FirefinderFire lookouts of the US

Fire lookout · Idaho County, Idaho

Rocky Point Lookout (Clearwater NF)

Also known as Rocky Point

Rocky Point Lookout in the Clearwater National Forest began with a 1934 log crib and L-4 cab, gained its R-6 cab on a concrete base in 1963, and was registered in 2009.

Visit & stay

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

Access

Access unknown

We do not know the access rules. Check with the land manager before you go.

Can you climb it?
Unknown
Road to the top?
Yes, you can drive up
Staffing
Staffed during fire season (as of undated)

Facts

Status
Standing
Type
Two-story buildingR-6 flat cab on a 10-foot concrete baseThe designs: R-6, L-4
Built of
WoodGoing by its design; no source says so in words.
Built
1934
Height
10 ft (3.0 m)
Elevation
6,280 ft (1,914 m)
Agency
U.S. Forest Service
Land
Federal land
Location
Idaho County, Idaho
Coordinates
46.58222, −114.66583
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 8 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-id-rocky-point-clearwater-nf

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 3.4 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 Built10-foot log crib topped by an L-4 cab; first used this year.Source: firelookout.com
  2. No record between 1934 and 1963
  3. 1963 Built10-foot concrete base with R-6 flat cab; NHLR says it replaced the L-4 cab on the crib.Sources: nhlr.org, firelookout.com
  4. 1974 StaffedKnown staff listed for 1974-1975 by Idaho Fire Lookouts.Source: idahofirelookouts.com
  5. No record between 1974 and 1990
  6. 1990 StaffedKnown staff listed for 1990-1991 by Idaho Fire Lookouts.Source: idahofirelookouts.com
  7. No record between 1990 and 2009
  8. 2009 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterRegistered on the National Historic Lookout Register, April 24, 2009.Source: nhlr.org
  9. 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.

Rocky Point Lookout stands in the Clearwater National Forest in Idaho County, about 5 miles north-northeast of the Powell Ranger Station.1 It sits on the historic Lolo Indian Trail, the route Lewis and Clark used through this country.2

The first tower here was a 10-foot log crib with an L-4 cab on top, in use from 1934.1 The current lookout replaced that cab.2 In 1963 a 10-foot concrete base carrying an R-6 flat cab went up in its place.2,1

The National Historic Lookout Register says the tower is staffed every year and is fairly easy to reach from Powell.2 Idaho Fire Lookouts lists known staff from the mid-1970s through the early 1990s.3 The Forest Service's list of Clearwater lookouts describes the cab as manned.4 None of the sources consulted records a fire, a move or a closure at this site.

The register added Rocky Point on April 24, 2009, and the U.S. Forest Service administers it.2

Idaho Fire Lookouts labels Rocky Point drive-up and staffed.3 No source consulted describes rental terms, visitor tours or climbing rules, so check with the Clearwater National Forest and its Powell Ranger District before planning a visit.

  1. Rocky Point Fire Lookout Tower, firelookout.com, https://www.firelookout.com/id/rockypt.html (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  2. Rocky Point Lookout (Clearwater NF), National Historic Lookout Register, http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/id/rocky-point-lookout-clearwater-nf/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  3. Rocky Point Lookout, Idaho Fire Lookouts, https://www.idahofirelookouts.com/st-joe-clearwater-region/rocky-point-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  4. Clearwater National Forest Lookouts, list compiled June 2016, USDA Forest Service, https://www.fs.usda.gov/media/259185 (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩

Photos

Photo of Rocky Point Lookout (Clearwater NF)
Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Rocky Point L.O.
Rocky Point L.OPhoto: the Montana Memory Project, the Fire Lookout Museum and Gary Weber, via firelookout.com · source
Rocky Point in 1950
Rocky Point in 1950 (1950)Photo: the Montana Memory Project, the Fire Lookout Museum and Gary Weber, via firelookout.com · source
Rocky Point in 1963
Rocky Point in 1963 (1963)Photo: the Montana Memory Project, the Fire Lookout Museum and Gary Weber, via firelookout.com · source
Rocky Point L.O.
Rocky Point L.OPhoto: the Montana Memory Project, the Fire Lookout Museum and Gary Weber, via firelookout.com · source
Rocky Point Lookout
Rocky Point 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.

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. 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: what it is built of, design, height, staffing, 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, status, agency, 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.