FirefinderFire lookouts of the US

Fire lookout · Yakima County, Washington

Jumpoff Lookout

Also known as Jumpoff Mountain

A 1961 R-6 flat-top ground cabin on Jumpoff Ridge in Yakima County, WA, replacing an earlier cupola cabin; volunteers stabilized it from 2010 and it is open to hikers.

Visit & stay

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

Access

Open to the public. Reached by a roughly 10-mile round-trip hike from Lost Lake; high-clearance vehicles can drive up. No closure found in these sources.

Can you climb it?
Unknown
Road to the top?
Yes, you can drive up
Trail
Trail from the Lost Lake trailhead, 10.0 miles round trip; the trail changes character several times on the way (WTA).
Staffing
Unknown

Facts

Status
Standing
Type
Ground-level cabR-6 flat-top ground cabinThe designs: R-6, D-6
Built of
WoodGoing by its design; no source says so in words.
Height
Unknown
Elevation
5,749 ft (1,752 m)
Agency
US Forest Service, Wenatchee National Forest
Land
Federal land
Location
Yakima County, Washington
Coordinates
46.64451, −121.03174
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 8 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-wa-jumpoff

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 4.2 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. 1921 BuiltNewspaper item of October 18, 1921 reports a new lookout house completed on Jump Off; not clearly the same buildingSource: washingtonlookouts.weebly.com
  2. 1923 BuiltFirst structure, a D-6 cupola cabin (NHLR and Willhite)Sources: nhlr.org, willhiteweb.com
  3. No record between 1923 and 1958
  4. 1958 Replaced by a new structureCurrent R-6 cab replaced the cupola cabin between 1958 and 1961 (NHLR); Willhite says 1958 or 1961; Hiler says the earlier structure ran from the 1930s to 1958Sources: nhlr.org, willhiteweb.com, mikehilerfiredclay.blogspot.com
  5. 1961 BuiltCurrent R-6 flat-top cab; NHLR gives Built 1961, Hiler gives 1961Sources: nhlr.org, mikehilerfiredclay.blogspot.com
  6. 1969 StaffedMike Hiler was the lookout 1969 to 1973Sources: nhlr.org, willhiteweb.com
  7. No record between 1969 and 2010
  8. 2010 RestoredVandalism and neglect had broken windows, removed shutters and stripped lightning protection; Hiler and Friends of Jumpoff began stabilizing that summer, patching the roof and installing shuttersSources: willhiteweb.com, mikehilerfiredclay.blogspot.com
  9. 2013 RestoredStabilization by Mike Hiler and crew reported successful in the 2013 Eastern Washington chapter reportSource: firelookout.org
  10. 2022 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterRegistered with the National Historic Lookout Register February 8, 2022; nominated by Mike HilerSource: nhlr.org
  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.

Jumpoff Lookout stands on Jumpoff Ridge in Yakima County, Washington, overlooking the Tieton Basin.1,2 Its current cabin is a flat-topped R-6 design, built in 1961, which the Forest Service administers in the Wenatchee National Forest.1,3,2 It is also known as "Jumpoff Joe."1

The site was in use before the present cabin. The National Historic Lookout Register dates the first structure to about 1923, a D-6 cupola cabin, and Eric Willhite's history gives the same date.1,4 A 1921 newspaper item reported a new lookout house completed on Jump Off, though it does not clearly name the same building.3 Mike Hiler places the earlier cabin in the 1930s through 1958.2 Willhite says the R-6 cab replaced it in 1958 or 1961, while the Register and Hiler both give 1961.4,1,2

Mike Hiler was the lookout here from 1969 to 1973, and the cabin has been used sporadically since the 1960s on an emergency basis.1,4

By 2010, Willhite writes, vandalism and neglect were wrecking the cabin. Windows and shutters were broken or missing, snow had collected inside, and copper thieves had stripped the lightning protection.4 Hiler and the Friends of Jumpoff began stabilizing it that summer, patching the roof and installing shutters.4,2 A 2013 report from the Forest Fire Lookout Association's Eastern Washington chapter called the stabilization a success.5

The Register says the roof is now watertight and the shutters have been repaired and replaced.1 Its plexiglass openings let visitors look inside without tearing the shutters off.1 The Register listed the lookout on February 8, 2022, with Hiler as nominator.1

Access is by foot or by vehicle. The Washington Trails Association describes a 10-mile round trip starting at Lost Lake, and says the route changes character more than once before reaching the lookout.6 Willhite notes that a high-clearance vehicle can drive up.4 None of these sources reports a closure. Visitors should still treat the cabin as a fragile historic structure and avoid damaging it.

  1. Jumpoff Lookout, National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org), http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/wa/jumpoff-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  2. Jumpoff Lookout, getting there, Mike Hiler, Fired Clay blog, http://mikehilerfiredclay.blogspot.com/2011/12/jumpoff-lookout-getting-there.html (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  3. Jumpoff, Forest Lookouts (Washington), https://washingtonlookouts.weebly.com/jumpoff.html (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  4. Jumpoff Lookout and Peak, WillhiteWeb (Eric Willhite), http://www.willhiteweb.com/washington_fire_lookouts/jumpoff_lookout/divide_ridge_339.htm (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  5. Eastern Washington 2013 Chapter Report, Forest Fire Lookout Association, https://firelookout.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/cr-ewa-2013.pdf (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  6. Jumpoff Lookout, Washington Trails Association, https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/jumpoff-joe-lookout (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩

Photos

Jumpoff Lookout
Jumpoff LookoutPhoto: Washington Trails Association, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Circa 1950's - D6 Cupola Cabin
Circa 1950's - D6 Cupola Cabin (1950)Photo: Willhite Web, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
1956
1956 (1956)Photo: Willhite Web, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Northeast View - 1929
Northeast View - 1929 (1929)Photo: Willhite Web, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Northwest View - 1929
Northwest View - 1929 (1929)Photo: Willhite Web, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
South View - 1929
South View - 1929 (1929)Photo: Willhite Web, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
2023 photo
2023 photo (2023)Photo: Ross Dunn, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Jumpoff in 1956
Jumpoff in 1956 (1956)Photo: Paul Korsmo and Tim Thorlton, via firelookout.com · source
Jumpoff L.O.
Jumpoff L.OPhoto: Paul Korsmo and Tim Thorlton, via firelookout.com · source
Photo of Jumpoff 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: 1961
    • firelookout.com -- Rex Kamstra's Forest Fire Lookout Page: 1923
    • TrailChick: Washington State Fire Lookouts: 1958

    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, 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: what it is built of, design, 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 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
  5. 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
  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 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.