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Fire lookout · Chelan County, Washington

McGregor Mountain Lookout Site

Chelan County summit cabin: 1923 per register and Wikipedia (Willhite says 1926), decommissioned 1949, gone by 1955; now a National Park Service radio repeater.

Gone: The lookout no longer stands. Only the site is left. The cabin is gone; the summit now has a National Park Service radio repeater (Wikipedia)

Visit & stay

Gone: site only. The lookout no longer stands, so there is nothing to climb or rent. You may still be able to visit the site.

Access

Open to the public. Summit trail starts near High Bridge Guard Station on the Stehekin Valley Road; these sources describe no closure or permit, and the final stretch is exposed scrambling

Road to the top?
Unknown
Trail
No lookout remains to climb. The 7.7-mile McGregor Mountain Trail gains 6,400 feet; the last 1,100 feet is exposed scrambling (Wikipedia)

Facts

Status
Gone
Type
Ground-level cabCupola cabin on the summitThe design: Cupola house
Built of
WoodGoing by its design; no source says so in words.
Built
1923
Height
400 ft (121.9 m)
Elevation
8,122 ft (2,476 m)
Agency
U.S. Forest Service (per the register, for the years the cabin stood)
Land
Federal land
Location
Chelan County, Washington
Coordinates
48.40322, −120.76001 sources disagree
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 9 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-wa-mcgregor-mountain

View from the cab

What the lookout saw from its 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.

This lookout is gone. The view is reconstructed from its recorded site and its recorded height.

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Or see what it could see on the map: the ground in its line of sight.

History

Then and now

  1. 1916 EventCamp at timberline first used in 1916 (register; Willhite Web)Sources: firetower.org, willhiteweb.com
  2. 1923 BuiltCupola cabin built on the summit in 1923 per register, Firelookout.com, Wikipedia and WTA; Willhite Web dates construction to 1926Sources: firetower.org, firelookout.com, en.wikipedia.org
  3. 1926 EventLightning struck the unfinished lookout house in November 1926 (Willhite Web)Source: willhiteweb.com
  4. No record between 1926 and 1942
  5. 1942 EventServed as an Aircraft Warning Station from July 1 to September 7, 1942Sources: willhiteweb.com, washingtonlookouts.weebly.com
  6. 1949 ClosedDecommissioned in 1949 (Willhite Web)Source: willhiteweb.com
  7. 1955 BurnedRegister says removed, Firelookout.com says destroyed, Willhite Web says the Forest Service burned it downSources: firetower.org, firelookout.com, willhiteweb.com
  8. No record between 1955 and 2012
  9. 2012 Added to the Former Fire Lookout Sites RegisterRegistered October 21, 2012; nominated by Ray KresekSource: firetower.org
  10. TodayGoneThe lookout no longer stands. Only the site is left.

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.

The Former Fire Lookout Sites register lists the McGregor Mountain lookout as US 1414 and gives the summit an elevation of 8,122 feet.1 Wikipedia places the peak in the Stehekin Valley of the North Cascades, in Chelan County.2

The register and Firelookout.com say a camp at timberline was first used in 1916, and that a cupola cabin went up on the summit in 1923.1,3 Wikipedia and the Washington Trails Association also date the cabin's use from 1923.2,4

Willhite Web gives a different start. Its history says Bill Lester and Paul Heaton built the cabin in 1926.5 In November of that year, lightning struck the corner of the tower while the lookout house was still under construction. Mr. Heaton, the lookout, was not injured.5

In 1942 the summit served as an Aircraft Warning Station from July 1 to September 7.5,6

Willhite Web says the cabin was decommissioned in 1949.5 The sources disagree on how it ended in 1955. The register says it was removed that year, Firelookout.com says it was destroyed, and Willhite Web says the Forest Service burned it down.1,3,5

Today the summit holds a radio repeater for the National Park Service, according to Wikipedia.2 The peak lies where North Cascades National Park meets Lake Chelan National Recreation Area.2

Wikipedia calls the 7.7-mile McGregor Mountain Trail strenuous. It says the last 1,100 feet to the summit is exposed scrambling, and that an ice axe is needed when snow covers the trail.2 Willhite Web quotes the National Park Service saying that only people with the skills and experience for the final climb should attempt it.5 The summit trail starts near High Bridge Guard Station on the Stehekin Valley Road, according to the Washington Trails Association.4 Check current rules with the National Park Service before you go.

  1. McGregor Mountain Lookout Site, Former Fire Lookout Sites, http://firetower.org/lookouts/us/wa/mcgregor-mountain-lookout-site/ (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  2. McGregor Mountain (Washington), Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McGregor_Mountain_(Washington) (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  3. McGregor Mtn. Fire Lookout Cabin, Firelookout.com, https://www.firelookout.com/wa/mcgregor.html (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  4. McGregor Mountain Trail, Washington Trails Association trip report, https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/trip-reports/trip_report.2009-09-02.9966743486 (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  5. McGregor Mountain Fire Lookout History, WillhiteWeb.com, http://willhiteweb.com/washington_fire_lookouts/mcgregor_mountain_trail/fire_lookout_237.htm (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  6. McGregor Mountain, Forest Lookouts, https://washingtonlookouts.weebly.com/mcgregor-mountain.html (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩

Photos

Photo of McGregor Mountain Lookout Site
Photo: Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Photo of McGregor Mountain Lookout Site
Photo: Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source

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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 location by 2.9 km (1.8 mi).

    • FFLOS: 48.40322, −120.76001
    • FOREST LOOKOUTS -- western US (Ron Kemnow's weebly sites): 48.40820, −120.79820

    The map uses the position from FFLOS.

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. 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
  5. 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
  6. 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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