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Fire lookout · Boise County, Idaho

Shafer Butte Lookout

Shafer Butte's 1926-27 cabin was replaced by a 1958 R-6 cab on a concrete base; the lookout still stands on ski-area land, used by ski patrol and for emergencies.

Visit & stay

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

Access

Restricted access

Access is seasonal, gated or needs a permit. Check before you go. Used by the Bogus Basin ski patrol and for emergencies. The climbing guide says roads to the summit are not open to motorcycles or ATVs except government and Bogus Basin vehicles. No public visiting is described in these sources.

Can you climb it?
Unknown
Road to the top?
Unknown
Trail
The summit sits inside the Bogus Basin ski area. Roads and cat tracks lead toward the summit, and the climbing guide describes summer hiking and biking there. The cab itself is not described as open to visitors.
Staffing
Not staffed (as of 2021)

Facts

Status
Standing
Type
Three-story building14x14-ft R-6 flattop cab on a 10-ft concrete block base (1958); sources disagree on whether a second R-6 cab was added on top in 1980The design: R-6
Built of
WoodGoing by its design; no source says so in words.
Height
10 ft (3.0 m)
Elevation
7,502 ft (2,287 m)
Agency
U.S. Forest Service, Boise National Forest (per NHLR); the climbing guide says the Forest Service no longer uses the lookout
Land
Federal land
Location
Boise County, Idaho
Coordinates
43.77180, −116.08780
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 8 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-id-shafer-butte

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.

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Or see what it could see on the map: the ground in its line of sight.

History

Then and now

  1. 1926 BuiltFirst lookout: two-story cabin set up by the Southern Idaho Timber Protective Association (NHLR). Firelookout.com gives 1927 as the year it was first used.Sources: nhlr.org, firelookout.com
  2. 1926 FireLate-summer 1926 electrical-storm fires in the Boise basin; the lookout station reported one with a three-mile front.Source: idaholookouts.weebly.com
  3. 1926 First staffedAugust 14, 1926 newspaper item (as quoted by Forest Lookouts) reports a fire from the Shafer Butte lookout station.Source: idaholookouts.weebly.com
  4. 1928 EventOfficial opening of the lookout station (September 28, 1928 item), attended by Senator William E. Borah and the U.S. chief forester.Source: idaholookouts.weebly.com
  5. 1929 EventJune 29, 1929: forest office reports the road to the lookout is now negotiable for automobiles. September 27, 1929: with fire danger over, lookouts and crews are taken out, but lookouts will be kept on the butte for emergency purposes.Source: idaholookouts.weebly.com
  6. 1936 EventOctober 6, 1936 item: a 1495-pound periscope borrowed from the United States navy for experimental purposes was used on Shafer Butte for the first time in actual fire detection; results reported as highly satisfactory.Source: idaholookouts.weebly.com
  7. 1945 StaffedMrs. Lucy Schlosman on lookout duty (January 28, 1945 item); she looked after weather instruments and called in readings four times a day.Source: idaholookouts.weebly.com
  8. 1948 StaffedJuly 25, 1948 item: the Standleys used the lower portion of the lookout as a kitchen and a general living and dining room.Source: idaholookouts.weebly.com
  9. 1958 Built'Built' field on NHLR detail pageSource: NHLR register entry
  10. 1958 Replaced by a new structureBoise National Forest replaced the cabin with a 14x14-ft R-6 flattop cab on a 10-ft concrete block base. NHLR gives 1958 as the build date.Source: nhlr.org
  11. 1959 StaffedMrs. Ronald Ashley, observer at the Shaffer Lookout, early July 1959 (item dated July 2, 1959).Source: idaholookouts.weebly.com
  12. 1971 StaffedStan Boyd listed as known staff.Source: idahofirelookouts.com
  13. 1980 AlteredSecond R-6 cab placed on top of the first, or a three-story structure erected in place of the two-story one; the 1980 date comes from Forest Lookouts and Idaho Fire Lookouts. The register describes three floors without dating the change.Sources: idaholookouts.weebly.com, idahofirelookouts.com, nhlr.org
  14. No record between 1980 and 2000
  15. 2000 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterRegistered December 1, 2000 as US 366, ID 32.Source: nhlr.org
  16. No record between 2000 and 2018
  17. 2018 AlteredOriginal viewing platform removed from the summit and a new communications tower added.Source: idahoaclimbingguide.com
  18. 2021 EventClimbing guide (updated February 2021): still standing but no longer used by the Forest Service.Source: idahoaclimbingguide.com
  19. 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.

