FirefinderFire lookouts of the US

Fire lookout · Webster County, West Virginia

Red Oak Knob Fire Tower

CCC wooden tower of 1934 replaced by an 80-foot steel tower in 1964; restored and reopened as an overnight rental in September 2026.

Visit & stay

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

Access

Open to the public. Overnight rental booked through Recreation.gov; cab and campsite, vault toilet, no drinking water. 2027 season April 15 to November 30.

Can you climb it?
Unknown
Road to the top?
Unknown
Staffing
Unknown

Facts

Status
Standing
Type
Cab on a tower80-foot all-metal steel tower with a CL100-series cabThe design: CL-100
Built of
Not recorded
Built
1934
Height
80 ft (24.4 m)
Elevation
3,705 ft (1,129 m)
Agency
U.S. Forest Service, Monongahela National Forest
Land
Federal land
Location
Webster County, West Virginia
Coordinates
38.35325, −80.44068
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 8 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-wv-red-oak-knob

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 3.3 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 BuiltCivilian Conservation Corps wooden tower, 30 feet per the registerSources: fs.usda.gov, easternuslookouts.weebly.com, nhlr.org
  2. No record between 1934 and 1964
  3. 1964 Built'Built' field on NHLR detail pageSource: NHLR register entry
  4. 1964 Replaced by a new structureCurrent steel tower erected to replace the 1934 wooden towerSources: fs.usda.gov, nhlr.org, wtrf.com
  5. 1976 EventVandalism: electrical service torn out, cab entered, interior heaters stolen (reports dated June 10 and October 21, 1976)Source: easternuslookouts.weebly.com
  6. No record between 1976 and 2016
  7. 2016 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterRegistered November 27, 2016 as US 1150, WV 18Source: nhlr.org
  8. 2023 RestoredRoof, floor and window repairs complete and lightning protection, lighting and pit toilets added, per the register as of 2023; project about 80-90 percent complete in November 2023Sources: nhlr.org, wtrf.com
  9. 2026 Opened as a rentalOpened for overnight rental (Forest Service release dated September 8, 2026)Source: fs.usda.gov
  10. 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 9 Oct 2026, fact-checked.

The Civilian Conservation Corps built the first Red Oak fire tower in 1934, a wooden framed tower with a wooden cab.1,2 The register says that first tower stood 30 feet tall.3 In 1964 the current tower replaced it.1 That steel tower is 80 feet tall, a height that both the register and a 2023 news report give.3,4

The sources do not agree on where the tower sits or how large its cab is.3,1 The register places it on Cranberry Ridge east of Cowen, while the Forest Service puts it about 12 miles south of Cowen.3,1 The register gives the cab as 14 by 14 feet, and the 2023 news report describes a 12 by 13 foot cabin.3,4

I did not find the names of any lookouts who worked the tower, or any particular fire it watched. What the sources do record is damage. Reports from June and October 1976 describe the electrical service torn out. The June report adds that locks were broken to get into the cab and that the interior electric heaters were stolen.2 The June report says the tower was still kept up to detect fires in emergencies and to support forest communications.2 The Forest Service says the fire towers on the Monongahela were retired by the late 1970s.1

Restoration came much later, through a partnership between the Forest Service, the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area, HistoriCorps, the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia and Secure Rural Schools funding.1 As of 2023, the register says roof, floor and window repairs were complete, and that lightning protection, lighting and pit toilets had been added.3 A news report from November 2023 put the project at roughly 80 to 90 percent done and estimated a stay at $75 to $100 a night, pending approval.4

The Forest Service opened the tower for overnight rental in September 2026.1 Guests can sleep in the cab, which has two twin cots, a pair of folding chairs, a small table, and lights with outlets.1 The campsite has RV power, a fire ring and grill, and a vault toilet, but no drinking water.1 Bookings go through Recreation.gov, and the 2027 season runs from April 15 through November 30.1 The 2026 release does not give a price, so check the listing before you go.1

  1. Red Oak Fire Lookout Opens for Overnight Stays, USDA Forest Service, Monongahela National Forest, https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/monongahela/newsroom/releases/red-oak-fire-lookout-opens-overnight-stays (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  2. Red Oak, Forest Lookouts (easternuslookouts.weebly.com), https://easternuslookouts.weebly.com/red-oak.html (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  3. Red Oak Knob Fire Tower, National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org), http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/wv/red-oak-knob-fire-tower/ (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  4. Red Oak Tower in WV being turned into overnight rental, WTRF, https://www.wtrf.com/west-virginia/red-oak-fire-tower-in-west-virginia-being-converted-into-overnight-stay-rental/ (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩

Photos

May 2022 photo
May 2022 photo (2022)Photo: Brian M. