FirefinderFire lookouts of the US

Fire lookout · Boundary County, Idaho

Burton Peak Lookout

A 1933 log-and-frame L-5 cabin on Burton Peak in Boundary County, abandoned in 1967, still standing and reached by a hike of about 2.5 miles.

Visit & stay

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

Access

Open to the public. A hike-in on Kaniksu National Forest land, described as a popular destination hike. The cabin is abandoned and not in service. No source read says whether going inside is allowed.

Can you climb it?
Unknown
Road to the top?
No, you have to hike
Trail
Hike of about 2.5 miles one way with 1,500 feet of gain from the end of Forest Road 2411 at the trailhead (WillhiteWeb). Inland NW Routes gives 5.2 miles round trip, moderate. Snow at the trailhead at the end of FR 2411 may last until late spring.
Staffing
Not staffed (as of 1967)

Facts

Status
Standing sources disagree
Type
Ground-level cabLog and frame 14 by 14 foot cabin, the Nez Perce L-5 design; the register calls it the only remaining L-5 log frame lookout house in North IdahoThe design: L-5
Built of
Logs sources disagree
Built
1933
Height
14 ft (4.3 m)
Elevation
6,844 ft (2,086 m)
Agency
U.S. Forest Service
Land
Federal land
Location
Boundary County, Idaho
Coordinates
48.75417, −116.49861
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 8 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-id-burton-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 4.6 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. 1929 EventNewspaper article reported plans by the Forest Service to build a lookout on Burton Peak that yearSource: willhiteweb.com
  2. 1932 First staffedE.G. WatsonSources: firelookout.com, idahofirelookouts.com
  3. 1933 BuiltLog and frame 14 by 14 foot cabin, the L-5 designSources: nhlr.org, firelookout.com, idahofirelookouts.com
  4. 1935 StaffedWalter Peel, released of lookout duty to take charge of Lion's Head Ridge Crew; Larry Johnson also listed (Bonners Ferry Herald, 08/08/1935)Source: idahofirelookouts.com
  5. 1936 StaffedLloyd WaltersSources: firelookout.com, idahofirelookouts.com
  6. 1945 StaffedMr. Malcom Smith (listed by Idaho Fire Lookouts only)Source: idahofirelookouts.com
  7. 1946 StaffedSam SkeelsSources: firelookout.com, idahofirelookouts.com
  8. 1947 StaffedArlis RaySources: firelookout.com, idahofirelookouts.com
  9. 1949 StaffedDonald GoffSources: firelookout.com, idahofirelookouts.com
  10. 1950 Last staffedLester Stephan; the last lookout named in these sourcesSources: firelookout.com, idahofirelookouts.com
  11. No record between 1950 and 1967
  12. 1967 AbandonedRegister and Idaho Fire Lookouts date abandonment to 1967; firelookout.com says since the late 1960sSources: nhlr.org, firelookout.com, idahofirelookouts.com
  13. No record between 1967 and 2005
  14. 2005 Condition assessmentInitial assessment of the feasibility of restoring the log L-5 lookout was completed.Source: firelookout.org
  15. 2009 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterRegistered April 6, 2009 as US 764 (ID 54), nominated by Gary WeberSource: nhlr.org
  16. 2021 EventIdaho Fire Lookouts visit: inside still had fold-up cots and two built-in desks, otherwise bare; the outhouse had long been flattenedSource: idahofirelookouts.com
  17. 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.

Burton Peak Lookout sits on Burton Peak in Boundary County, in the Idaho Panhandle, about eight miles northwest of Bonners Ferry.1,2 It stands on Kaniksu National Forest land, and the U.S. Forest Service administers it.1,3

A 1929 newspaper article reported plans to build a lookout on the peak that year.4 The log and frame cabin that now stands was built in 1933. It measures 14 by 14 feet and follows a design called the L-5, which the sources also describe as Nez Perce or Nez Pierce.1,2,4 According to the National Historic Lookout Register, it is the sole surviving L-5 log-frame lookout in North Idaho.1

Firelookout.com lists the staff from 1932 to 1950, starting with E.G. Watson and ending with Lester Stephan.2 Idaho Fire Lookouts adds Larry Johnson and Mr. Malcom Smith, and notes that Walter Peel was released from lookout duty in 1935 to lead the Lion's Head Ridge crew.3 The 1935 names come from a Bonners Ferry Herald item from August of that year.3

The last staff member named in these pages is from 1950. The register says the lookout was abandoned in 1967, and Idaho Fire Lookouts gives the same year.1,3 Firelookout.com says it has been abandoned since the late 1960s.2

The register says the structure is showing its age, and volunteers have made emergency repairs to it.1 The register recorded the lookout on April 6, 2009.1 When Idaho Fire Lookouts visited in 2021, the inside still had fold-up cots and two built-in desks, but was otherwise bare. The outhouse had long since been flattened.3

Idaho Fire Lookouts calls the site a hike-in and a popular destination hike.3 WillhiteWeb gives a hike of about 2.5 miles one way, gaining 1,500 feet, from the end of Forest Road 2411 at the trailhead, and says snow at that trailhead lasts until late spring.4 Inland NW Routes lists a 5.2-mile round trip rated moderate.5 None of these pages says whether going inside the cabin is allowed, so check with the Kaniksu National Forest before you go.3,4

  1. Burton Peak Lookout, US 764, National Historic Lookout Register, http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/id/burton-peak-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  2. Burton Peak Fire Lookout Cabin, firelookout.com, https://www.firelookout.com/id/burtonpk.html (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  3. Burton Peak Lookout, Idaho Fire Lookouts, https://www.idahofirelookouts.com/northern-idaho/burton-peak-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  4. Burton Peak Lookout and Cascade Ridge, WillhiteWeb.com, http://willhiteweb.com/idaho_lookouts/burton_peak/cascade_ridge_128.htm (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  5. Burton Peak 6844' Trail #9, Inland NW Routes, https://www.inlandnwroutes.com/burton-peak-6844-trail-9.html (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩

Photos

Photo of Burton Peak Lookout
Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Winter 2021-22
Winter 2021-22 (2021)Photo: Tyler Nyman, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Photo of Burton Peak Lookout
Photo: Tyler Nyman, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Burton Peak in 1938
Burton Peak in 1938 (1938)Photo: the Fire Lookout Museum,Gary Weber, and Luke Channer, via firelookout.com · source
Burton Peak L.O.
Burton Peak L.OPhoto: the Fire Lookout Museum,Gary Weber, and Luke Channer, via firelookout.com · source
Burton Peak in 2019
Burton Peak in 2019 (2019)Photo: the Fire Lookout Museum,Gary Weber, and Luke Channer, via firelookout.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 whether it still stands.

    • FFLA: Standing
    • NHLR: Standing
    • firelookout.com -- Rex Kamstra's Forest Fire Lookout Page: Standing
    • Idaho Fire Lookouts (idahofirelookouts.com): Gone

    NHLR lists lookouts that were standing when registered. idahofirelookouts.com's status is read from a short summary.

  • Sources disagree on what it is built of.

    • NHLR: Logs
    • firelookout.com -- Rex Kamstra's Forest Fire Lookout Page: Mixed

    Sources name different materials. Often one describes an earlier structure.

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. 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. firelookout.com -- Rex Kamstra's Forest Fire Lookout Page Gave us: design, height, 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. 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, 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.