FirefinderFire lookouts of the US

Fire lookout · Catron County, New Mexico

Bearwallow Mountain Lookout

Also known as Bearwallow

Erected in 1923 on the Gila's Glenwood Ranger District as a 35-foot Aermotor LX-24; its log cabin complex was later listed on the National Register.

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?
Unknown
Staffing
Unknown

Facts

Status
Standing
Type
Cab on a towerAermotor LX-24 tower with a 7'x7' wooden cab; the site includes two log cabins and a log shedThe design: Aermotor LX-24 / LX-25
Built of
SteelGoing by its design; no source says so in words.
Built
1923
Height
35 ft (10.7 m)
Elevation
9,970 ft (3,039 m)
Agency
U.S. Forest Service
Land
Federal land
Location
Catron County, New Mexico
Coordinates
33.44949, −108.66864
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 8 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-nm-bearwallow-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 3.0 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. 1913 EventJune 1913 Albuquerque Journal item, quoted by Forest Lookouts, refers to a 'Bear Wallows lookout'; unclear whether it was this tower or an earlier structureSource: westlookouts.weebly.com
  2. 1923 BuiltErected on the Glenwood Ranger District; Aermotor LX-24 with 7x7 wooden cab, about 35 feet tallSources: nhlr.org, westlookouts.weebly.com
  3. No record between 1923 and 1940
  4. 1940 BuiltWikipedia lead says the cabins and shed were built in 1940 by the Works Progress Administration; its infobox gives 1923 for the same article (disputed)Source: en.wikipedia.org
  5. 1940 AlteredLower cabin, formerly a barn, built.Source: firelookout.org
  6. No record between 1940 and 1967
  7. 1967 EventSilver City Daily Press (April 28, 1967) reports a couple planned to take up their post at the lookout in April 1967Source: westlookouts.weebly.com
  8. No record between 1967 and 1984
  9. 1984 AlteredExtensively remodeled: original windows replaced, new stairs installed, roof and exterior walls covered with steelSource: nhlr.org
  10. 1988 Listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesCabins and shed complex added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 28, 1988Source: en.wikipedia.org
  11. No record between 1988 and 2006
  12. 2006 FireBear Fire burned across Bearwallow Mountain and threatened the buildings, per Wikipedia (which cites a Gila National Forest news release)Source: en.wikipedia.org
  13. No record between 2006 and 2022
  14. 2022 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterRegistered on the National Historic Lookout Register as US 1585, NM 43 on May 22, 2022Source: nhlr.org
  15. 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.

The Bearwallow Mountain lookout was erected in 1923 on the Glenwood Ranger District of the Gila National Forest, in Catron County, New Mexico.1,2 It was an Aermotor LX-24 with a 7-by-7-foot wooden cab, and it stood 35 feet tall.1,2

The early record is thin. A June 1913 Albuquerque Journal passage, quoted by the Forest Lookouts site, mentions a supervisor driving from a "Bear Wallows lookout." That hints at an earlier lookout in the same area, but no source describes it.2 In April 1967, a Silver City paper reported that a married couple planned to take up their post at the lookout.2

The National Historic Lookout Register (NHLR) describes a 1984 overhaul. The original windows were replaced, new stairs went in, and steel now covers the roof and exterior walls.1 Forest Lookouts also reports that the standard ladder was replaced by interior stairs, and that windows and siding have been upgraded over the years.2

The tower is part of a complex that also includes two log cabins and a log shed.1 Wikipedia gives two build dates for the cabins and shed. Its lead credits the Works Progress Administration with building them in 1940, while its infobox lists 1923.3 The sources I found do not settle which is right. The complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 28, 1988.3 In 2006 the Bear Fire crossed Bearwallow Mountain, and Wikipedia says it threatened the buildings.3

The NHLR registered the tower on May 22, 2022, as US 1585, NM 43, and lists the U.S. Forest Service as its administrator.1 The Forest Fire Lookout Association's New Mexico list shows it as standing.4 Wikipedia places the complex in Bearwallow Park near Mogollon.3 I did not find a source that says whether the tower is staffed now or open to visitors, so anyone planning a trip should check with the Gila National Forest first.

  1. Bearwallow Mountain Lookout, National Historic Lookout Register, http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/nm/bearwallow-mountain-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  2. Bearwallow, Forest Lookouts, https://westlookouts.weebly.com/bearwallow.html (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  3. Bearwallow Mountain Lookout Cabins and Shed, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bearwallow_Mountain_Lookout_Cabins_and_Shed (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  4. New Mexico Fire Lookouts, Forest Fire Lookout Association, https://firelookout.org/lookouts/us/nm/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩

Photos

August 2005 photo
August 2005 photo (2005)Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Photo of Bearwallow Mountain Lookout
Photo: Gila National Forest, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0 · 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. Forest Fire Lookout Association chapter reports Gave us: dates, links Forest Fire Lookout Association, chapter and restoration-grant reports (firelookout.org) · No licence stated; facts only (dates, names, the kind of work done). Every note is our own wording and every event links to the FFLA report it comes from. Positions are copied from the NHLR, FFLOS and FFLA records. · retrieved 8 Oct 2026
  4. Wikidata -- US fire lookout towers (Q748998 and subclasses) Gave us: photos, links Wikidata · CC0 1.0 (Wikidata). Images keep their own Commons licence/credit. · retrieved 4 Oct 2026
  5. OpenStreetMap -- fire lookout structures Gave us: height, links © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL 1.0. (c) OpenStreetMap contributors. · retrieved 4 Oct 2026
  6. FOREST LOOKOUTS -- western US (Ron Kemnow's weebly sites) Gave us: what it is built of, design, 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, staffing, 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.