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Fire lookout · Tehama County, California

Post Creek Fireman-Lookout House

Also known as Post Creek Guard Station, Post Creek

A 1934 Civilian Conservation Corps BC-201 fireman-lookout cabin in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, now rented by the Forest Service through Recreation.gov.

Visit & stay

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

Sleeps
Up to 4 people

Overview Post Creek Guard Station was built in 1934 by the Civilian Conservation Corps for use as a wildfire lookout. It is now available for recreational use. This historic guard station is eligible for inclusion to the National Register of Historic Places. Guests can drive to Post Creek Guard Station, though much of the trip is on gravel Forest roads, depending upon which route is chosen. This charming cabin offers beautiful views of the nearby mountains and forest. Some amenities are provided, but guests will have to bring supplies and gear. Post Creek Guard Station offers the chance to relish the peace and quiet in a beautiful, secluded location. Recreation Post Creek Guard Station is an ideal location to relax and enjoy the view. Guests who want to do something a bit more active can find hiking and other recreational activities in the nearby wilderness. On hot days guests can take a dip in the swimming hole at Post Creek, located a quarter mile from the guard station. Facilities This 19x30 cabin accommodates up to four people comfortably and has two rooms. The kitchen is equipped with a table and chairs and is fully stocked with pots, pans, dishes, and utensils. There are two-barrel chairs and a coffee table in the living area. Sleeping accommodations include a queen bed, a twin bed, and a futon bed on which guests can pullout and sleeping bags can be placed on the floor to accommodate a total of six people in the cabin. There is a flushing toilet and water for dishes inside the cabin. A fire pit and picnic table are located outside. The cabin does not have electricity, heat, a stove or refrigerator. Guests should bring their own potable water for drinking, cooking and washing; all linens including sheets, blankets, sleeping bags and/or blankets, and pillows; kitchen linens; and a camp cook stove with fuel. The use of portable stoves using gas, jellied petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel are allowed outside with a valid California Campfire Permit. Natural Features The guard station is located in the Hayfork area of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest on a ridgeline above Beegum Gorge. Beegum Creek, which is just to the north of the cabin, is a major waterway in this area. The Yolla Bolly Mountains in the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness are to the south. Nearby Attractions Guests may wish to explore the many hiking trails and mountain lakes in the nearby Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness or dip in the cold water at Beegum Creek.

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. Rented to the public by reservation through Recreation.gov. It is a cabin, not a tower to climb.

Can you climb it?
Unknown
Road to the top?
Yes, you can drive up
Trail
Remote; much of the drive is on gravel Forest roads with no cell service. Reservations required.
Staffing
Unknown

Facts

Status
Standing
Type
Ground-level cabForest Service Plan BC-201 fireman-lookout cabin, 19x30 ft, two rooms, with a 270-degree bank of windows in the back roomThe design: BC-201
Built of
WoodGoing by its design; no source says so in words.
Built
1934
Height
Unknown
Elevation
4,106 ft (1,252 m)
Agency
US Forest Service - Shasta-Trinity National Forest
Land
Federal land
Location
Tehama County, California
Coordinates
40.23560, −122.92563 sources disagree
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 19 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-ca-post-creek-fireman-lookout-house

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. 1934 BuiltBuilt by the Civilian Conservation Corps as a BC-201 fireman-lookout cabin. Sources disagree on whether it was used as a lookout.Sources: nhlr.org, recreation.gov, californiasbestcamping.com
  2. No record between 1934 and 2019
  3. 2019 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterRegistered October 28, 2019 as US 1363, CA 186Source: nhlr.org
  4. 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.

In 1934 the Civilian Conservation Corps built a cabin on a ridgeline above Beegum Gorge, in the Hayfork area of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest in Tehama County, California.1,2 The National Historic Lookout Register classes it as a Forest Service Plan BC-201 fireman-lookout cabin and calls it the Fireman-Lookout House.1 Its back room, with a 270-degree bank of windows, is the spot where a fire finder could be posted to watch the forest.1,3

Sources disagree about its purpose. The register says BC-201 cabins were rarely used for real lookout duty and more often served as living quarters for people at observation-only towers.1 Recreation.gov and a California camping guide both say it was built to watch for wildfires.2,4

The register listed it on October 28, 2019, as US 1363, CA 186.1 Recreation.gov describes it as eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.2 Today it is open for recreational use.2 The Forest Service rents it through Recreation.gov for $75 a night.3,1

Recreation.gov says it sleeps four comfortably. The Forest Service page and the register give six, and one camping guide's fee line says up to twelve.2,3,1,4

Plumbing is described two ways too. The register mentions an outdoor portable toilet and no running water.1 Recreation.gov and the camping guide describe an indoor flushing toilet and water for dishes.2,4

Getting there means mostly gravel Forest roads, and there is no cell phone service.2 There is no electricity, heat, stove or refrigerator, and guests are told to bring drinking water, bedding and a camp stove with fuel.2 Reservations are required, through Recreation.gov or by phone.3

  1. Post Creek Fireman-Lookout House, National Historic Lookout Register, http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/ca/post-creek-fireman-lookout-house/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  2. Post Creek Guard Station, Recreation.gov, https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/234404 (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  3. Post Creek Guard Station, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, USDA Forest Service, https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/shasta-trinity/recreation/post-creek-guard-station (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  4. Post Creek Lookout, California's Best Camping, https://www.californiasbestcamping.com/cabins_and_lookouts/post_creek_lookout.html (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩

Photos

Post Creek Fireman-Lookout House - 2009
Post Creek Fireman-Lookout House - 2009 (2009)Photo: Ron Kemnow, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Photo of Post Creek Fireman-Lookout House
Photo: www.recreation.gov, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
270 degree view from the lookout room
270 degree view from the lookout roomPhoto: www.campcrawler.com, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source

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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 location by 780 m.

    • NHLR: 40.23560, −122.92563
    • recreation.gov: 40.23333, −122.91694

    The map uses the position from NHLR.

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. 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.