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Fire lookout · Yakima County, Washington

Raven Roost Lookout Site

Also known as Ravens

Raven Roost, a 1934 L-4 cab in Yakima County, was abandoned by 1956 and removed around 1964 for microwave radio facilities that still occupy the summit.

Gone: The lookout no longer stands. Only the site is left. Cab removed around 1964; communications towers now stand on the summit, and no source describes what remains of the cab

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. Reached by Forest Service road; snow can drift across the road until about July 1. Potable water is not available at the trailhead.

Road to the top?
Yes, you can drive up
Trail
The Raven Roost Trail starts at the high point at road's end; a free wilderness permit is required at the Norse Peak trailhead

Facts

Status
Gone
Type
Ground-level cab14-by-14-foot ground-mounted L-4 cabThe design: L-4
Built of
WoodGoing by its design; no source says so in words.
Built
1934
Height
Unknown
Elevation
6,198 ft (1,889 m)
Agency
U.S. Forest Service, Wenatchee National Forest (Naches Ranger District)
Land
Federal land
Location
Yakima County, Washington
Coordinates
47.02679, −121.33768
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 9 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-wa-raven-roost

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 a typical height for a lookout like it.

Downloads about 4.4 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 BuiltL-4 cab built on the ground; WillhiteWeb credits the Civilian Conservation Corps and a narrow one-way roadSources: firetower.org, willhiteweb.com
  2. 1934 EventPanoramic photos taken in August 1934; captions give both the 16th and the 18thSources: firetower.org, washingtonlookouts.weebly.com, willhiteweb.com
  3. No record between 1934 and 1956
  4. 1956 AbandonedRegister pages say abandoned by 1956Sources: firetower.org, firelookout.com
  5. 1962 Last staffedDick Simmons was the last person to man the lookoutSource: willhiteweb.com
  6. 1964 RemovedCab removed around 1964 to make room for microwave radio facilities; the register says the mid-1960sSources: firetower.org, willhiteweb.com
  7. No record between 1964 and 2012
  8. 2012 Added to the Former Fire Lookout Sites RegisterRegistered August 15, 2012 as FFLOS US 1379; nominated by Ray KresekSource: firetower.org
  9. 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.

Raven Roost is a high point on a long east-west ridge in the Naches Ranger District, and a fire lookout went up there in 1934.1,2 The cab was a 14-by-14-foot L-4 built on the ground.2 WillhiteWeb credits the Civilian Conservation Corps with building it, along with a narrow one-way road up to the top.2 Panoramic photos from August 1934 are credited to the National Archives' Pacific Northwest Region, though the captions give both the 16th and the 18th as the day.1,3,2

The FFLOS register and firelookout.com both say the cab was abandoned by 1956.1,4 WillhiteWeb tells a longer story. It names Dick Simmons as the last person to man the lookout, in 1962, and says the lookout's last several years were used only when fire danger ran high.2 The register's 1956 date may mark the end of routine use, while the 1962 date marks the last person on duty.1,2

WillhiteWeb dates the removal to about 1964, clearing the way for microwave radio facilities.2 The summit was lowered 34 feet to make the top flat enough for parking, and the road was improved as part of the lease deal for the tower sites.2 The FFLOS register puts the removal in the mid-1960s.1

Today the top holds communications towers. WillhiteWeb describes a large parking area, along with railings that recall the summit's years as a tourist spot.2 None of the sources consulted says what, if anything, remains of the cab.

Access is by Forest Service roads.2,5 WillhiteWeb calls the road fair dirt and gravel, lists the site as drive-up, and warns that snow drifts can cover the road until about July 1.2 The Forest Service's Raven Roost Trailhead sits at the end of spur road 866, reached by following Crow Creek Road 1902.5 The Washington Trails Association describes the Raven Roost Trail as starting at the high point at road's end.6 Hikers entering Norse Peak Wilderness need a free permit from the trailhead.5

  1. Raven Roost Lookout Site, Former Fire Lookout Sites, http://firetower.org/lookouts/us/wa/raven-roost-lookout-site/ (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  2. Raven Roost Lookout Site - Naches Ranger District, WillhiteWeb.com, http://willhiteweb.com/washington_fire_lookouts/ravens_roost/lookout_site_089.htm (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  3. Ravens Roost, Rex's Fire Lookout Page, https://washingtonlookouts.weebly.com/ravens-roost.html (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  4. Raven Roost Fire Lookout Cabin, firelookout.com, https://www.firelookout.com/wa/ravenroost.html (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  5. Raven Roost Trailhead, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, USDA Forest Service, https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/okanogan-wenatchee/recreation/raven-roost-trailhead (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  6. Raven Roost, Washington Trails Association, https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/raven-roost (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩

Photos

Photo of Raven Roost Lookout Site
Photo: Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Raven Roost Lookout panoramic 8-18-1934 (N)
Raven Roost Lookout panoramic 8-18-1934 (N) (1934)Photo: National Archives-Pacific Northwest Region, via Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Raven Roost Lookout panoramic 8-18-1934 (SE)
Raven Roost Lookout panoramic 8-18-1934 (SE) (1934)Photo: National Archives-Pacific Northwest Region, via Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Raven Roost Lookout panoramic 8-18-1934 (SW)
Raven Roost Lookout panoramic 8-18-1934 (SW) (1934)Photo: National Archives-Pacific Northwest Region, 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.

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: 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, 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

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