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Fire lookout · Idaho County, Idaho

Walde Mountain Lookout

Also known as Walde Lookout Cabin

A 1939 Aermotor steel tower with an adjacent 1941 cabin, still staffed every summer and rented out to the public only in winter.

Visit & stay

You can rent this lookout for overnight stays through recreation.gov.

Season
approximately mid-December through late March
Sleeps
Up to 4 people

Rules

  • Pack out all trash

Overview Walde Lookout Cabin was built in 1941 to house the employees who worked in the adjacent fire lookout, which was built in 1939. The fire lookout is still in use during the summer and fall, so the cabin is only available for rent from approximately mid-December through late March. This charming, rustic cabin has been restored to its original character. Guests must reach the cabin by snowmobile, skis or snowshoes. This is a trip of around 17 miles, and guests are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety. The cabin provides a few conveniences, but guests will need to bring some supplies and gear to make a cozy and comfortable retreat for enjoying winter recreation. Recreation Several trails crisscross the vicinity, ideal for snowmobiling, snowshoeing or cross-country skiing. There are good places to sled nearby. Facilities This 14x16-ft. log cabin accommodates four people with two mattresses located in a loft area and two cots. A wood stove heats the cabin, which is also equipped with a table and four chairs, a propane cook stove, propane lights, basic cooking and eating utensils, smoke alarm, mop and bucket, fire extinguisher and a snow shovel. Click here for additional cabin details. Firewood is available in a shed just outside. Toilet facilities consist of an outhouse with a pit toilet. Guests should be prepared to shovel a path to the cabin, shed and outhouse, as well as remove snow from the propane tank to turn it on. There is no electricity or running water. Guests should bring their own drinking water. Natural sources can also provide water, although it should be boiled for culinary use. Garbage bags are also needed to pack out trash. Bedding, flashlights or lanterns, extra batteries, matches, first aid supplies and toilet paper are not provided. Guests should remember to bring their rental permit with them to the cabin. Natural Features The cabin sits at an elevation of 5,220 feet on the watershed divide between the Lochsa and Clearwater Rivers. This vantage point shows off the western slopes of the vast Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and the jagged peaks of the Selway Crags. The cabin is surrounded by a dense evergreen forest. The winter landscape is blanketed in deep, pristine snow. Wildlife sightings may include mule and white-tailed deer, elk, moose, gray wolf and cougar. A variety of birds also inhabit the area.

Noted: Currently Unavailable

This comes from the Forest Fire Lookout Association’s rentals list. Check with the manager or the booking page before you plan a stay.

Book on recreation.gov

Rental details from recreation.gov, checked 12 Oct 2026. The closure note comes from the Forest Fire Lookout Association’s rentals list. Rules, fees and seasons change, so confirm on the booking page before you go. Data source: ridb.recreation.gov

Access

Open to the public. Cabin rented only mid-December through late March, since the tower itself is staffed through the warmer months.

Can you climb it?
No
Road to the top?
No, you have to hike
Trail
Winter access only, about 17 miles by snowmobile, skis, or snowshoes; route may not be groomed.
Staffing
Staffed during fire season

Facts

Status
Standing
Type
Cab on a towerAermotor (100-foot steel tower, 7x7-foot cab)The design: Aermotor
Built of
Steel
Built
1939
Height
5,221 ft (1591.4 m)
Elevation
5,221 ft (1,591 m)
Agency
U.S. Forest Service, Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests (Clearwater NF)
Land
Federal land
Location
Idaho County, Idaho
Coordinates
46.24583, −115.63417 sources disagree
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 12 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-id-walde-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 4.1 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. 1939 Built100-foot steel Aermotor tower built.Sources: nhlr.org, idahofirelookouts.com, firelookout.com
  2. 1941 AlteredLog cabin ground house added to house lookout staff.Sources: nhlr.org, idahofirelookouts.com, recreation.gov
  3. No record between 1941 and 1972
  4. 1972 StaffedMr. and Mrs. Daniel McGinnis staffed the tower this year, per the Kellogg Evening News as recorded on Idaho Fire Lookouts' known-staff list.Source: idahofirelookouts.com
  5. No record between 1972 and 2009
  6. 2009 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterAdded to the National Historic Lookout Register, April 6, 2009.Source: nhlr.org
  7. 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 4 Oct 2026, fact-checked.

