FirefinderFire lookouts of the US

Fire lookout · Stevens County, Washington

Flagstaff Lookout

Also known as Flagstaff Mountain Lookout Site

Stevens County lookout 4 mi west of Northport. 1935 L-4 tower; DNR 40-ft tower 1971; removed 2013 for cell towers; cab now in Northport's town park.

The lookout that stood here was moved. Now at Northport

Moved: The structure was moved. The map shows where it stands now; the timeline says where it came from. Tower dismantled in 2013. The cab was moved to Northport and sits in the town park. The lookout was removed to make way for a communication site (WillhiteWeb).

Visit & stay

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

Access

Open to the public. The cab is in Northport's town park (2013 chapter report). WillhiteWeb reports a gate and says a walk is needed to reach the site. No source read says whether the summit is open to visitors.

Can you climb it?
Unknown
Road to the top?
Unknown
Trail
WillhiteWeb reports a gate and says a walk is needed to reach the old site. The author has not visited.
Staffing
Unknown

Facts

Status
Moved sources disagree
Type
Cab on a towerL-4 cab on a 40-foot timber tower (DNR tower built 1971); earlier 1935 L-4 tower and 1952 pole towerThe design: L-4
Built of
Wood
Built
1935
Height
40 ft (12.2 m)
Elevation
4,187 ft (1,276 m)
Agency
Washington Department of Natural Resources
Land
Unknown
Location
Stevens County, Washington
Coordinates
48.90833, −117.86853
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 9 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-wa-flagstaff

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.

The structure was moved. This view is from the position Firefinder shows for this record, at its recorded height.

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. 1931 EventColville Examiner reported spur lines to Flagstaff Mountain and other peaks, to reduce the time to find firesSources: washingtonlookouts.weebly.com, willhiteweb.com
  2. 1935 BuiltFirst tower: 40-foot L-4 tower with an L-4 cab; WillhiteWeb says the date is only reported and the tower was probably built a few years laterSources: nhlr.org, firetower.org, firelookout.com
  3. No record between 1935 and 1952
  4. 1952 Replaced by a new structurePole tower with an L-4 cab. FFLOS and firelookout.com say 40 feet; WillhiteWeb says 50 feetSources: firetower.org, firelookout.com, willhiteweb.com
  5. 1957 StaffedKnown lookout personnel: Frank Kjolseth and Leon Hammer (firelookout.com)Source: firelookout.com
  6. 1958 EventAir Force acquired more than 50 acres by lease, with a county road license, for a radar stationSources: washingtonlookouts.weebly.com, willhiteweb.com
  7. 1958 StaffedKnown lookout personnel: Monita Engvall (firelookout.com)Source: firelookout.com
  8. 1959 EventGap-filler radar station completed on the summitSource: willhiteweb.com
  9. 1960 EventAir Force deactivated the radar station in September and declared it excess in OctoberSources: washingtonlookouts.weebly.com, willhiteweb.com
  10. 1961 RemovedRemoval of the Air Force improvements was contracted in SeptemberSource: willhiteweb.com
  11. 1971 BuiltDNR 40-foot timber tower with a live-in DNR cabSources: nhlr.org, firetower.org, washingtonlookouts.weebly.com
  12. No record between 1971 and 1999
  13. 1999 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterDate registered November 21, 1999Source: nhlr.org
  14. 2000 StaffedStaffed every summer into the 2000s (firelookout.com)Source: firelookout.com
  15. 2011 AbandonedAbandoned to make way for additional cell towers; the town of Northport was working to move it to a town park.Source: firelookout.org
  16. 2013 MovedCab moved to the town of Northport; the 2013 chapter report says Northport adopted it and put it in a town parkSources: firetower.org, firelookout.org, firelookout.com
  17. 2013 RemovedTower taken down to make way for cell towers or a communication site; dismantledSources: firetower.org, firelookout.org, firelookout.com
  18. 2020 Added to the Former Fire Lookout Sites RegisterDate registered April 16, 2020Source: firetower.org
  19. Date unknown MovedThe lookout was moved to Northport.Source: FFLA
  20. TodayMovedThe structure was moved. The map shows where it stands now; the timeline says where it came from.

