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Fire lookout · Boundary County, Idaho

Black Mountain Lookout (Boundary County)

Also known as Black Mountain

Boundary County, ID: 1921 cabin and 1935 pole tower; 53-ft tower built 1963 at Faset Peak, moved 1975 to Black Mountain and 2019 half a mile; closed, restoration disputed.

Closed

The site is closed to visitors. Campflare lists it as not available for rental; restoration is needed before it can open to the public through the recreation rental program

The lookout that stood here was moved. Now at Black Mountain Ridge

Moved: The structure was moved. The map shows where it stands now; the timeline says where it came from. Moved about half a mile east-northeast in 2019; stands at the new site. Sources disagree on how much restoration remains.

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?
Unknown
Staffing
Not staffed (as of 1997)

Facts

Status
Moved sources disagree
Type
Cab on a towerCurrent 53-foot open timber tower with a Region 6 flat-top cab; earlier 40-foot pole tower with an L-4 cab (1935) and a 1921 cabin on a short towerThe designs: L-4, R-6, Plan 4-A
Built of
Wood
Built
1921
Height
53 ft (16.2 m)
Elevation
6,096 ft (1,858 m)
Agency
Idaho Department of Lands (administered per NHLR; last staffed 1997); Idaho Panhandle National Forests (Kaniksu) per Campflare
Land
Federal land
Location
Boundary County, Idaho
Coordinates
48.61038, −116.25770 sources disagree
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 9 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-id-black-mountain-boundary-county

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.

The structure was moved. This view is from the position Firefinder shows for this record, at its recorded height.

Downloads about 4.3 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. 1921 BuiltFirst lookout: a cabin on a short open timber tower (original site)Sources: nhlr.org, firelookout.com
  2. 1935 Replaced by a new structureReplaced by a 40-foot pole tower with an L-4 cab (original site)Sources: nhlr.org, idahofirelookouts.com, firelookout.com
  3. No record between 1935 and 1963
  4. 1963 Built53-foot tower with Region 6 flat-top cab built at Faset PeakSources: nhlr.org, firelookout.com
  5. 1975 MovedMoved from Faset Peak to Black Mountain; the Idaho Fire Lookouts timeline gives 1976Sources: nhlr.org, idahofirelookouts.com, firelookout.com
  6. No record between 1975 and 1997
  7. 1997 Last staffedLast staffed by the Idaho Department of LandsSources: idahofirelookouts.com, firelookout.com
  8. No record between 1997 and 2019
  9. 2019 MovedMoved about half a mile east-northeast of the original site, with plans for the recreation rental programSources: nhlr.org, idahofirelookouts.com, firelookout.com
  10. 2020 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterRegistered December 2, 2020 as US 1464, ID 156Source: nhlr.org
  11. 2025 EventWork party July 20 to 22, 2025 for outhouse construction and general maintenanceSource: bchistoricplaces.org
  12. Date unknown MovedThe lookout was moved to Black Mountain Ridge.Source: FFLA
  13. TodayMovedThe structure was moved. The map shows where it stands now; the timeline says where it came from. 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 9 Oct 2026, fact-checked.

Black Mountain's first lookout went up in 1921 as a cabin on a short open timber tower.1,2

In 1935 that was replaced with a 40-foot pole tower and an L-4 cab.1,3 The tower that stands today is 53 feet tall, with a Region 6 flat-top cab. It was built in 1963 at Faset Peak and moved to Black Mountain in 1975.1,2

Most sources give 1975 for that move. The Idaho Fire Lookouts timeline says 1976, though the August newspaper note it quotes describes the move in 1975.1,3,2

The Idaho Department of Lands administered the site and last staffed the lookout in 1997.1,3,2 The register notes vandal damage to the tower legs, which the lookout survived.1 Published staff lists start in 1933.2 The pages we read name no notable fires.

In 2019 the tower was moved about half a mile east-northeast of its original site.1,2 The Forest Service disassembled and rebuilt the tower at the new spot, after communication towers and electronic equipment had built up around the old one.4

Today the tower stands, but it is not open to visitors. Campflare lists the lookout as not currently available for rental, and says it needs restoration before it can open through the recreation rental program.5 The Boundary County Historic Places page calls the tower complete and awaiting inclusion in the Forest Service rental program, and it lists a July 2025 work party for outhouse construction and general maintenance.4 The sources disagree on how much work is left, so do not plan a visit as if the tower were open.

  1. Black Mountain Lookout (Boundary County), National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org), http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/id/black-mountain-lookout-boundary-county/ (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  2. Black Mtn. Fire Lookout Tower, firelookout.com, https://www.firelookout.com/id/blackmtnbf.html (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  3. Black Mountain Lookout, Idaho Fire Lookouts, https://www.idahofirelookouts.com/northern-idaho/black-mountain-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  4. Black Mountain Lookout Construction Project, Boundary County Historic Places, https://www.bchistoricplaces.org/event-details/black-mountain-lookout-construction-project (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  5. Black Mountain Lookout Campground, Campflare, https://campflare.com/campground/black-mountain-lookout-214 (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩

Photos

Black Mountain Lookout - 2010
Black Mountain Lookout - 2010 (2010)Photo: Rex Kamstra, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Undated early photo
Undated early photoPhoto: Gary Weber, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Black Mtn. 1921-1935
Black Mtn. 1921-1935 (1921)Photo: Gary Weber and Rex Kamstra, via firelookout.com · source
Black Mtn. in 2001
Black Mtn. in 2001 (2001)Photo: Gary Weber and Rex Kamstra, via firelookout.com · source
Black Mountain Lookout
Black Mountain LookoutPhoto: idahofirelookouts.com · 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 location by 810 m.

    • FFLA: 48.61038, −116.25770
    • NHLR: 48.61350, −116.24775

    They share a register number.

    The map uses the position from FFLA.

  • Sources disagree on whether it still stands.

    • FFLA: Gone
    • NHLR: Standing
    • firelookout.com -- Rex Kamstra's Forest Fire Lookout Page: Standing

    NHLR lists lookouts that were standing when registered.

Sources

  1. National Historic Lookout Register (NHLR) Gave us: name, 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: location, 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. firelookout.com -- Rex Kamstra's Forest Fire Lookout Page Gave us: design, height, ownership, photos, links firelookout.com · No licence stated on the site; facts only (coordinates, elevation, built/destroyed years, design, agency). Photos mirrored with the site's stated credit. · retrieved 4 Oct 2026
  4. Idaho Fire Lookouts (idahofirelookouts.com) Gave us: photos, links idahofirelookouts.com · No licence stated; facts only (coordinates, status/built/destroyed year parsed from each entry's short excerpt). Thumbnail photos mirrored with credit per the project's photo policy. · retrieved 4 Oct 2026
  5. Firefinder research Gave us: summary, design, height, status, agency, access, staffing, 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.