firm's post says the new towers honor "the original 1936 designs," which does not match the 1934 date in the older records.4,1 The Forest Fire Lookout Association's California list marks Jordan Peak as "New 2026."5

Access to the new tower is not confirmed in the sources reviewed. The register says the original was reachable only by trail.1

  1. Jordan Peak Lookout, National Historic Lookout Register, http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/ca/jordan-peak-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  2. Jordan Peak Fire Lookout, fire-lookouts.org, https://www.fire-lookouts.org/cali/jordan_peak/index.htm (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  3. Jordan Peak Lookout Site, Former Fire Lookout Sites Register, http://firetower.org/lookouts/us/ca/jordan-peak-lookout-site/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  4. Standing sentry at more than 9,000 feet on Jordan Peak, TETER Architects and Engineers, LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/posts/teter-architects-and-engineers_standing-sentry-at-more-than-9000-feet-on-activity-7502757693045080064-utct (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  5. California lookouts list, Forest Fire Lookout Association, https://firelookout.org/lookouts/us/ca/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩

Photos

Jordan Peak Lookout
Jordan Peak LookoutPhoto: Buckrock.org, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Photo of Jordan Peak Lookout
Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Destroyed September 14, 2020 - SQF Complex Fire
Destroyed September 14, 2020 - SQF Complex Fire (2020)Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Photo of Jordan Peak Lookout
Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Early lookout cabin - Circa 1920's
Early lookout cabin - Circa 1920's (1920)Photo: Buck Rock Collection, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Circa 1930's - R1 Cabin on 20 foot Steel Tower
Circa 1930's - R1 Cabin on 20 foot Steel Tower (1930)Photo: Buck Rock Collection, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
1996
1996 (1996)Photo: Mark Swift Collection, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Jordan Peak Lookout
Jordan Peak LookoutPhoto: Buckrock.org, via Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Destroyed September 14, 2020 - SQF Complex Fire
Destroyed September 14, 2020 - SQF Complex Fire (2020)Photo: Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Photo of Jordan Peak Lookout
Photo: Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Original Lookout Cabin - Circa 1920's
Original Lookout Cabin - Circa 1920's (1920)Photo: Buck Rock Collection, via Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
R1 Cabin on 20 foot Steel Tower - Circa 1930's
R1 Cabin on 20 foot Steel Tower - Circa 1930's (1930)Photo: Buck Rock Collection, via Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
1996
1996 (1996)Photo: Mark Swift Collection, via Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
2011
2011 (2011)Photo: Ron Kemnow, via Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Jordan Peak Fire Lookout
Jordan Peak Fire LookoutPhoto: fire-lookouts.org (Rich Camp) · Reuse allowed with credit · 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 whether it still stands.

    • FFLA: Standing
    • NHLR: Standing
    • FFLOS: Gone
    • California Fire Lookouts of the Sierra National Forest and Other Areas (fire-lookouts.org): Standing

    NHLR lists lookouts that were standing when registered.

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. Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (FFLOS) Gave us: register numbers, dates, photos, links Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved (American Resources, Inc.); facts extracted only, no prose copied. · retrieved 4 Oct 2026
  3. Forest Fire Lookout Association (FFLA) - US lookout lists Gave us: type, status, register numbers, dates, links Forest Fire Lookout Association (firelookout.org) · No licence stated; facts extracted only, no prose copied. · retrieved 8 Oct 2026
  4. California Fire Lookouts of the Sierra National Forest and Other Areas (fire-lookouts.org) Gave us: design, height, register numbers, staffing, photos, links fire-lookouts.org · Public information per the site's disclaimer, credit requested. Facts + a short description reused under that permission -- see extra.license per record. · retrieved 4 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. 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. 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.