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.

Flagstaff Mountain sits four miles west of Northport in Stevens County, Washington.1,2 Fire detection began on the summit in 1935, when a 40-foot L-4 tower was built.3,2 WillhiteWeb says that date is only reported, and that the tower probably came a few years later.4

In 1931 the Colville Examiner reported that spur lines would be built that summer to Flagstaff Mountain and other peaks, to cut the time it took to find fires.5,4

In 1952 a pole tower with an L-4 cab replaced the first one.3,2 The Former Fire Lookout Sites register and firelookout.com give its height as 40 feet, but WillhiteWeb says 50.3,2,4

The register says the site passed to the Washington Department of Natural Resources in the late 1940s.1 In 1971 the DNR built a 40-foot timber tower with a live-in cab.3,5 Firelookout.com says summer staffing ran into the 2000s.2 The register listed the lookout on November 21, 1999, and called it one of the few DNR lookouts still active in the state.1 Firelookout.com names Frank Kjolseth and Leon Hammer as lookout staff in 1957 and Monita Engvall in 1958.2

In 1958 the Air Force acquired more than 50 acres by lease for a gap-filler radar station.5,4 WillhiteWeb says the station was completed in 1959, deactivated in September 1960, and that removal of its improvements was contracted in September 1961.4

In August 2013 the lookout was removed to make way for a communication site.4 The tower was taken apart and the cab moved to Northport in 2013.3,4 The 2013 chapter report says the lookout came down so that more cell towers could go up, and that Northport adopted it.6

The cab now sits in Northport's town park.6,3 WillhiteWeb reports a gate and says a walk is needed to reach the site.4 None of the sources I read describe what remains of the older towers on the summit, and I did not find a description of the summit as it is today. The Washington Department of Natural Resources administers the site, so check with the DNR before going up the mountain.3

  1. Flagstaff Lookout, National Historic Lookout Register, http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/wa/flagstaff-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  2. Flagstaff Mtn. Fire Lookout Tower, firelookout.com, https://www.firelookout.com/wa/flagstaff.html (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  3. Flagstaff Mountain Lookout Site, Former Fire Lookout Sites Register, http://firetower.org/lookouts/us/wa/flagstaff-mountain-lookout-site/ (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  4. Flagstaff Mountain Fire Lookout Site, WillhiteWeb.com, https://www.willhiteweb.com/washington_fire_lookouts/flagstaff_mountain/lookout_089.htm (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  5. Flagstaff, Forest Lookouts (Washington), washingtonlookouts.weebly.com, https://washingtonlookouts.weebly.com/flagstaff.html (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  6. Eastern Washington Chapter report, Forest Fire Lookout Association, https://firelookout.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/cr-ewa-2013.pdf (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩

Photos

Photo of Flagstaff Lookout
Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Flagstaff Mountain Lookout 1970
Flagstaff Mountain Lookout 1970 (1970)Photo: Rex Kamstra collection, via Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Flagstaff Mountain Lookout (no date)
Flagstaff Mountain Lookout (no date)Photo: Rex Kamstra, via Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Flagstaff Mountain Lookout 6-15-2004
Flagstaff Mountain Lookout 6-15-2004 (2004)Photo: Tammy McLeod, 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 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, 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 Fire Lookout Association chapter reports Gave us: dates, links Forest Fire Lookout Association, chapter and restoration-grant reports (firelookout.org) · No licence stated; facts only (dates, names, the kind of work done). Every note is our own wording and every event links to the FFLA report it comes from. Positions are copied from the NHLR, FFLOS and FFLA records. · retrieved 8 Oct 2026
  6. FOREST LOOKOUTS -- western US (Ron Kemnow's weebly sites) Gave us: 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
  7. Firefinder research Gave us: summary, design, height, 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.