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Fire lookout · Yakima County, Washington

Cleman Mountain Lookout

Yakima County, WA ridge lookout: 1946 log cabin, 1954 L-4 cab, 40-ft DNR tower from 1968; last staffed 1998; storm-damaged and toppled by the DNR in 2007.

Gone: The lookout no longer stands. Only the site is left. Toppled and removed by the DNR in April 2007 (Willhite Web); no source describes what remains of the lookout on the summit

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. Willhite Web gives high-clearance 4WD routes to the summit and an alternate if the Benton Creek road is closed; no source states a public access rule

Road to the top?
Yes, you can drive up
Trail
Willhite Web says both routes require high clearance 4WD; if the roads are no longer open, it suggests the Rock Creek Road to the ridge

Facts

Status
Gone sources disagree
Type
Cab on a tower40-foot wooden tower with a 14 x 14 foot DNR live-in cab, after a 1946 log cabin and a 1954 L-4 cabThe design: L-4
Built of
Wood
Built
1946
Height
40 ft (12.2 m)
Elevation
5,088 ft (1,551 m)
Agency
U.S. Forest Service with Washington DNR (National Historic Lookout Register); Washington Dept of Natural Resources/Wenatchee National Forest (firelookout.com)
Land
Federal land
Location
Yakima County, Washington
Coordinates
46.82360, −120.85650 sources disagree
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 9 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-wa-cleman-mountain

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 its recorded height.

Downloads about 4.0 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. 1946 BuiltFirst structure on the site was a log cabin, set up by the Division of Forestry after the warSources: nhlr.org, firetower.org, firelookout.com
  2. 1954 Replaced by a new structureL-4 cab built on the site, replacing the log cabinSources: nhlr.org, firetower.org, firelookout.com
  3. 1967 StaffedSharon Borgford and her husband recorded as lookouts (Willhite Web)Source: willhiteweb.com
  4. 1968 Built40-foot wooden tower with DNR live-in cab. Register, FFLOS and firelookout.com say 1968; Willhite Web says late 1968 or 1969Sources: nhlr.org, firetower.org, firelookout.com
  5. 1968 StaffedEarl and Merline Blum recorded as lookouts (Willhite Web)Source: willhiteweb.com
  6. No record between 1968 and 1998
  7. 1998 Last staffedLast staffed by the Wenatchee National ForestSources: nhlr.org, firetower.org, firelookout.com
  8. 2000 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterRegistered November 8, 2000 as US 365, WA 46Source: nhlr.org
  9. 2006 EventStorm damaged the tower legs over the winter of 2006-2007. Sources differ on whether one leg broke or two were severely damagedSources: nhlr.org, firetower.org, firelookout.com
  10. 2007 DestroyedNational Historic Lookout Register says the lookout was destroyed in 2007Source: nhlr.org
  11. 2007 RemovedTower toppled by the DNR in April 2007 (Willhite Web) and removed or torn down that spring (Former Fire Lookout Sites Register, firelookout.com)Sources: firetower.org, firelookout.com, willhiteweb.com
  12. 2020 Added to the Former Fire Lookout Sites RegisterRegistered April 15, 2020 as US 2000, WA 489Source: firetower.org
  13. 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.

Cleman Mountain Lookout stood on a long ridge near the town of Naches, in Yakima County, Washington.1,2,3 The site was first developed in 1946 with a log cabin, set up by the Division of Forestry after the war.1,3 An L-4 cab replaced the cabin in 1954.2

A 40-foot wooden tower with a live-in DNR cab came later. The National Historic Lookout Register and firelookout.com date it to 1968, while Willhite Web says late 1968 or 1969.1,2,4,3 The cab was 14 by 14 feet.1

Willhite Web names Sharon Borgford and her husband as the lookouts in 1967, and Earl and Merline Blum in 1968.3 The Wenatchee National Forest last staffed the lookout in 1998.1,4,3

A storm in the winter of 2006 and 2007 damaged the tower legs.1,2 The sources differ on how many were hurt: the Former Fire Lookout Sites Register and firelookout.com say one leg broke, while Willhite Web says two were severely damaged.1,2,4,3 Willhite Web says the DNR toppled the tower in April 2007, and the National Historic Lookout Register says it was destroyed that year.3,1

The National Historic Lookout Register registered the site on November 8, 2000.1 The Former Fire Lookout Sites Register added it on April 15, 2020.2 The two registers also give different coordinates and elevations, 5,088 feet (1,551 m) in one and 5,115 feet (1,559 m) in the other.1,2

We found no source that says what remains of the lookout today. Willhite Web includes a photo captioned "Towers on the summit," but gives no date and does not say whether any part of the lookout is among them.3 The guide says both routes to the summit need high-clearance four-wheel drive. If those roads are no longer open, it suggests the Rock Creek Road to the ridge instead.3 We found no information about whether the site is open to the public.

  1. Cleman Mountain Lookout, National Historic Lookout Register, http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/wa/cleman-mountain-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  2. Cleman Mountain Lookout Site, Former Fire Lookout Sites Register, http://firetower.org/lookouts/us/wa/cleman-mountain-lookout-site/ (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  3. Cleman Mountain, WillhiteWeb.com, http://www.willhiteweb.com/washington_climbing/cleman_mountain/naches_valley_4wd_045.htm (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  4. Cleman Mtn. Fire Lookout Tower, firelookout.com, https://www.firelookout.com/wa/cleman.html (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩

Photos

Clemen Mountain Lookout - 2003
Clemen Mountain Lookout - 2003 (2003)Photo: Tammy McLeod, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Clemen Mountain Lookout - 1954 built L-4 Ground Cabin
Clemen Mountain Lookout - 1954 built L-4 Ground Cabin (1954)Photo: Willhite Web, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Damage and Removal - 2007
Damage and Removal - 2007 (2007)Photo: Willhite Web, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Cleman Mountain Lookout 1961
Cleman Mountain Lookout 1961 (1961)Photo: Rex Kamstra collection, via Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Cleman Mountain Lookout
Cleman Mountain LookoutPhoto: Rex Kamstra, 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.

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 the location by 680 m.

    • NHLR: 46.82360, −120.85650
    • FFLOS: 46.82006, −120.84927

    The map uses the position from NHLR.

  • Sources disagree on whether it still stands.

    • FFLA: Gone
    • NHLR: Standing
    • FFLOS: Gone
    • firelookout.com -- Rex Kamstra's Forest Fire Lookout Page: Gone

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

Sources

  1. National Historic Lookout Register (NHLR) Gave us: name, location, county, elevation, what it is built of, 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. Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (FFLOS) Gave us: register numbers, 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. 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.