Shafer Butte Lookout sits on a peak just north of Boise, Idaho, in the southwest corner of the Boise Mountains.1 The register gives the summit as 7,502 feet, while two other sources give 7,582.2,1,3 The first lookout was a two-story cabin that the Southern Idaho Timber Protective Association set up in 1926.2 Firelookout.com gives 1927 as the year it was first used.3 An August 1926 newspaper item already quotes a fire report from the lookout station, so the station was in use that summer.4

In 1958 the Boise National Forest replaced the cabin with a 14-by-14-foot R-6 flattop cab on a 10-foot concrete block base.2 The sources disagree about the floors. The register says the ground floor was living quarters many years ago and later a radio and storage room, that the second floor then became living quarters, and that the third floor was used for the alidade and observation.2 The Forest Lookouts site lists a two-story cab in 1958 and says a three-story structure replaced it in 1980.4 The Idaho fire lookouts site says a second R-6 cab went on top in 1980, and firelookout.com describes that second cab without a date.5,3

Mrs. Lucy Schlosman was on lookout duty in January 1945. She looked after a set of weather instruments and called in readings four times a day.4 In July 1948 the Standleys used the lower portion of the lookout as a kitchen and a general living and dining room.4 An observer, Mrs. Ronald Ashley, was at the station in early July 1959.4 Stan Boyd appears on a staff list for 1971.5

Senator William E. Borah and the chief forester of the United States attended the official opening of the lookout station in 1928.4 In 1936 the Boise forest tried a borrowed navy periscope there for real fire detection for the first time, and the results were reported as highly satisfactory.4 In 1929 the forest office said the road to the lookout was now passable by automobile, and that lookouts would stay on the butte for emergencies once the fire season ended.4

The Forest Service no longer uses the lookout, and the summit now has a cluster of communications towers.1 The Bogus Basin ski patrol began occupying the second floor in the late 1980s or 1990s, and the ski resort uses the tower in winter.2,1 In 2018 the original viewing platform was removed and a new communications tower was added.1 The register records the lookout's registration on December 1, 2000, as US 366, ID 32.2

The register describes the lookout's current role as emergency use.2 The climbing guide notes that the roads and cat tracks up to the summit are closed to motorcycles and ATVs, except for government and Bogus Basin vehicles, and it recommends the area for summer hiking and biking.1 Please do not climb the tower.

  1. Shafer Butte, IDAHO: A Climbing Guide (idahoaclimbingguide.com), https://www.idahoaclimbingguide.com/bookupdates/shafer-butte/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  2. Shafer Butte Lookout, National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org), http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/id/shafer-butte-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  3. Shafer Butte Fire Lookout Tower, firelookout.com, https://www.firelookout.com/id/shaferbutte.html (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  4. Shaffer Butte, Forest Lookouts (idaholookouts.weebly.com), https://idaholookouts.weebly.com/shaffer-butte.html (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  5. Shafer Butte Lookout, Idaho Fire Lookouts (idahofirelookouts.com), https://www.idahofirelookouts.com/southern-idaho/shafer-butte-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩

Photos

Shafer Butte Lookout
Shafer Butte LookoutPhoto: Tom Lopez, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Original Structure - Constructed circa 1926
Original Structure - Constructed circa 1926 (1926)Photo: Tom Lopez, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
1929
1929 (1929)Photo: Tom Lopez, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Photo of Shafer Butte Lookout
Photo: US Forest Service, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Shafer Butte in 1930
Shafer Butte in 1930 (1930)Photo: the U.S. Forest Service and Rex Kamstra, via firelookout.com · source
SITPA Board visits Shafer Butte
SITPA Board visits Shafer ButtePhoto: the U.S. Forest Service and Rex Kamstra, via firelookout.com · source
SITPA Board visits Shafer Butte
SITPA Board visits Shafer ButtePhoto: the U.S. Forest Service and Rex Kamstra, via firelookout.com · source
Shafer Butte L.O.
Shafer Butte L.OPhoto: the U.S. Forest Service and Rex Kamstra, via firelookout.com · source
Shafer Butte Lookout
Shafer Butte LookoutPhoto: idahofirelookouts.com · source

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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 year it was built.

    • NHLR: 1958
    • firelookout.com -- Rex Kamstra's Forest Fire Lookout Page: 1927

    Sources give different build years. Often one counts the first lookout on the site and another the structure there now.

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, 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 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
  6. 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.