Walde Mountain Lookout is one of a handful of 7x7-foot steel fire towers built on the Clearwater National Forest. The 100-foot Aermotor tower went up in 1939, and a log cabin ground house was added two years later, in 1941, to house the staff working the lookout above.1,2,3

Unlike many of the region's lookouts, Walde Mountain never stopped working. It's still staffed every summer and fall season, making it an active fire lookout rather than a retired one.1,2,3 Known staff recorded by Idaho Fire Lookouts include a 1972 stint by Mr. and Mrs. Daniel McGinnis, as reported by the Kellogg Evening News, though a full staffing history hasn't been documented.2

Because the tower is in use through the warmer months, the adjoining cabin is only opened to the public in winter — roughly mid-December through late March — as part of the Forest Service's Recreation Rental program.2,3,4 The 14x16-foot log cabin has been restored to its original character and sleeps up to four, with two mattresses in a loft and two cots, a wood stove, a propane cook stove and lights, and an outhouse; there's no running water.4 Reaching it in winter means a roughly 17-mile trip by snowmobile, skis, or snowshoes, and the route isn't always groomed.4

The cabin sits at about 5,220 feet on the divide between the Lochsa and Clearwater River watersheds, with views toward the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and the Selway Crags.4 Walde Mountain Lookout was added to the National Historic Lookout Register in 2009.1

  1. Walde Mountain Lookout, National Historic Lookout Register, http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/id/walde-mountain-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-04). ↩
  2. Walde Mountain Lookout, Idaho Fire Lookouts, https://www.idahofirelookouts.com/st-joe-clearwater-region/walde-mountain-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-04). ↩
  3. Walde Mountain Lookout Tower, firelookout.com, https://www.firelookout.com/id/waldemtn.html (accessed 2026-10-04). ↩
  4. Walde Lookout Cabin, Recreation.gov, https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/233126 (accessed 2026-10-04). ↩

Photos

Photo of Walde Mountain Lookout
Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Cabin
CabinPhoto: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Closeup of sign on cabin
Closeup of sign on cabinPhoto: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Closeup of tower
Closeup of towerPhoto: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Cab interior
Cab interiorPhoto: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Walde Mtn. in 1997
Walde Mtn. in 1997 (1997)Photo: Gary Weber, via firelookout.com · source
Walde Mtn. in 1997
Walde Mtn. in 1997 (1997)Photo: Gary Weber, via firelookout.com · source
Walde Mountain Lookout
Walde Mountain 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 location by 1.2 km (0.7 mi).

    • NHLR: 46.24583, −115.63417
    • recreation.gov: 46.23528, −115.63528

    The map uses the position from NHLR.

Sources

  1. National Historic Lookout Register (NHLR) Gave us: name, location, 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: 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. Recreation Information Database (recreation.gov) Gave us: ownership, access, rental details, links Data source: ridb.recreation.gov · Public data from the US government · retrieved 12 Oct 2026
  4. Forest Fire Lookout Association: lookout rentals Gave us: rental details, links Forest Fire Lookout Association rentals list (firelookout.org) · No licence stated; facts extracted only (state, name, booking link, manager, closure note), no prose copied. The FFLA says it is not involved in managing any rental program. · retrieved 12 Oct 2026
  5. firelookout.com -- Rex Kamstra's Forest Fire Lookout Page Gave us: design, 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
  6. 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
  7. Firefinder research Gave us: summary, design, height, status, agency, access, 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

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