FirefinderFire lookouts of the US

Fire lookout · Rockingham County, Virginia

High Knob Lookout (George Washington NF)

Also known as High Knob (GWNF), High Knob

A 1939-40 stone tower with a wooden cab on the Virginia-West Virginia line, built by WWI veterans and CCC crews; restored 2001-2003, hiked to today, with the cab interior not open at a 2018 visit.

Visit & stay

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

Access

Restricted access

Access is seasonal, gated or needs a permit. Check before you go. Trail and tower exterior open to hikers; the cab interior was not open to visitors at the May 2018 NHLR visit, and the visitor wished it could be opened

Can you climb it?
Yes
Road to the top?
No, you have to hike
Trail
2.5-mile out-and-back trail, about 1.5 to 2.5 hours, about 643 ft of elevation change; trailhead about 30 minutes west of Harrisonburg by car
Staffing
Unknown

Facts

Status
Standing
Type
Two-story buildingAbout 20 ft stone base with a wooden 14x14 ft cab and catwalk; the only stone lookout in VirginiaThe design: Stone lookouts
Built of
Not recorded
Built
1939
Height
Unknown
Elevation
4,107 ft (1,252 m)
Agency
U.S. Forest Service (George Washington National Forest, Dry River Ranger District)
Land
Federal land
Location
Rockingham County, Virginia
Coordinates
38.56870, −79.17070
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 8 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-va-high-knob-george-washington-nf

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. 1939 BuiltConstruction started in 1939 by World War I veterans under John Moffett; NHLR's Built field gives 1939, while its description says the tower was completed in 1940 by CCC Camp #2 crewsSources: nhlr.org, friendsofshenandoahmountain.org
  2. 1940 StaffedGerald Fawley moved from a tree platform into the finished stone tower for the 1940 fire season and stayed three more seasonsSource: friendsofshenandoahmountain.org
  3. No record between 1940 and 1972
  4. 1972 EventForest Service memo proposed declaring the forest's fire towers surplus and removing them, except Elliott Knob and Reddish Knob; a district ranger asked to keep High KnobSource: friendsofshenandoahmountain.org
  5. No record between 1972 and 1994
  6. 1994 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterRegistered January 27, 1994 on the National Historic Lookout Register as US 76 (VA 1)Source: nhlr.org
  7. 2003 RestoredNHLR says restored in 2003; trail guide says restored from 2001 to 2003Sources: nhlr.org, visitharrisonburgva.com
  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.

High Knob Lookout is a stone tower in the George Washington National Forest, on the state line between Rockingham County, Virginia, and Pendleton County, West Virginia.1 It is Virginia's only stone lookout, and it also commemorates the veterans and Civilian Conservation Corps workers who built it.1

World War I veterans started construction in 1939 under the supervision of John Moffett.1 Men from the Civilian Conservation Corps camp at North River completed the tower in 1940.1 The builders used native rock from the mountaintop.2 The tower carries a wooden 14-by-14-foot cab with a catwalk.1

By the 1940 fire season, fire tower watchman Gerald Fawley had stopped working from a rickety platform in a tree. He moved into the stone tower and worked there for three more seasons before transferring to the post on Cow Knob.2

In August 1972 a Forest Service memo proposed declaring the forest's fire towers surplus and removing them, except for two. High Knob was among the towers included.2 A district ranger asked to keep High Knob, and the local VFW and Rockingham Historical Society expressed interest in keeping it too.2 The register notes that only three fire towers remain on the George Washington National Forest, where there were once 24.1 The tower was restored, with the register giving 2003 and a trail guide giving 2001 to 2003.1,3 The National Historic Lookout Register listed it on January 27, 1994.1

Today, a 2.5-mile out-and-back trail reaches the tower. It takes about 1.5 to 2.5 hours and has about 643 feet of elevation change, and the trailhead is about 30 minutes west of Harrisonburg by car.3 From the top, the tower gives 360-degree views, and plaques on the catwalk name the peaks in sight.3 The inside is a different matter. A May 2018 visit report noted that a few windows and the door were covered with wood, and the visitor wished the interior could be opened.1 That report does not establish current access, so check with the national forest before going inside.1

  1. High Knob Lookout (George Washington NF), National Historic Lookout Register, http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/va/high-knob-lookout-george-washington-nf/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  2. History of High Knob Fire Tower, Friends of Shenandoah Mountain, http://www.friendsofshenandoahmountain.org/history-of-high-knob-fire-tower.html (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  3. High Knob Fire Tower trail guide, Visit Harrisonburg, https://visitharrisonburgva.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/High-Knob-Fire-Tower-Trail.pdf (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩

Photos

Photo of High Knob Lookout (George Washington NF)
Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Former USFS rangers Bill Woodland and Charlie Huppuch hiking to High Knob in December 2013
Former USFS rangers Bill Woodland and Charlie Huppuch hiking to High Knob in December 2013 (2013)Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Former USFS rangers Bill Woodland and Charlie Huppuch at top of High Knob in December 2013
Former USFS rangers Bill Woodland and Charlie Huppuch at top of High Knob in December 2013 (2013)Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Lookout Gerald Fawley using an Osborne Fire Finder at High Knob
Lookout Gerald Fawley using an Osborne Fire Finder at High KnobPhoto: U.S. Forest Service, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Cab interior in June 2009
Cab interior in June 2009 (2009)Photo: Brian Powell, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
View from High Knob Lookout in June 2009
View from High Knob Lookout in June 2009 (2009)Photo: Brian Powell, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
View from High Knob Lookout in June 2009
View from High Knob Lookout in June 2009 (2009)Photo: Brian Powell, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
View from High Knob Lookout in June 2009
View from High Knob Lookout in June 2009 (2009)Photo: Brian Powell, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Photo of High Knob Lookout (George Washington NF)
Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
April 18, 2017 photo
April 18, 2017 photo (2017)Photo: Tammy Simmons, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Photo of High Knob Lookout (George Washington NF)
Photo: G. Edward Johnson, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 · 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 (FFLA) - US lookout lists Gave us: register numbers, links Forest Fire Lookout Association (firelookout.org) · No licence stated; facts extracted only, no prose copied. · retrieved 8 Oct 2026
  4. FOREST LOOKOUTS -- eastern US (easternuslookouts.weebly.com) Gave us: links easternuslookouts.weebly.com · No licence stated; facts only (county, coordinates where the page's own map widget gives them, status, height, design hints, register links). The site's own historical quotes, newspaper citations and narrative are not reproduced. · retrieved 8 Oct 2026
  5. 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
  6. 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

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