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Fire lookout · San Bernardino County, California

Keller Peak Lookout

San Bernardino NF lookout built 1926, destroyed in the September 2024 Line Fire; reports say only the steel framework remains.

Standing: The tower still stands, but its cab is gone (FFLA).

Visit & stay

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

Access

Restricted access

Access is seasonal, gated or needs a permit. Check before you go. no lookout cab to enter; the summit is reached by Keller Peak Road, where a gate can add several miles when closed

Can you climb it?
No
Road to the top?
Yes, you can drive up
Trail
drive-up on Keller Peak Road per Hundred Peaks; the lookout itself was destroyed in 2024
Staffing
Unknown

Facts

Status
Standing sources disagree
Type
Cab on a towerlikely a Region 5 4AR cabin on a 20-foot open steel tower (1926); cab replaced with a Region 5 BC-301 in 1954The designs: D-5 (4-AR), BC-301
Built of
Not recorded
Built
1926
Height
200 ft (61.0 m)
Elevation
7,845 ft (2,391 m)
Agency
U.S. Forest Service
Land
Federal land
Location
San Bernardino County, California
Coordinates
34.19594, −117.04938
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 8 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-ca-keller-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 3.2 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 Builtstation constructed; register describes the original as likely a Region 5 4AR cabin on a 20-foot open steel towerSources: nhlr.org, firetower.org
  2. 1926 EventNovember 1926 newspaper: station expected to be completed before winter snows; trail used to pack in materialsSource: californialookouts.weebly.com
  3. 1929 FireJuly 18, 1929 report: flames crept up the west slope; lookout K.F. Smith forced to abandon his post; the building was burned around but not destroyedSource: californialookouts.weebly.com
  4. No record between 1929 and 1954
  5. 1954 Replaced by a new structureregister says the cab was replaced with a Region 5 BC-301; a June 16, 1954 newspaper says the tower was torn down and a new one set upSources: firetower.org, californialookouts.weebly.com
  6. No record between 1954 and 1985
  7. 1985 StaffedForest Service discontinued the lookout; volunteers took over staffingSource: californialookouts.weebly.com
  8. 1991 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterNational Historic Lookout Register registration date November 15, 1991Source: nhlr.org
  9. No record between 1991 and 2017
  10. 2017 Restored1970s paneling removed to bring back original tongue-and-groove walls; three cracked windows, rotten wood, mattress and flooring replaced.Source: firelookout.org
  11. 2024 BurnedDestroyed by the Line Fire in September.Source: mountainsfoundation.org
  12. 2024 Destroyeddestroyed in the September 2024 Line Fire; only the steel framework reported leftSources: nhlr.org, hundredpeaks.org
  13. 2024 Removed'Removed' field on NHLR detail page: "2024".Source: NHLR register entry
  14. 2026 Added to the Former Fire Lookout Sites RegisterFormer Fire Lookout Sites Register date January 2, 2026Source: firetower.org
  15. 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.

Keller Peak, in the San Bernardino National Forest, rises to about 7,845 feet, and the National Historic Lookout Register calls its lookout the first one registered in California.1 The station went up in 1926.1,2 The register's best guess is that the original was a Region 5 4AR cabin on a 20-foot open steel tower, and it says a Region 5 BC-301 cab replaced the original cab in 1954.1,2

A San Bernardino County newspaper report from November 1926 said the station was expected to be finished before winter snows arrived. The same report said a trail the foresters had spent six weeks completing was being used to pack in building materials.3

In July 1929 the lookout, K. F. Smith, had to leave his post when flames crept up the west slope. Flames surrounded the building, but it survived.3

Newspaper coverage from June 1954 said the old tower had been torn down and a new one was being set up. That account does not match the register's cab-only swap that same year.2,3

By 1985 the Forest Service had discontinued the lookout, and volunteers took over the watch.3

The register listed the site in November 1991, and the Former Fire Lookout Sites Register added its record in January 2026.1,2

Southern California Mountains Foundation volunteers staffed the lookout during fire season and opened it to visitors when someone was on duty.1,4

The lookout's run ended in September 2024, when the Line Fire destroyed it. Hundred Peaks reports only the steel framework is left.1,4 The register says rebuilding discussions are underway, though that statement carries no date. I found no later report on whether a rebuild is funded.1

Keller Peak Road reaches the summit, and Hundred Peaks calls it a drive-up, though a closed gate adds several miles.4 The summit also holds a radio transmitter site.4 The lookout itself is gone, so there is no cab to visit.4

  1. Keller Peak Lookout, National Historic Lookout Register, http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/ca/keller-peak-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  2. Keller Peak Lookout Site, Former Fire Lookout Sites Register, http://firetower.org/lookouts/us/ca/keller-peak-lookout-site/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  3. Keller Peak, California Fire Lookouts, https://californialookouts.weebly.com/keller-peak.html (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  4. Keller Peak (Lookout), Hundred Peaks, https://hundredpeaks.org/peaks/keller-peak-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩

Photos

Keller Peak Lookout - July 2009
Keller Peak Lookout - July 2009 (2009)Photo: Brad Eells, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Photo of Keller Peak Lookout
Photo: Brad Eells, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Photo of Keller Peak Lookout
Photo: Brad Eells, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Fire-Finder and Cabin Interior
Fire-Finder and Cabin InteriorPhoto: Brad Eells, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Photo of Keller Peak Lookout
Photo: Brad Eells, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
August 26, 1925
August 26, 1925 (1925)Photo: San Bernardino County Sun, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
June 3, 1954
June 3, 1954 (1954)Photo: Grizzly - Big Bear, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
July 8, 1954
July 8, 1954 (1954)Photo: Grizzly - Big Bear CA, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Photo of Keller Peak Lookout
Photo: Tania C. Parra, San Bernardino National Forest, via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · 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
    • FFLA chapters, affiliates and Friends groups: lookout pages: Gone
    • Southern California Mountains Foundation: Gone

    NHLR lists lookouts that were standing when registered.

Sources

  1. National Historic Lookout Register (NHLR) Gave us: name, location, county, elevation, 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, 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, links Forest Fire Lookout Association (firelookout.org) · No licence stated; facts extracted only, no prose copied. · retrieved 8 Oct 2026
  4. Southern California Mountains Foundation Gave us: dates, links Southern California Mountains Foundation (mountainsfoundation.org) · No licence stated; facts only (dates, names, what happened). Every note is our own wording and every event links to the foundation's page it comes from. Positions are copied from the NHLR records. · retrieved 8 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. Wikidata -- US fire lookout towers (Q748998 and subclasses) Gave us: photos, links Wikidata · CC0 1.0 (Wikidata). Images keep their own Commons licence/credit. · retrieved 4 Oct 2026
  7. FOREST LOOKOUTS -- western US (Ron Kemnow's weebly sites) Gave us: height, 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. FFLA chapters, affiliates and Friends groups: lookout pages Gave us: register numbers, dates, 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
  9. Firefinder research Gave us: summary, design, 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.