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Fire lookout · Yakima County, Washington

Clover Springs Lookout Site

Yakima County, WA site of an L-5 cab dated to the 1930s, removed or destroyed in 1960; concrete, a foundation and debris remain at the summit.

Gone: The lookout no longer stands. Only the site is left. Cab removed or destroyed in 1960 (sources differ on the word); concrete, a foundation and debris remain at the summit per Willhite's photos, including 2016 views

Visit & stay

Gone: site only. The lookout no longer stands, so there is nothing to climb or rent. You may still be able to visit the site.

Access

Open to the public. Reached over FR 1706 from Highway 410 and then a short old blocked road; Willhite says the road is rough and needs high clearance; no closure is described

Road to the top?
Unknown
Trail
From the last parking area, an old blocked road climbs a steep hillside, about five minutes and 150 feet of gain (Willhite)

Facts

Status
Gone
Type
Ground-level cabL-5 cab (reported by the Register and firelookout.com; Willhite has found no photos of it)The design: L-5
Built of
WoodGoing by its design; no source says so in words.
Built
1930
Height
Unknown
Elevation
6,431 ft (1,960 m)
Agency
U.S. Forest Service
Land
Federal land
Location
Yakima County, Washington
Coordinates
46.86773, −121.19581
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 9 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-wa-clover-springs

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. 1930 BuiltDecade only: the Register and firelookout.com say 1930s. Willhite argues the cab came after the July 1936 panoramasSources: firetower.org, firelookout.com, washingtonlookouts.weebly.com
  2. 1936 EventPanorama photos taken July 31, 1936 show no structure or improvements at the site (Willhite)Sources: washingtonlookouts.weebly.com, willhiteweb.com
  3. No record between 1936 and 1960
  4. 1960 RemovedRegister says removed in 1960; firelookout.com says destroyed in 1960Sources: firetower.org, firelookout.com
  5. No record between 1960 and 2012
  6. 2012 Added to the Former Fire Lookout Sites RegisterRegistered July 19, 2012 as US 1359, WA 259; nominated by Ray KresekSource: firetower.org
  7. 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.

Clover Springs is in Yakima County, Washington, at 6,431 feet.1 The Register places it in the Wenatchee National Forest.1

The Register and firelookout.com both describe an L-5 cab from the 1930s.1,2 Willhite notes that the panorama photos taken on July 31, 1936 show no structure at the site, so any cab came later.3,4 He has also seen other sources that describe only a tent and a fire finder.4 He still believes a cab stood there, judging from the concrete and debris at the summit.4

The Register and firelookout.com both date the end to 1960.1,2 The Register says the cab was removed, and firelookout.com says it was destroyed.1,2

Willhite's photos, including 2016 views, show concrete and nails at the summit, melted glass, a foundation, and a spot he labels a garbage pit or outhouse location.4 No source we read describes the site after those photos.

To reach it, Willhite took Highway 410 to the Boulder Cave exit, drove 0.3 miles of pavement, and turned left onto FR 1706.4 He says that road is good for nearly nine miles before it gets rougher.4 From the last parking area, an old blocked road climbs a steep hillside to the site, about five minutes and 150 feet of gain.4 He recommends high clearance, since rough rocks and trenches can develop.4

  1. Clover Springs Lookout Site, Former Fire Lookout Sites, http://firetower.org/lookouts/us/wa/clover-springs-lookout-site/ (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  2. Clover Springs Fire Lookout Cabin, firelookout.com, https://www.firelookout.com/wa/cloversprings.html (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  3. Clover Springs, Forest Lookouts, https://washingtonlookouts.weebly.com/clover-springs.html (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  4. Clover Springs Lookout Site, WillhiteWeb.com, http://willhiteweb.com/washington_fire_lookouts/clover_springs/lookout_site_088.htm (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩

Photos

Clover Springs Lookout panoramic 7-31-1936 (N)
Clover Springs Lookout panoramic 7-31-1936 (N) (1936)Photo: National Archives-Pacific Northwest Region, via Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Clover Springs Lookout panoramic 7-31-1936 (SE)
Clover Springs Lookout panoramic 7-31-1936 (SE) (1936)Photo: National Archives-Pacific Northwest Region, via Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Clover Springs Lookout panoramic 7-31-1936 (SW)
Clover Springs Lookout panoramic 7-31-1936 (SW) (1936)Photo: National Archives-Pacific Northwest Region, via Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Clover Springs Lookout site
Clover Springs Lookout sitePhoto: Eric Willhite, 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, 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.