FirefinderFire lookouts of the US

Fire lookout · Skamania County, Washington

Red Mountain Lookout

Current R-6 cab on a 10-ft timber tower, built 1959 as the fourth lookout on Red Mountain; a 2006 windstorm wrecked it and volunteers rebuilt it by 2010.

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. Vehicle road permanently gated at its junction with Forest Road 60; visitors walk in. No source says the cab interior is open to visitors or rentable yet.

Can you climb it?
Unknown
Road to the top?
No, you have to hike
Trail
Indian Racetrack Trail (#171) from a trailhead on Forest Road 65 beyond Falls Creek Horse Camp; about 3.4 miles to the gated FR 6048 road, then up to the tower base (WTA).
Staffing
Unknown

Facts

Status
Standing
Type
Cab on a towerR-6 wooden flat-top cab (15 by 15 ft) on a 10 ft timber tower; an example of the design that replaced the L-4 lookoutsThe designs: L-4, R-6, Cupola house
Built of
Wood
Also served as
Aircraft Warning Service postDuring the Second World War it was staffed to spot and report aircraft.
Height
10 ft (3.0 m)
Elevation
4,911 ft (1,497 m)
Agency
U.S. Forest Service, Gifford Pinchot National Forest (Mt. Adams Ranger District cooperator)
Land
Federal land
Location
Skamania County, Washington
Coordinates
45.93467, −121.82093
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 8 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-wa-red-mountain-3

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 3.8 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. 1910 BuiltFirst structure on the summit, an 8x8 ft cedar cab (firelookout.com and WTA say 1910; Willhite and PCT Washington say 1913)Sources: firelookout.com, wta.org, willhiteweb.com
  2. 1919 Replaced by a new structureCupola cabin replaced the first cab, about 1919Sources: firelookout.com, willhiteweb.com
  3. No record between 1919 and 1935
  4. 1935 Replaced by a new structureL-4 cab went up with a garage beside it (firelookout.com, Willhite)Sources: firelookout.com, willhiteweb.com
  5. 1938 EventPCT Washington dates the garage to 1938; firelookout.com and Willhite date it to 1935Source: pctwashington.com
  6. 1942 StaffedStaffed 24 hours a day as an Aircraft Warning Station during World War II (NHLR gives 1942-43); garage converted to living quarters in 1942Sources: nhlr.org, firelookout.com, willhiteweb.com
  7. No record between 1942 and 1959
  8. 1959 BuiltPresent 10 ft timber tower with R-6 cab; the fourth lookout on the siteSources: nhlr.org, firelookout.com, willhiteweb.com
  9. No record between 1959 and 1996
  10. 1996 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterDate registered November 26, 1996 (NHLR US 189)Source: nhlr.org
  11. 2006 EventDecember 2006 windstorm blew the roof and walls apart and damaged radio facilities for the county sheriff; PCT Washington dates it December 14Sources: pctwashington.com, firelookout.com, wta.org
  12. 2007 RestoredMatt Haldeman began a volunteer restoration; walls re-erected and a new roof installed for the winterSources: pctwashington.com, willhiteweb.com
  13. 2010 RestoredPassport in Time crew of 13 restored the lookout and garage; interior walls and flooring finished (PCT Washington dates volunteer labor to 2007-2008)Sources: pctwashington.com, willhiteweb.com, wta.org
  14. 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.

Red Mountain Lookout sits on the summit of Red Mountain in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, about four miles northwest of Trout Lake in Skamania County, Washington.1,2,3 The first structure on the summit was an 8-by-8-foot cedar cab.2,4,3 Sources disagree on its year: firelookout.com and the Washington Trails Association say 1910, while Willhite's history of the site and PCT Washington give 1913.2,4,3,5 A cupola cabin replaced it around 1919, and in 1935 an L-4 cab went up beside a garage.2,3 PCT Washington dates that garage to 1938.4

The present tower dates to 1959.2,3 It is a timber tower about ten feet tall with a flat-topped wooden cab, and the register calls it the fourth lookout on the site.1

During World War II the summit served as an Aircraft Warning Station, and the register says it was staffed around the clock in 1942 and 1943.1 The garage became living quarters in 1942 while that work went on.2,3 The tower is no longer staffed.5 The Washington Trails Association says satellites now handle fire detection, and Willhite's history says the Forest Service no longer uses it to spot fires.3,5

