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Fire lookout · Okanogan County, Washington

Black Ridge Lookout Site

Okanogan NF site: a 1934 firefinder camp, a 1935 L-4 cab, and the cab removed or destroyed in 1952. No source describes the site today.

Gone: The lookout no longer stands. Only the site is left. Sources differ on how the L-4 cab ended: FFLOS says it was removed in 1952, Willhite reports it was said to be removed that year, and Firelookout.com says it was destroyed. No source describes what remains.

Visit & stay

Gone: site only. The lookout no longer stands, so there is nothing to climb or rent.

Access

Access unknown

We do not know the access rules. Check with the land manager before you go.

Road to the top?
Unknown

Facts

Status
Gone
Type
Ground-level cabCamp with firefinders, two stations about a quarter mile apart (1934), then an L-4 cab (1935)The design: L-4
Built of
WoodGoing by its design; no source says so in words.
Built
1934
Height
Unknown
Elevation
7,552 ft (2,302 m)
Agency
U.S. Forest Service
Land
Federal land
Location
Okanogan County, Washington
Coordinates
48.32905, −120.50776
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 9 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-wa-black-ridge

View from the cab

What the lookout saw from its 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.

This lookout is gone. The view is reconstructed from its recorded site and a typical height for a lookout like it.

Downloads about 4.1 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. 1934 BuiltCamp with firefinders, with stations about a quarter mile apartSources: firetower.org, firelookout.com, willhiteweb.com
  2. 1934 EventPanoramic photographs taken at both stations on September 20, 1934Sources: firetower.org, washingtonlookouts.weebly.com, willhiteweb.com
  3. 1935 Replaced by a new structureL-4 cab placed at the site, replacing the firefinder campSources: firetower.org, firelookout.com, willhiteweb.com
  4. No record between 1935 and 1952
  5. 1952 RemovedL-4 cab removed in 1952 per FFLOS; Willhite reports it was said to be removed; Firelookout.com says destroyedSources: firetower.org, firelookout.com, willhiteweb.com
  6. No record between 1952 and 2012
  7. 2012 Added to the Former Fire Lookout Sites RegisterRegistered as US 1432, WA 332 on November 9, 2012Source: firetower.org
  8. TodayGoneThe lookout no longer stands. Only the site is left.

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 9 Oct 2026, fact-checked.

Black Ridge is in the Okanogan National Forest, about 17 miles west of Twisp, at an elevation of 7,552 feet.1,2

The lookout began as a camp.2,3 In 1934 a camp with firefinders was built, with two stations about a quarter mile apart.2,3 On September 20, 1934, panoramic photographs were taken at both stations.4,3 The Former Fire Lookout Sites register credits the photographs to the National Archives Pacific Northwest Region.2

In 1935 an L-4 cab replaced the camp.2,1,3 The National Historic Lookout Register describes an L-4 as a 14-by-14-foot frame cab that could sit atop a tall firetower.5

Willhite's page gives the build dates and little else.3 I found no account of who staffed the stations or what fires they spotted.

The cab's end is recorded two ways. The Former Fire Lookout Sites register says the L-4 was removed in 1952.2 Willhite reports that the cab was said to be removed that year.3 Firelookout.com says it was destroyed in 1952.1 The Weebly index lists the site as removed.4 None of these sources describes what, if anything, remains on the ground today, or how to reach the site.2,1,4,3

  1. Black Ridge Fire Lookout Cabin, Firelookout.com, https://www.firelookout.com/wa/blackridge.html (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  2. Black Ridge Lookout Site, Former Fire Lookout Sites Register, http://firetower.org/lookouts/us/wa/black-ridge-lookout-site/ (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  3. Black Ridge Lookout Site Stations, WillhiteWeb.com (Eric Willhite), http://willhiteweb.com/fire_lookouts/black_ridge_lookout/twisp_084.htm (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  4. Black Ridge, Forest Lookouts index, Rex's Fire Lookout Page, https://washingtonlookouts.weebly.com/black-ridge.html (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  5. Definitions, National Historic Lookout Register, http://nhlr.org/definitions/ (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩

Photos

Black Ridge Lookout panoramic 9-20-1934 (N) Station 1
Black Ridge Lookout panoramic 9-20-1934 (N) Station 1 (1934)Photo: National Archives-Pacific Northwest Region, via Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Black Ridge Lookout panoramic 9-20-1934 (SE) Station 1
Black Ridge Lookout panoramic 9-20-1934 (SE) Station 1 (1934)Photo: National Archives-Pacific Northwest Region, via Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Black Ridge Lookout panoramic 9-20-1934 (SW) Station 1
Black Ridge Lookout panoramic 9-20-1934 (SW) Station 1 (1934)Photo: National Archives-Pacific Northwest Region, via Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Black Ridge Lookout panoramic 9-20-1934 (N) Station 2
Black Ridge Lookout panoramic 9-20-1934 (N) Station 2 (1934)Photo: National Archives-Pacific Northwest Region, via Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Black Ridge Lookout panoramic 9-20-1934 (SE) Station 2
Black Ridge Lookout panoramic 9-20-1934 (SE) Station 2 (1934)Photo: National Archives-Pacific Northwest Region, via Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Black Ridge Lookout panoramic 9-20-1934 (SW) Station 2
Black Ridge Lookout panoramic 9-20-1934 (SW) Station 2 (1934)Photo: National Archives-Pacific Northwest Region, via Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · 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. Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (FFLOS) Gave us: name, location, county, elevation, what it is built of, register numbers, agency, ownership, dates, photos, links Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.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: 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: 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. WillhiteWeb.com: Washington Fire Lookouts Gave us: links WillhiteWeb.com · No licence stated; names and page links only (the site's photos and text are not reproduced). · retrieved 8 Oct 2026
  6. Firefinder research Gave us: summary, design, status, agency, 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.