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Fire lookout · Curry County, Oregon

Lake of the Woods Lookout

Also known as Lake O’ Woods

A 1920s tree-crow's-nest site that became a 1933 L-4, then got a 1955 CL-160 cab moved here by helicopter in 1974 and now rents nightly.

Visit & stay

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

Sleeps
Up to 4 people

Overview Lake of the Woods Lookout is surrounded by mountainous terrain, forested hillsides and spectacular views within the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest in southwestern Oregon. The flat-roofed cabin was originally a "ground house" located on Barklow Mountain in the Powers Ranger District. It was flown by helicopter to its present location and placed on a 12 ft. tower and catwalk in 1974. It was then staffed during fire seasons from 1974 to 1996. The lookout offers some amenities, but guests are asked to bring a few of their own supplies to ensure a safe and comfortable stay. Recreation Hiking, mountain biking and stargazing are popular among guests at the lookout. Seasonal changes envelope the area as snowmelt gives rise to spring time flowers, and vivid autumn colors welcome a landscape blanketed with snow. Logging roads and trails extend from the area, providing guests with opportunities to explore the area's old-growth forests, rugged and steep river canyons and a variety of wildlife. Far away from city lights, the lookout provides a fantastic opportunity for stargazing. Guests to the lookout search for constellations, planets and are treated to an occasional meteor slashing the night sky. Facilities The lookout is a one-room cabin, able to accommodate up to four people. It is equipped with a double bed with a mattress, a table and two chairs, solar lights, cleaning supplies and a fire extinguisher. Shower stall is provided, however, guests must provide the water. On site, adjacent to the lookout, there is a picnic table and a campfire ring for outdoor dining. A pit toilet is also located outside the tower. There is sufficient room for one tent, but the ground is extremely rocky. Guests to this lookout should be prepared for a rustic camping experience, and will need to bring several of their own supplies. There is no water on site, so visitors must bring a sufficient amount for drinking, cooking and washing. Guests must also provide their own sleeping bags, sleeping pads, towels, dish soap, matches, cooking gear, first aid kit, toilet paper and garbage bags. Although lighting is provided, it is recommended guests bring an additional light source in case of emergency. Natural Features Lake of the Woods Lookout provides a panoramic view with vistas of the Pacific Ocean, the Kalmiopsis and Wild Rogue Wilderness areas, and the Wild and Scenic Illinois and Rogue River canyons. In the spring, the nearby Lake of the Woods, which is actually a fairly small shallow pond, is surrounded by wildflowers and welcomes the arrival of several species of birds and butterflies. As summer progresses, the lake fills in with tall reeds and grasses. Lightning storms are a part of the thrill of staying at a lookout, but they are also extremely dangerous. If a lightning storm should occur, guests are urged to follow these safety rules to minimize the danger: Stay indoors or completely inside your car If you are trapped outside during a lightning storm, move to lower ground and stay low to the ground. Do not stand under trees or other high objects. If you are in the lookout building, close the windows and doors. Lightning follows air currents: Do not touch anything metal. The Lookout has metal stairs and a metal walkway around the cabin; It is imperative guests do not stand at these locations during storms. Nearby Attractions Opportunities for swimming and fishing are within 10 miles of the lookout.

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. Forest Service rental lookout, booked via Recreation.gov

Can you climb it?
Yes
Road to the top?
No, you have to hike
Trail
Reached by trail/road to the site per Recreation.gov listing; no water on site
Staffing
Not staffed (as of 1996)

Facts

Status
Standing sources disagree
Type
Cab on a towerCL-160 flat-topped cab on steel I-beam towerThe design: L-4
Built of
Not recorded
Height
Unknown
Elevation
3,359 ft (1,024 m)
Agency
U.S. Forest Service
Land
Federal land
Location
Curry County, Oregon
Coordinates
42.59322, −124.12892
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 19 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-or-lake-of-the-woods

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 3.5 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. 1933 BuiltL-4 cab built at the site, replacing an earlier tree crow's-nest lookout from the 1920sSource: nhlr.org
  2. No record between 1933 and 1955
  3. 1955 BuiltPresent CL-160 metal flattop cab first erected on Barkalow (Barklow) MountainSources: nhlr.org, recreation.gov
  4. No record between 1955 and 1974
  5. 1974 MovedCab moved by helicopter to current site and placed on a steel tower; staffing beganSources: nhlr.org, recreation.gov
  6. No record between 1974 and 1996
  7. 1996 StaffedFire-season staffing at this site ended in 1996Source: recreation.gov
  8. 2003 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterListed on the National Historic Lookout Register, March 31, 2003Source: nhlr.org
  9. 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.

Fire detection at this site on the Rogue River–Siskiyou National Forest started in the 1920s with nothing more than a crow's nest lashed into a tree.1 That gave way in 1933 to a proper L-4 cab, the standard Forest Service lookout design of the era.1

The building that stands today is a different structure altogether. It's a CL-160 flat-topped metal cab, first put up on Barkalow (also spelled Barklow) Mountain in the Powers Ranger District in 1955.1,2 In 1974 the Forest Service had it flown by helicopter to its current site and set on a steel tower — the National Historic Lookout Register gives the tower as 10 feet, while Recreation.gov describes a 12-foot tower and catwalk, so the exact height is unclear.1,2 Once in place, it was staffed through fire seasons from 1974 until 1996.2

After it came out of regular fire-watch service, the cabin stayed in Forest Service hands and was brought into the agency's rental lookout program.1,2 It was added to the National Historic Lookout Register in 2003.1

Today the lookout is a one-room rental cabin sleeping up to four, reachable for anyone willing to book it through Recreation.gov. It comes with a bed, a table, solar lighting and a pit toilet nearby, but no running water — guests haul in their own water, bedding and cooking gear.2 The payoff is the view: from the tower guests can look out over the Kalmiopsis and Wild Rogue Wilderness areas, the Illinois and Rogue River canyons, and on a clear day the Pacific Ocean.2

  1. Lake of the Woods Lookout, National Historic Lookout Register, http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/or/lake-of-the-woods-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-04). ↩
  2. Lake Of The Woods Lookout, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, Recreation.gov, https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/234158 (accessed 2026-10-04). ↩

Photos

Photo of Lake of the Woods Lookout
Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · 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 whether it still stands.

    • FFLA: Standing
    • NHLR: Standing
    • recreation.gov: Standing
    • firelookout.com -- Rex Kamstra's Forest Fire Lookout Page: Gone
    • OpenStreetMap: Standing
    • Every Lookout in Oregon (Cheryl Hill): Standing

    NHLR lists lookouts that were standing when registered. firelookout.com lists it, but not on its map of standing lookouts.

  • Sources disagree on the year it was built.

    • NHLR: 1955
    • Every Lookout in Oregon (Cheryl Hill): 1974

    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, 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: 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. OpenStreetMap -- fire lookout structures Gave us: links © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL 1.0. (c) OpenStreetMap contributors. · retrieved 4 Oct 2026
  7. FOREST LOOKOUTS -- western US (Ron Kemnow's weebly sites) Gave us: 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
  8. Every Lookout in Oregon (Cheryl Hill) Gave us: links Every Lookout in Oregon (Cheryl Hill, cherylhill.net) · No licence stated; facts only (name, agency, elevation, year built, design and height, status word, links). Posts' narrative and photos are not reproduced. · retrieved 8 Oct 2026
  9. 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

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