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Fire lookout · Kittitas County, Washington

Red Mountain Lookout Site

Kittitas County, WA lookout cab built 1932 in the Wenatchee NF, abandoned 1948; register and FFLOS both say it is now gone; L-5 vs L-6 cab model disputed.

Gone: The lookout no longer stands. Only the site is left. Register says the cab is now gone; FFLOS Washington index lists the site as Gone; a photo on the register page is captioned Debris, but no source describes the site today

Visit & stay

Gone: site only. The lookout no longer stands, so there is nothing to climb or rent.

Access

Access unknown

We do not know the access rules. Check with the land manager before you go.

Road to the top?
Unknown

Facts

Status
Gone
Type
Type unknownCab on a site 17 miles NW of Cle Elum; model disputed (L-5 per register, L-6 per firelookout.com)The designs: L-5, L-6
Built of
Not recorded
Built
1932
Height
Unknown
Elevation
5,703 ft (1,738 m)
Agency
U.S. Forest Service
Land
Federal land
Location
Kittitas County, Washington
Coordinates
47.39522, −121.14545
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 9 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-wa-red-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 a typical height for a lookout like it.

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. 1932 BuiltBuilt in 1932 per register; firelookout.com also gives 1932Sources: firetower.org, firelookout.com
  2. 1934 EventPanoramic photographs labeled Red Mountain Lookout dated 8-22-1934, credited to National Archives Pacific Northwest RegionSource: firetower.org
  3. 1948 AbandonedCab abandoned in 1948 per register and firelookout.comSources: firetower.org, firelookout.com
  4. No record between 1948 and 2012
  5. 2012 Added to the Former Fire Lookout Sites RegisterRegistered October 28, 2012 as US 1420, WA 320; nominated by Ray KresekSource: firetower.org
  6. 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 10 Oct 2026, fact-checked.

Red Mountain is a former lookout site in Kittitas County, Washington, in the Wenatchee National Forest.1 It sits at 5,703 feet, about 17 miles northwest of Cle Elum.1,2

The register says the lookout was built in 1932 with an L-5 cab.1 The other source calls it an L-6 cab, so the two disagree on the model.1,2 Both say the cab was abandoned in 1948.1,2

Panoramic views labeled as Red Mountain Lookout and dated August 22, 1934 are credited to the National Archives Pacific Northwest Region.1 The register listed the site on October 28, 2012, on the nomination of Ray Kresek.1

The register says the cab is now gone.1 The Forest Fire Lookout Association's Washington index also lists the site as gone.3

The register page includes a photo captioned "Debris."1 No source we read describes the site today or whether visitors can reach it.1,2

  1. Red Mountain Lookout Site, Former Fire Lookout Sites, http://firetower.org/lookouts/us/wa/red-mountain-lookout-site/ (accessed 2026-10-10). ↩
  2. Red Mtn. Fire Lookout Cabin, firelookout.com, https://www.firelookout.com/wa/redmtn175.html (accessed 2026-10-10). ↩
  3. Washington Lookouts, Forest Fire Lookout Association, https://firelookout.org/lookouts/us/wa/ (accessed 2026-10-10). ↩

Photos

Red Mountain Lookout
Red Mountain LookoutPhoto: Rex Kamstra collection, via Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Red Mountain Lookout panoramic 8-22-1934 (N)
Red Mountain Lookout panoramic 8-22-1934 (N) (1934)Photo: National Archives-Pacific Northwest Region, via Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Red Mountain Lookout panoramic 8-22-1934 (SE)
Red Mountain Lookout panoramic 8-22-1934 (SE) (1934)Photo: National Archives-Pacific Northwest Region, via Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Red Mountain Lookout panoramic 8-22-1934 (SW)
Red Mountain Lookout panoramic 8-22-1934 (SW) (1934)Photo: National Archives-Pacific Northwest Region, via Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Photo of Red Mountain Lookout Site
Photo: Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
Debris
DebrisPhoto: Jeff Ruckle, 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, status, 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. 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
  3. Firefinder research Gave us: summary, design, status, agency, 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.