FirefinderFire lookouts of the US

Fire lookout · Ferry County, Washington

Franson Peak Lookout

Ferry County, WA, DNR site: first lookout 1934, current 15-ft DNR live-in cab built 1986 (old L-4 cab moved to Molson Museum); last staffed 1995.

Now at the Molson Museum

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. On state forest land at the end of a gravel road with a gate near the top (TrailChick, 2017). No current DNR access notice found, and nothing says the cab itself is open to visitors.

Can you climb it?
Unknown
Road to the top?
Yes, you can drive up
Trail
High-clearance 4x4 needed; 4WD required in wet or snowy weather; road narrow and deeply rutted in places; room to park a few cars at the summit.
Staffing
Not staffed (as of 1995)

Facts

Status
Standing
Type
Cab on a tower15-foot tower with DNR live-in cab (built 1986); the L-4 cab that stood on it earlier is now at the Molson MuseumThe designs: L-4, L-5
Built of
Wood
Also served as
Aircraft Warning Service postDuring the Second World War it was staffed to spot and report aircraft.
Height
15 ft (4.6 m)
Elevation
3,785 ft (1,154 m)
Agency
Washington Department of Natural Resources
Land
Federal land
Location
Ferry County, Washington
Coordinates
48.85578, −118.63252
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 8 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-wa-franson-peak

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 4.1 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. 1934 BuiltFirst lookout developed with an L-5 cab (NHLR; TrailChick lists site established 1934)Sources: nhlr.org, trailchick.com
  2. 1942 StaffedAircraft Warning Service site, March 27 to October 5, 1942 (Seattle Filter Center)Sources: nhlr.org, washingtonlookouts.weebly.com
  3. 1944 StaffedOctober 7, 1944 Colville Examiner item names Alevida Webb of Ellensburg on Franson PeakSource: washingtonlookouts.weebly.com
  4. No record between 1944 and 1986
  5. 1986 BuiltCurrent 15-ft tower with DNR live-in cab built (NHLR 'Built' field; TrailChick 'Current Structure Built')Sources: nhlr.org, trailchick.com, okanogancountry.com
  6. 1986 MovedThe older L-4 cab moved to the Molson Museum when the current structure went upSources: nhlr.org, trailchick.com, okanogancountry.com
  7. 1995 Last staffedLast staffed in 1995Sources: nhlr.org, trailchick.com
  8. No record between 1995 and 2022
  9. 2022 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterRegistered April 11, 2022, nominated by Christine EstradaSource: nhlr.org
  10. Date unknown MovedThe lookout was moved to the Molson Museum.Source: FFLA
  11. 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.

Franson Peak sits on Washington state forest land in Ferry County, a short drive from Curlew.1,2 The first lookout went up in 1934 with an L-5 cab.1,3 In the 1950s a 15-foot treated timber tower with an L-4 cab replaced it.1,3

From March 27 to October 5, 1942, the site was an Aircraft Warning Service post.1,4 On October 7, 1944, The Colville Examiner reported that women were manning lookouts during a manpower shortage. It named Alevida Webb of Ellensburg as one of them, on Franson Peak.4 Staffing ended in 1995.1,3

The current structure, a 15-foot tower with a DNR live-in cab, was built in 1986.1,3 When it went up, the older L-4 cab was moved to the Molson Museum, in the ghost town of Molson east of Oroville.1,5 The cab sits at ground level there, beside the Schoolhouse Museum.5

The National Historic Lookout Register listed Franson Peak on April 11, 2022, nominated by Christine Estrada.1

The summit is reached by a gravel road from Curlew, and recent accounts say a high-clearance vehicle is needed.2,3 In wet or snowy weather four-wheel drive is required, and the road gets no winter upkeep for wheeled vehicles.2 Some stretches are narrow and badly rutted, and the route passes a gate near the top.3 A few communications towers also stand at the summit.1,3 None of these sources mention renting the lookout, and no current access notice turned up.1,3,2 Check with the DNR before you go, and respect any closed gate.

  1. Franson Peak Lookout, National Historic Lookout Register, http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/wa/franson-peak-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  2. Exploring NE Washington, Franson Peak, Huckleberry Press, https://huckleberrypress.com/exploring-ne-washington-franson-peak/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  3. Franson Peak, TrailChick, https://trailchick.com/wa-state-fire-lookouts/franson-peak-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  4. Franson Peak, Forest Lookouts (Rex's Fire Lookout Page), https://washingtonlookouts.weebly.com/franson-peak.html (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  5. Franson Peak Cab at Molson, Okanogan Country, https://okanogancountry.com/index.php/poi/franson-peak-cab-at-molson (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩

Photos

Franson Peak Lookout - 2017
Franson Peak Lookout - 2017 (2017)Photo: Christine Estrada, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Franson Peak Lookout - L-5 in 1934
Franson Peak Lookout - L-5 in 1934 (1934)Photo: US Forest Service, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Franson Peak Lookout - L-4 on a 15 foot tower - 1981
Franson Peak Lookout - L-4 on a 15 foot tower - 1981 (1981)Photo: Ray Kresek, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Franson Peak in 1934
Franson Peak in 1934 (1934)Photo: the Fire Lookout Museum and Rex Kamstra, via firelookout.com · source
Franson Peak in 1981
Franson Peak in 1981 (1981)Photo: the Fire Lookout Museum and Rex Kamstra, via firelookout.com · source
Franson Peak in 1995
Franson Peak in 1995 (1995)Photo: the Fire Lookout Museum and Rex Kamstra, via firelookout.com · source
Franson's L-4 at the Molson Museum
Franson's L-4 at the Molson MuseumPhoto: the Fire Lookout Museum and Rex Kamstra, via firelookout.com · source
Photo of Franson Peak 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.

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 year it was built.

    • NHLR: 1986
    • firelookout.com -- Rex Kamstra's Forest Fire Lookout Page: 1934
    • TrailChick: Washington State Fire Lookouts: 1986

    Sources give different build years. Often one counts the first lookout on the site and another the structure there now.

Sources

  1. National Historic Lookout Register (NHLR) Gave us: name, location, county, elevation, what it is built of, wartime use, 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. 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: design, height, 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. FOREST LOOKOUTS -- western US (Ron Kemnow's weebly sites) 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. TrailChick: Washington State Fire Lookouts Gave us: ownership, photos 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
  6. 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.