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Fire lookout · Los Angeles County, California

Whitaker Peak Lookout Site

Los Angeles County lookout built 1934 by Angeles NF; 1959 newspaper account says it was evacuated during a fire; 2012 blog says removed; 2022 trip report notes towers on the point.

Gone: The lookout no longer stands. Only the site is left. Register gives the removal date as unknown; a 2012 blog says the lookout was completely removed; a 2022 trip report describes towers on the point

Visit & stay

Gone: site only. The lookout no longer stands, so there is nothing to climb or rent. You may still be able to visit the site.

Access

Open to the public. 2012 and 2022 trip reports describe hikers walking a fire road to the tower point; no official access notice was read

Road to the top?
Unknown
Trail
Walk an unshaded fire road to the lookout point and the point with towers, per a 2022 trip report

Facts

Status
Gone
Type
Cab on a towerCalifornia Region 5 Plan BC-301 cabin on a 10 ft open timber towerThe design: BC-301
Built of
Wood
Built
1934
Height
10 ft (3.0 m)
Elevation
4,126 ft (1,258 m)
Agency
US Forest Service, Angeles National Forest
Land
Federal land
Location
Los Angeles County, California
Coordinates
34.56756, −118.74280
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 9 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-ca-whitaker-peak

View from the cab

What the lookout saw from its 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.

This lookout is gone. The view is reconstructed from its recorded site and its recorded height.

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 BuiltConstructed by the Angeles National ForestSource: firetower.org
  2. No record between 1934 and 1959
  3. 1959 FireThird blaze on Whitaker Peak charred about 100 acres and forced evacuation of the lookout towerSource: californialookouts.weebly.com
  4. 1959 StaffedOfficials said, in an Arizona Republic report of October 19, 1959 quoted on Forest Lookouts, that a lookout at the Whitaker Peak station saw a man set a fireSource: californialookouts.weebly.com
  5. No record between 1959 and 2019
  6. 2019 Added to the Former Fire Lookout Sites RegisterRegistered on the Former Fire Lookout Sites register on November 3, 2019Source: firetower.org
  7. TodayGoneThe lookout no longer stands. Only the site is left. When it came down is not recorded.

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 10 Oct 2026, fact-checked.

The Angeles National Forest built a lookout on Whitaker Peak in 1934.1 The cabin followed California Region 5 Plan BC-301 and sat on a 10-foot tower of open timber.1

In October 1959 officials said, in an Arizona Republic report quoted on a lookout history page, that a lookout at the Whitaker Peak station had seen a man set a fire and drive away.2 A third blaze on Whitaker Peak itself burned about 100 acres and led to the lookout tower being cleared.2

The register gives no removal date for the tower.1 A 2012 hiker's blog found rumors of a lookout at the end of the road, and says the 1988 Whitaker Peak map labels one, but that the lookout has been completely removed.3

A 2022 trip report on Peakery describes a long, unshaded fire-road walk to Whitaker Lookout. The writer then visited the lookout point and a point with towers.4 The report does not say what the towers are, and no source we read describes a lookout structure standing there today.4 Hikers reach the area on foot.3,4 A 2012 post says the writer parked by a gate after following a faded sign along the old Golden State Highway.3 We found no official notice about access, so check Angeles National Forest notices before you go.

  1. Whitaker Peak Lookout Site, Former Fire Lookout Sites, http://firetower.org/lookouts/us/ca/whitaker-peak-lookout-site/ (accessed 2026-10-10). ↩
  2. Whittaker Peak, Forest Lookouts, https://californialookouts.weebly.com/whittaker-peak.html (accessed 2026-10-10). ↩
  3. Whitaker Peak, Valhikes (Blogger), https://valhikes.blogspot.com/2012/11/whitaker-peak.html (accessed 2026-10-10). ↩
  4. Whitaker Peak - California, Peakery, https://peakery.com/whitaker-peak-california/ (accessed 2026-10-10). ↩

Photos

Whittaker Peak Lookout
Whittaker Peak LookoutPhoto: Angeles National Forest, via Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
1940
1940 (1940)Photo: Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Photo of Whitaker Peak Lookout Site
Photo: Angeles National Forest, via Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Photo of Whitaker Peak Lookout Site
Photo: Angeles National Forest, via Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Whittaker Peak Lookout
Whittaker Peak LookoutPhoto: National Archive, via Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.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.

Sources

  1. Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (FFLOS) Gave us: name, location, county, elevation, what it is built of, register numbers, agency, ownership, 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
  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. Firefinder research Gave us: summary, design, height, status, 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.