A windstorm on December 14, 2006, severely damaged the lookout and blew its roof and walls apart, according to PCT Washington.4 The same storm damaged radio facilities for the Skamania County Sheriff's Department.4 Other accounts place the storm in December 2006 or the winter of 2006.2,5

In 2007 Matt Haldeman, a custom home builder from the Vancouver area, launched volunteer work on the lookout's restoration.4,3 The accounts differ on the crews: PCT Washington says Passport in Time volunteers donated labor in 2007 and 2008, while Willhite and WTA describe a 13-person Passport in Time crew working in 2010.4,3,5 The interior walls and flooring were finished in 2010.4

In 2010 a district ranger said the forest was looking at ways for the public to enjoy the lookout, possibly as a rental.4 Firelookout.com says plans call for adding it to the Recreation Rental program, and Willhite says it may become a rental lookout in the near future.2,3 These are plans in the sources, not a confirmed rental offer.2,4,3

Vehicles cannot reach the top, because the access road is permanently gated down near its junction with Forest Road 60.5 The Washington Trails Association describes starting from a trailhead on Forest Road 65, following the Indian Racetrack Trail about 3.4 miles to the gated road, then climbing to the tower base.5

  1. Red Mountain Lookout, National Historic Lookout Register, http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/wa/red-mountain-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  2. Red Mtn. Fire Lookout Tower, firelookout.com, https://www.firelookout.com/wa/redmtn.html (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  3. Red Mountain Lookout, Washington Fire Lookouts (Willhite), http://www.willhiteweb.com/washington_fire_lookouts/red_mountain/gifford_pinchot_national_forest_322.htm (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  4. Red Mountain Lookout, PCT Washington, https://pctwashington.com/history/2203-red.html (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  5. Red Mountain Lookout via Indian Racetrack, Washington Trails Association, https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/red-mountain-lookout (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩

Photos

Photo of Red Mountain Lookout
Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Photo of Red Mountain Lookout
Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Red Mtn. in 1910
Red Mtn. in 1910 (1910)Photo: the U.S. Forest Service, the Fire Lookout Museum, Gary Weber, and Craig Willis, via firelookout.com · source
Red Mtn. in 1913
Red Mtn. in 1913 (1913)Photo: the U.S. Forest Service, the Fire Lookout Museum, Gary Weber, and Craig Willis, via firelookout.com · source
Red Mtn. in 1926
Red Mtn. in 1926 (1926)Photo: the U.S. Forest Service, the Fire Lookout Museum, Gary Weber, and Craig Willis, via firelookout.com · source
Red Mtn. in 1963
Red Mtn. in 1963 (1963)Photo: the U.S. Forest Service, the Fire Lookout Museum, Gary Weber, and Craig Willis, via firelookout.com · source
Red Mtn. in 1979
Red Mtn. in 1979 (1979)Photo: the U.S. Forest Service, the Fire Lookout Museum, Gary Weber, and Craig Willis, via firelookout.com · source
Red Mtn. in December 2006
Red Mtn. in December 2006 (2006)Photo: the U.S. Forest Service, the Fire Lookout Museum, Gary Weber, and Craig Willis, via firelookout.com · source
Red Mtn. in 2013
Red Mtn. in 2013 (2013)Photo: the U.S. Forest Service, the Fire Lookout Museum, Gary Weber, and Craig Willis, via firelookout.com · source
Photo of Red Mountain Lookout
Photo: U.S. Forest Service- Pacific Northwest Region, via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · source
Photo of Red Mountain 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.

    • firelookout.com -- Rex Kamstra's Forest Fire Lookout Page: 1910
    • TrailChick: Washington State Fire Lookouts: 1959

    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, wartime use, 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, dates, 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. Wikidata -- US fire lookout towers (Q748998 and subclasses) Gave us: photos, links Wikidata · CC0 1.0 (Wikidata). Images keep their own Commons licence/credit. · retrieved 4 Oct 2026
  5. OpenStreetMap -- fire lookout structures Gave us: height, links © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL 1.0. (c) OpenStreetMap contributors. · retrieved 4 Oct 2026
  6. 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
  7. 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
  8. Firefinder research Gave us: summary, design, height, 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.