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Fire lookout · Skamania County, Washington

Flattop Lookout Site

Gifford Pinchot NF summit with east and west lookout sites (1922-1960); the 1946 two-story cab was moved in 2005, and a replica top story stands in Entiat.

Moved: The structure was moved. The map shows where it stands now; the timeline says where it came from. The 1946 east cab was dismantled and moved in 2005 per FFLOS and FireLookout.com. WillhiteWeb says a replica of its top story now stands at Columbia Breaks in Entiat. The west house was destroyed in 1960.

Visit & stay

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

Access

Open to the public. Drive-up on forest roads (FR 8821) with a rocky last mile, per WillhiteWeb

Can you climb it?
Unknown
Road to the top?
Yes, you can drive up
Trail
The west side needs a walk because deadfall blocks the old route, per WillhiteWeb
Staffing
Unknown

Facts

Status
Moved
Type
Two-story buildingprototype two-story 14 by 14 foot frame cab, 1946; the only one of its styleThe designs: L-5, R-6
Built of
Wood
Built
1922
Height
Unknown
Elevation
4,394 ft (1,339 m)
Agency
U.S. Forest Service
Land
Federal land
Location
Skamania County, Washington
Coordinates
46.02761, −121.61213
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 9 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-wa-flattop

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 a typical height for a lookout like it.

Downloads about 3.6 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. 1922 Built16 by 20 foot frame house on the east end. WillhiteWeb says 1922; FFLOS says about 1921Sources: firetower.org, willhiteweb.com
  2. 1922 First staffedAmos Pearce of nearby White Salmon, per WillhiteWebSource: willhiteweb.com
  3. 1930 Built7 by 7 foot frame cab built on the east end; FFLOS says about this timeSource: firetower.org
  4. 1930 MovedHouse moved to the west end of the summitSources: firetower.org, willhiteweb.com
  5. 1932 StaffedDarrel and Zoa Couch of Trout Lake were lookouts in 1932 and for a few years afterSource: willhiteweb.com
  6. 1933 Replaced by a new structure7 by 7 foot cab replaced by an L-5 cabSources: firetower.org, willhiteweb.com
  7. 1934 AlteredTwo screened porches and an observation cupola added to the west houseSources: firetower.org, willhiteweb.com
  8. 1938 StaffedMyron Halse stationed at the lookoutSource: willhiteweb.com
  9. 1946 BuiltPrototype two-story 14 by 14 foot cab with slanted windows and a curved hip roof, on the east endSources: firetower.org, willhiteweb.com, willhiteweb.com
  10. 1952 StaffedMr. and Mrs. Ernest Fiedler, then Forest Couch for the rest of the seasonSource: willhiteweb.com
  11. 1960 AbandonedSite abandonedSources: firetower.org, willhiteweb.com
  12. 1960 DestroyedCabin on the west side (the house) destroyedSources: firetower.org, willhiteweb.com
  13. 1962 EventKlickitat County PUD strung power lines from the Trout Lake area to the summitSource: willhiteweb.com
  14. No record between 1962 and 2005
  15. 2005 MovedEast cab dismantled by the FFLA and relocated to the Columbia Breaks Fire Interpretive Center in EntiatSources: firetower.org, firelookout.com
  16. 2012 Added to the Former Fire Lookout Sites RegisterRegistered June 23, 2012, nominated by Ray KresekSource: firetower.org
  17. 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 10 Oct 2026, fact-checked.

Flattop Mountain is a broad summit in Skamania County, in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. It held two lookout sites, one on the east end and one on the west.1,2

A 16-by-20-foot frame house went up on the east end around 1921, according to the register, or in 1922, according to WillhiteWeb.1,2 In 1930 the house was moved to the west end. A 7-by-7-foot cab took its place on the east end until 1933, when an L-5 cab replaced it.1,2

In 1946 a prototype two-story cab measuring 14 by 14 feet, with angled windows and a curved hip roof, went up on the east end.1,2 The register notes that the design was expected to lead the next generation of Pacific Northwest lookouts, but the R-6 flat cab won out instead.1 Per the register, no other lookout was built to this design.1,3

WillhiteWeb names Amos Pearce, of nearby White Salmon, as the first lookout, in 1922.2 Darrel and Zoa Couch of Trout Lake were lookouts in 1932 and for a few years after, and Myron Halse was stationed there in 1938.2 In 1952 Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Fiedler held the post until a local school started. Forest Couch then took over for the rest of the season.2

The west house was destroyed in 1960, and the site was abandoned that year.1,2 DNR, the landowner, repeatedly threatened to tear down the east cab, but it stood until 2005.1,4 That year the Forest Fire Lookout Association (FFLA) took the cab apart and moved it to the Columbia Breaks Fire Interpretive Center in Entiat.1,4,3

WillhiteWeb tells the Columbia Breaks part differently. Volunteers and the FFLA built a replica of the top story and salvaged some of the original wood, mainly for the roof and window supports.3 The center lies north of Entiat, on Highway 97A.5 The center started with the aim of rescuing an old Forest Service lookout and setting it beside a busy highway. The project was seeded in 1990.5

Today the east side has communications towers among the trees, and the west side is overgrown, with little left but a clearing.2 The Klickitat County PUD ran power lines up from the Trout Lake area in 1962.2 WillhiteWeb calls it a drive-up site, reached by forest roads north or south of the mountain, using FR 8821, with a rocky last mile.2 The west side needs a walk, because deadfall blocks the old route.2

  1. Flattop Lookout Site, Former Fire Lookout Sites Register, http://firetower.org/lookouts/us/wa/flattop-lookout-site/ (accessed 2026-10-10). ↩
  2. Flattop Mountain Lookout Sites, WillhiteWeb.com, http://www.willhiteweb.com/washington_fire_lookouts/flat_top_lookout/gifford_pinchot_263.htm (accessed 2026-10-10). ↩
  3. Columbia Breaks Fire Interpretive Center, WillhiteWeb.com, http://willhiteweb.com/washington/columbia_breaks_fire/interpretive_center_178.htm (accessed 2026-10-10). ↩
  4. Flattop Fire Lookout Cabin, FireLookout.com, https://www.firelookout.com/wa/flattop.html (accessed 2026-10-10). ↩
  5. Our History, Columbia Breaks Fire Center, https://www.columbiabreakswildfire.com/index/our-history (accessed 2026-10-10). ↩

Photos

Photo of Flattop Lookout Site
Photo: Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Flattop West
Flattop WestPhoto: Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Flattop East in 1946
Flattop East in 1946 (1946)Photo: Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Flattop at the Columbia Breaks Fire Interpretive Center in 2010
Flattop at the Columbia Breaks Fire Interpretive Center in 2010 (2010)Photo: Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source

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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. 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

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