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Fire lookout · Lane County, Oregon

Timber Butte Cabin (replica)

Also known as Timber Butte Cabin, Timber Butte, Timber Butte Replica Lookout

A 2005 volunteer-built cabin in the style of a 1930s L-4 lookout, rented on Recreation.gov; one Oregon list says it was never used as a lookout.

Visit & stay

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

Sleeps
Up to 4 people
Getting there
The cabin can be accessed by car, but guests should expect to walk about 300 feet uphill from their parking spot.

Rules

  • Pack out all trash

Overview Timber Butte Lookout is located in the Fall Creek area of the Willamette National Forest at an elevation of 3,650 feet 19 miles from Lowell, Oregon. The cabin is open from mid-April through late October, offering the chance to enjoy beautiful scenery and a variety of recreational activities. The lookout was constructed in 2005 as a replica of the L-4 gabled-style lookout with wooden catwalk commonly built in this region in the 1930s. It was built through volunteer efforts with a $10,000 grant from Lane County and other contributions by individuals and organizations. The cabin can be accessed by car, but guests should expect to walk about 300 feet uphill from their parking spot. A high-clearance vehicle is recommended. Recreation The lookout is located near the Fall Creek Trail Area. Several hiking trails can be accessed from this area, including the Fall Creek National Recreation Trail, which also offers opportunities for fishing and picnicking. Swimming holes can also be found along this trail. Hunting is another popular activity in this area. Facilities The 14x14-ft. cabin is encircled by a catwalk. It sits slightly off the ground and is accessed by a ramp. The cabin accommodates 4 people and contains a double bed with sleeping pad, a propane heating stove, fire extinguisher, broom and dustpan. A 3-burner propane cook top is located on the deck. Propane is provided. Dishes and cookware are available. A picnic table and fire ring are located in a nearby group of trees, and a vault toilet is located about 300 feet away. No drinking water or electricity is provided. Guests must bring their own supply of drinking water. Items such as bedding, lanterns or flashlights, matches, extra toilet paper, first aid supplies, trash bags, dish soap, towels and an ice chest are not available. Guests are expected to pack out their trash and clean the cabin before leaving. Natural Features The lookout offers panoramic views of the Cascade Mountains and the surrounding evergreen forest. On clear days, guests may see Mount Jefferson and the peaks of the Three Sisters. Willamette National Forest offers prime habitat for such species as Roosevelt elk, black bear, bald eagles, black tail deer and bobcats, among other wildlife. Nearby Attractions Guests can explore up to 20 historic covered bridges in nearby Lane County by car. Within 10 miles there is creek access, fishing, swimming, and hiking.

Book on recreation.gov

Rental details from recreation.gov, checked 12 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 by reservation on Recreation.gov, open mid-April to late October; gate combination from the Middle Fork Ranger District, weekday calls only

Can you climb it?
Unknown
Road to the top?
Yes, you can drive up
Trail
Walk about 300 feet uphill from parking; high-clearance vehicle recommended; no drinking water or electricity
Staffing
Unknown

Facts

Status
Standing
Type
Ground-level cabReplica of the gabled L-4 style with wooden catwalk; 14x14 ft cabinThe design: L-4
Built of
Not recorded
Built
2005
Height
Unknown
Elevation
3,650 ft (1,113 m)
Agency
U.S. Forest Service (Willamette National Forest, Middle Fork Ranger District)
Land
Federal land
Location
Lane County, Oregon
Coordinates
43.92530, −122.57155
Registers
Not on a lookout register
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 12 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-or-timber-butte-replica

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 3.8 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. 2005 BuiltBuilt by volunteers as a replica of the L-4 gabled lookout style; $10,000 Lane County grant plus other giftsSources: recreation.gov, fs.usda.gov
  2. 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.

Timber Butte Cabin looks like a fire lookout, but it was never a working one.1 Volunteers built it in 2005 as a replica of the gabled L-4 lookout design, which was common in the region in the 1930s. It has a wooden catwalk.2,3 A $10,000 grant from Lane County and other gifts from individuals and organizations helped fund the build.2

A list of Oregon's standing lookouts leaves the cabin out. Its note says the cabin was built to rent to the public, and that it resembles a lookout but was never used as one.1 The same note adds that "Timber Butte" is not an official name on maps.1 Other sources still call it a replica lookout, and the Forest Fire Lookout Association lists it as standing.3,4

It sits at 3,650 feet in the Fall Creek area of the Willamette National Forest, 19 miles from Lowell.2 Because the list says the site was never used as a lookout point, the cabin has no fire-watch history to record.1

Today it is rented through Recreation.gov and open from mid-April through late October.2 The 14-by-14-foot cabin sleeps four on a double bed, with a propane heating stove, and a three-burner cooktop sits on the deck. The cabin supplies propane, dishes and cookware.2 There is no electricity and no drinking water, so guests must bring their own water.2 Entry is by combination lock, and guests request the combination from the Middle Fork Ranger District, which takes those calls on weekdays only.2 The cabin can be reached by car, though guests walk about 300 feet uphill from parking, and a high-clearance vehicle is recommended.3 The listing says the heating stove is propane gas only, and warns that burning firewood inside it will result in serious injury, explosion or worse.2

  1. Oregon's Standing Lookouts, cherylhill.net, https://cherylhill.net/firelookouts/oregons-standing-lookouts/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  2. Timber Butte Cabin, Recreation.gov, https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/233133 (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  3. Timber Butte Cabin, Willamette National Forest, U.S. Forest Service, https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/willamette/recreation/timber-butte-cabin (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  4. Oregon lookout list, Forest Fire Lookout Association, https://firelookout.org/lookouts/us/or/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩

Sources

  1. Forest Fire Lookout Association (FFLA) - US lookout lists Gave us: name, location, county, type, status, links Forest Fire Lookout Association (firelookout.org) · No licence stated; facts extracted only, no prose copied. · retrieved 8 Oct 2026
  2. Recreation Information Database (recreation.gov) Gave us: elevation, agency, ownership, access, rental details, dates, links Data source: ridb.recreation.gov · Public data from the US government · retrieved 12 Oct 2026
  3. 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
  4. Firefinder research Gave us: summary, design, 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

Firefinder takes facts (places, dates, numbers) from these sources and writes its own words. See all sources and licences.