FirefinderFire lookouts of the US

Fire lookout · Challam County, Washington

Dodger Point Lookout

A 1933 Forest Service L-4 summit cabin in Olympic National Park, used for aircraft warning in WWII and rebuilt on its foundation in 2017 after years of decline.

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. Hike-in only. A 2017 article says it is accessed only by the Long Ridge trail. An undated page says use is only for emergency purposes. No current park notice was found.

Can you climb it?
Unknown
Road to the top?
No, you have to hike
Trail
Long Ridge trail, given as 10 miles (Willhite Web) or 13 miles (NWHikers)
Staffing
Unknown

Facts

Status
Standing
Type
Ground-level cabSingle-story frame cab, 14x14 ft L-4 type, on a summit (no tower)The design: L-4
Built of
WoodGoing by its design; no source says so in words.
Also served as
Aircraft Warning Service postDuring the Second World War it was staffed to spot and report aircraft.
Built
1933
Height
14 ft (4.3 m)
Elevation
5,728 ft (1,746 m)
Agency
National Park Service
Land
Federal land
Location
Challam County, Washington
Coordinates
47.87411, −123.50992
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 8 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-wa-dodger-point

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 4.3 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. 1933 BuiltBuilt by the U.S. Forest Service with an L-4 cab; materials packed in by horseSources: nhlr.org, willhiteweb.com
  2. 1942 EventAircraft Warning Service station in WWII. A 1944 report gives Oct 5, 1942 as the last day of service; a passage names lookouts Leith and Mary Johnson in 1943Sources: willhiteweb.com, en.wikipedia.org
  3. No record between 1942 and 2007
  4. 2007 Listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesPlaced on the National Register of Historic Places July 13, 2007Sources: nhlr.org, en.wikipedia.org
  5. 2015 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterDate registered per NHLR detail page: August 30, 2015Source: NHLR register entry
  6. 2017 RestoredFoundation rebuilt, siding and roof replaced, windows re-glazed; volunteers plus grants from Washington's National Park Fund and the REI FoundationSources: nhlr.org, willhiteweb.com, nhlr.org
  7. 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.

Dodger Point Lookout is a small summit cabin in Olympic National Park, in Clallam County, Washington.1,2 The U.S. Forest Service built it in 1933, and horses packed the materials up to the summit.1,3 The cab is 14 by 14 feet, an L-4 design.1

During World War II the cabin was used as an Aircraft Warning Service station.1,4 Records conflict on when that service ended. One source gives October 5, 1942, as the last day of service, in a 1944 report,3 while another passage names Leith and Mary Johnson as the lookouts in 1943.3

The foundation had been failing for more than 15 years, and the previous winter's snow broke five windows.5 Crews rebuilt the foundation in 2017, replaced the siding and roof, and re-glazed the windows.1,3,6 Volunteers assisted with the work, which also received grant funding from Washington's National Park Fund and the REI Foundation.1 The lookout has been on the National Register of Historic Places since July 13, 2007.1,4

The Osborne fire finder and crank telephone are still inside.3 Visitors hike in, and the Long Ridge trail is the most accessible route.3 Sources give its length as 10 or 13 miles.3,5 One source says the cabin is now used only for emergencies.3 Check with the park before planning a visit.

  1. Dodger Point Lookout, National Historic Lookout Register, http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/wa/dodger-point-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  2. Dodger Point Fire Lookout Cabin, Fire Lookout, https://www.firelookout.com/wa/dodgerpoint.html (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  3. Dodger Point Lookout, Olympic National Park, Willhite Web, https://willhiteweb.com/washington_fire_lookouts/dodger_point/trail_210.htm (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  4. Dodger Point Fire Lookout, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodger_Point_Fire_Lookout (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  5. Dodger Point Lookout (Olympic NP) saved from collapse, NWHikers.net, http://nhlr.org/media/3325/2017-repairs.pdf (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  6. Dodger Point Lookout – COMPLETED!, Washington's National Park Fund, http://nhlr.org/media/3326/wnpf-dodger-point-lookout-completed.pdf (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩

Photos

Photo of Dodger Point Lookout
Photo: Hes Tallman, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Dodger Point in 2006
Dodger Point in 2006 (2006)Photo: Greg Thies, via firelookout.com · source
Photo of Dodger Point Lookout
Photo: National Park Service, via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · source
Photo of Dodger Point Lookout
Photo: TrailChick Washington lookout guide (trailchick.com) · 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, wartime use, 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. firelookout.com -- Rex Kamstra's Forest Fire Lookout Page Gave us: photos, 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. Wikidata -- US fire lookout towers (Q748998 and subclasses) Gave us: register numbers, photos, links Wikidata · CC0 1.0 (Wikidata). Images keep their own Commons licence/credit. · retrieved 4 Oct 2026
  5. FOREST LOOKOUTS -- western US (Ron Kemnow's weebly sites) Gave us: what it is built of, design, height, 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. TrailChick: Washington State Fire Lookouts Gave us: photos, links TrailChick (trailchick.com) · No licence stated; facts only (county, land manager, coordinates, elevation, lookout type, years built). The guide's text is not reproduced; its card photos are listed with credit to TrailChick, for the project's photo mirroring. · retrieved 8 Oct 2026
  7. 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
  8. 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.