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Fire lookout · Lincoln County, Montana

Baldy Mountain Lookout

Also known as Mt. Baldy-Buckhorn Ridge, Baldy Mountain (Mount Baldy), Mt. Baldy Lookout

Kootenai NF lookout: a c.1910 pole platform, a 1927 log cabin, and the present timber tower built in 1957, now rented by reservation.

Visit & stay

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

Sleeps
Up to 4 people
Getting there
The lookout is typically available from late June through late September, and is accessible by car, though high clearance vehicles are recommended for the primitive roads.

Rules

  • Pack out all trash

Overview The Mount Baldy - Buckhorn Ridge Lookout sits at an elevation of 6,529 feet in the Kootenai National Forest. This location has been used as an observation point for detecting forest fires since 1910. The current lookout tower was built in 1957. The lookout is typically available from late June through late September, and is accessible by car, though high clearance vehicles are recommended for the primitive roads. Some creature comforts are provided, but guests should be prepared to pack in many of their own amenities. Recreation Aside from exploring Mount Baldy, hikers can find a network of trails in the surrounding Yaak Area. The Northwest Peaks Scenic Area, located in the northwest corner of the Yaak Area, offers a variety of hiking trails in beautiful settings. Hunting is also possible nearby. Wild berries grow in the area, inviting berry pickers. Facilities This 144 square foot lookout cabin sits atop a 26-foot tower and is encircled by a catwalk. It can accommodate 4 people and comes equipped with 2 twin beds and 4 mattresses, a table, 2 chairs, broom and dustpan. Propane appliances are provided that include a cook stove, heater and lights. An outhouse with vault toilet islocated nearby. The lookout does not have electricity or water. Guests must provide their own water for drinking, cooking and washing. Items such as cooking gear, bedding, lanterns or flashlights, matches, extra toilet paper, first aid supplies, trash bags, dish soap, and towels are not available. Guests are expected to pack out their trash and clean the cabin before leaving. Natural Features The lookout offers views of the Kaniksu National Forest in Idaho, the Cabinet Mountain Range and Rock Candy Mountain. The panorama features endless mountain peaks and evergreen forest. Guests have an ideal location for watching sunrises and sunsets, or for gazing out over the starry night skies. Kootenai National Forest supports populations of deer, elk, moose, grizzly and black bears, wolves and mountain lions (bear safety). A variety of smaller mammals and birds can also be found. Nearby Attractions Yaak Falls is a popular destination just a short drive from the lookout off Yaak Highway 508. Spring and early summer are the best times to visit, when the snowmelt finds its way over the falls.

Book on recreation.gov

Rental details from recreation.gov, checked 19 Oct 2026. Rules, fees and seasons change, so confirm on the booking page before you go. Data source: ridb.recreation.gov

Access

Open to the public. Rented through the Recreation.gov Recreation Rental program, typically late June to late September. Reached by car; access depends on weather; high-clearance vehicle recommended.

Can you climb it?
Unknown
Road to the top?
Yes, you can drive up
Trail
Yaak Falls is a short drive off Yaak Highway 508. Hiking trails in the Yaak Area and the Northwest Peaks Scenic Area are nearby.
Staffing
Unknown

Facts

Status
Standing
Type
Cab on a towerPresent treated-timber tower with L-4 cab (built 1957); earlier 45-foot pole platform (about 1910) and L-6 cupola log cabin (1927)The designs: L-4, L-6
Built of
Wood
Built
1910
Height
30 ft (9.1 m)
Elevation
6,531 ft (1,991 m)
Agency
US Forest Service, Kootenai National Forest
Land
Federal land
Location
Lincoln County, Montana
Coordinates
48.83428, −115.92495
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 19 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-mt-baldy-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. 1910 BuiltObservation point with a 45-foot pole platform tower developed on the siteSources: nhlr.org, recreation.gov, firelookout.com
  2. No record between 1910 and 1927
  3. 1927 Replaced by a new structurePole platform replaced by a log cabin with L-6 cupolaSources: nhlr.org, firelookout.com
  4. No record between 1927 and 1957
  5. 1957 BuiltPresent 30-foot treated timber tower with L-4 cab builtSources: nhlr.org, recreation.gov, firelookout.com
  6. No record between 1957 and 2021
  7. 2021 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterRegistered January 9, 2021 as US 1512, MT 90Source: 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.

Baldy Mountain, in Lincoln County, Montana, has been used to spot fires since about 1910, when a 45-foot pole platform tower was developed on the site.1,2,3 A log cabin with an L-6 cupola replaced that platform in 1927.2,1 The present tower, a treated-timber structure with an L-4 cab, went up in 1957.2,3

The NHLR and firelookout.com give the present tower a height of 30 feet, but Recreation.gov says the cabin sits atop a 26-foot tower. The sources do not explain the gap.2,1,3 The NHLR registered the lookout on January 9, 2021 as US 1512, MT 90.2

Today the lookout is in the Recreation Rental program.2,1 Recreation.gov lists it as a 144-square-foot cabin that holds four people, typically open from late June through late September.3 There is no electricity or water, so guests must bring their own.3 Whether the drive is practical depends on the weather, and a high-clearance vehicle is advised for the rough roads.3 Yaak Falls, a popular spot, lies a short drive from the lookout, reached from Yaak Highway 508.3

  1. Baldy Mtn. (Buckhorn Baldy) Fire Lookout Tower, Fire Lookout, https://www.firelookout.com/mt/baldymt.html (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  2. Baldy Mountain Lookout, National Historic Lookout Register, http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/mt/baldy-mountain-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  3. MT. Baldy-Buckhorn Ridge, Kootenai National Forest, Recreation.gov, https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/234432 (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩

Photos

Photo of Baldy Mountain Lookout
Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Photo of Baldy Mountain Lookout
Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Photo of Baldy Mountain Lookout
Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Baldy Mtn L.O.
Baldy Mtn L.OPhoto: the U.S. Forest Service and Gary Weber, via firelookout.com · source
Baldy Mtn in 1956
Baldy Mtn in 1956 (1956)Photo: the U.S. Forest Service and Gary Weber, via firelookout.com · source
Baldy Mtn. L.O.
Baldy Mtn. L.OPhoto: the U.S. Forest Service and Gary Weber, 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.

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 19 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 19 Oct 2026
  5. firelookout.com -- Rex Kamstra's Forest Fire Lookout Page Gave us: design, height, dates, 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. 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, 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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