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Fire lookout · Lane County, Oregon

Saddleblanket Mountain Lookout

Saddle Blanket Mountain tower in the Willamette National Forest: 1922 tree lookout, 1927 steel tower, abandoned 1967; NHLR-registered 1991.

Status unknown: We do not know yet whether it still stands. Abandoned as a lookout in 1967; the steel tower was still in place at a July 2013 visit. No later condition report was found.

Visit & stay

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

Access

Open to the public. Reached on foot by Saddleblanket Trail 3487 from the end of Forest Road 144. The tower is not open as a lookout, and climbing is discouraged.

Can you climb it?
No
Road to the top?
No, you have to hike
Trail
Trail 3487 begins on the left side of the end of Forest Road 144. A 2013 visitor hiked a brushy 1.5-mile trail to the lookout.
Staffing
Not staffed (as of 1969)

Facts

Status
Status unknown sources disagree
Type
Cab on a towerAermotor LX-24 steel tower with 7 by 7 foot cabThe design: Aermotor LX-24 / LX-25
Built of
Steel
Height
70 ft (21.3 m)
Elevation
4,940 ft (1,506 m)
Agency
U.S. Forest Service (Willamette National Forest)
Land
Federal land
Location
Lane County, Oregon
Coordinates
43.89368, −122.51002
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 8 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-or-saddleblanket-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.

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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. 1922 BuiltSource: firelookout.com -- Rex Kamstra's Forest Fire Lookout Page
  2. 1922 EventCrow's nest lookout established in a 30-foot tree (not the steel tower)Sources: nhlr.org, oregonlookouts.weebly.com
  3. 1925 EventMorning Register item says a high tower was being erected and its foundations were inSource: oregonlookouts.weebly.com
  4. 1927 Built12 by 12 foot shelter cabin at the foot of the tower, plans reported in 1927 newspapersSource: oregonlookouts.weebly.com
  5. 1939 AlteredStraight side ladder replaced by an inside stairwaySources: nhlr.org, oregonlookouts.weebly.com
  6. 1953 EventCoast and Geodetic Survey station description: four-legged steel structure with small cabin at the top, about 70 feet highSource: oregonlookouts.weebly.com
  7. 1967 AbandonedAbandoned as a lookoutSources: firelookout.com, cherylhill.net
  8. 1969 EventForest Service offered the steel tower for sale, buyer to dismantle and remove it from the site; no formal bids receivedSource: oregonlookouts.weebly.com
  9. 1972 Condition assessmentInspected July 1, 1972; stair structural members needed replacement to return it to safe useSource: oregonlookouts.weebly.com
  10. No record between 1972 and 1991
  11. 1991 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterRegistered November 15, 1991 as US 25, OR 7Source: nhlr.org
  12. TodayStatus unknownWe do not know whether it still stands.

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.

Saddle Blanket Mountain rises in Lane County, Oregon, in the Willamette National Forest.1,2 The Register gives its elevation as 4,940 feet, while firelookout.com, Cheryl Hill and the Forest Service trail page give 4,969 feet.1,2,3,4

The first lookout was a crow's nest in a 30-foot tree, established in 1922.5 A steel tower came later, and the sources disagree on its date. The Register and firelookout.com say it was erected in 1927.1,2 An August 1925 Morning Register item said the lookout was erecting a high tower, and a 1927 Eugene paper described a 60-foot tower that had gone up the year before.5

The Register describes a 70-foot Aermotor LX-24 tower with a 7-by-7 cab, and says it is the oldest surviving lookout structure on the National Forest.1 A 1953 survey station description also puts the steel structure at about 70 feet.5 In 1927 newspapers reported plans for a 12-by-12-foot shelter cabin at the tower's foot, with materials to be carried up on men's backs.5 In 1939 the ladder that ran straight up the side was replaced by an inside stairway.1,5

The tower was abandoned in 1967, according to firelookout.com and Cheryl Hill.2,3 A June 1969 notice said it "no longer will be manned during the summer fire season," and the Forest Service offered it for sale on condition that the buyer take it apart and remove it.5 No formal bids were received, and the Forest Service said it would negotiate with anyone interested in acquiring the steel structure.5 A 1972 inspection said several stair members would need replacing to return the structure to safe use.5

Cheryl Hill visited in July 2013.3 The visitor drove to the end of Road 144 and hiked a brushy 1.5-mile trail to the lookout.3 The steel tower was still in place, and the Forest Service had removed the lower section of the ladder to keep people from climbing; the ground cabin was gone.3

The Forest Service trail page for Saddleblanket Trail 3487, last updated August 1, 2025, describes the route to the summit and says Forest Road 143 is closed to motor vehicles in spring for wildlife management.4 That page does not mention the tower.4

The sources read for this history do not say what condition the tower is in today, and the latest visit described here is from July 2013. Check with the Middle Fork Ranger District before going.4

  1. Saddleblanket Mountain Lookout, National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org), http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/or/saddleblanket-mountain-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  2. Saddleblanket Mtn. Fire Lookout Tower, firelookout.com, https://www.firelookout.com/or/saddleblanket.html (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  3. Saddleblanket Mountain, Every Lookout in Oregon (cherylhill.net), http://cherylhill.net/firelookouts/2013/07/08/saddleblanket-mountain/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  4. Saddleblanket Trail #3487, Willamette National Forest, U.S. Forest Service, https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/willamette/recreation/trails/saddleblanket-trail-3487 (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  5. Saddle Blanket Mountain, Forest Lookouts (oregonlookouts.weebly.com), https://oregonlookouts.weebly.com/saddle-blanket-mountain.html (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩

Photos

Saddleblanket Mountain Lookout - 2007
Saddleblanket Mountain Lookout - 2007 (2007)Photo: Ron Kemnow, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Saddleblanket Mtn. in 1922
Saddleblanket Mtn. in 1922 (1922)Photo: the Mark Swift collection, Howard Verschoor collection, and Robert Seymour, via firelookout.com · source
Saddleblanket Mtn. L.O.
Saddleblanket Mtn. L.OPhoto: the Mark Swift collection, Howard Verschoor collection, and Robert Seymour, via firelookout.com · source
Saddleblanket Mtn. in 1927
Saddleblanket Mtn. in 1927 (1927)Photo: the Mark Swift collection, Howard Verschoor collection, and Robert Seymour, via firelookout.com · source
Saddleblanket Mtn. in 1960
Saddleblanket Mtn. in 1960 (1960)Photo: the Mark Swift collection, Howard Verschoor collection, and Robert Seymour, via firelookout.com · source
Saddleblanket Mtn. in 2007
Saddleblanket Mtn. in 2007 (2007)Photo: the Mark Swift collection, Howard Verschoor collection, and Robert Seymour, 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.

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.

    • Firefinder research: Status unknown
    • FFLA: Standing

    Research (2026-10-08) gives unknown where the source records give standing. The page shows the researched status; please tell us if it is wrong.

  • Sources disagree on the year it was built.

    • firelookout.com -- Rex Kamstra's Forest Fire Lookout Page: 1922
    • Every Lookout in Oregon (Cheryl Hill): 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: 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
  4. FOREST LOOKOUTS -- western US (Ron Kemnow's weebly sites) Gave us: height, 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
  5. Every Lookout in Oregon (Cheryl Hill) Gave us: what it is built of, 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
  6. Firefinder research Gave us: summary, design, height, 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.