FirefinderFire lookouts of the US

Fire lookout · Boundary County, Idaho

Saddle Mountain Lookout

A 7x7 Aermotor observation cab on a 40-foot steel tower, built in 1935 in Boundary County, unstaffed since the late 1960s and now used as a communication site.

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?
No, you have to hike
Trail
Idaho Fire Lookouts lists the site as hike-in
Staffing
Not staffed (as of late 1960s)

Facts

Status
Standing
Type
Cab on a tower7x7 Aermotor observation cab on a 40-foot X-brace steel tower, with a residence cabinThe design: Aermotor
Built of
Steel
Built
1935
Height
Unknown
Elevation
6,893 ft (2,101 m)
Agency
US Forest Service - Idaho Panhandle National Forests
Land
Federal land
Location
Boundary County, Idaho
Coordinates
48.95033, −116.77095
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 8 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-id-saddle-mountain

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 4.3 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. 1932 First staffedRobert Sarf (firelookout.com) or Robert Saarf (Idaho Fire Lookouts), 1932-1933; predates the 1935 build yearSources: firelookout.com, idahofirelookouts.com, idahofirelookouts.com
  2. 1934 StaffedDick Thompson, 1934-1936Sources: firelookout.com, idahofirelookouts.com
  3. 1935 Built7x7 Aermotor observation cab on a 40-foot X-brace steel tower, with a residence cabinSources: nhlr.org, firelookout.com, idahofirelookouts.com
  4. No record between 1935 and 1960
  5. 1960 AbandonedYear stands for the 1960s; the register says not staffed since the late 1960sSources: nhlr.org, idahofirelookouts.com
  6. No record between 1960 and 2020
  7. 2020 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterRegistered December 7, 2020; nominated by Brad EellsSource: nhlr.org
  8. 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.

Saddle Mountain Lookout stands in Boundary County, in Idaho's northern panhandle, at about 6,893 feet.1,2 The register says it was built in 1935, when a 7-by-7 Aermotor observation cab was set on a 40-foot X-brace steel tower, and that it came with a residence cabin.1 Firelookout.com describes the same 40-foot tower with a frame cabin and places the lookout about 13 miles west-southwest of Porthill.2

An Idaho Fire Lookouts page for Packsaddle Mountain, a different lookout, says a 76-foot steel Aermotor tower listed under 1934 was intended for Saddle Mountain.3 The register and firelookout.com both describe a 40-foot tower and do not mention that plan, so this story follows them.1,2

Staff names start in 1932, three years before the register's build date.1,2 Firelookout.com lists Robert Sarf for 1932 and 1933, and Dick Thompson for 1934 to 1936.2 Idaho Fire Lookouts spells the first name Saarf, places his 1932 and 1933 service at Saddle Mountain, and dates the 40-foot tower and cabin to 1935.4,5 No source we read explains how a 1932 lookout fits with a 1935 build, so an earlier structure on the site is possible but not confirmed.

The register says no one has staffed the site since the late 1960s, and Idaho Fire Lookouts describes the lookout as abandoned in the 1960s.1,4 The register listed it on December 7, 2020, with Brad Eells as nominator.1

Idaho Fire Lookouts says the site is now used as a communication site, and it labels the lookout hike-in.4 The register names the Idaho Panhandle National Forests as administrator.1 No source we read describes the cab's present condition or says whether visitors may go up to it. Check with the Forest Service before you plan a visit, and stay out of any site that is closed or not clearly open to the public.

  1. Saddle Mountain Lookout, National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org), http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/id/saddle-mountain-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  2. Saddle Mtn. Fire Lookout Tower, firelookout.com (Rex Kamstra), https://www.firelookout.com/id/saddlemtnid.html (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  3. Packsaddle Mountain, Idaho Fire Lookouts, https://www.idahofirelookouts.com/cda-region/packsaddle-mountain/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  4. Saddle Mountain Lookout, Idaho Fire Lookouts, https://www.idahofirelookouts.com/northern-idaho/saddle-mountain-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  5. Robert Saarf, Idaho Fire Lookouts, https://www.idahofirelookouts.com/lookout-staff/robert-saarf/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩

Photos

Saddle Mountain Lookout
Saddle Mountain LookoutPhoto: Gary Weber, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Saddle Mtn. L.O.
Saddle Mtn. L.OPhoto: Gary Weber, via firelookout.com · source
Saddle Mountain Lookout
Saddle 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.

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, 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, 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.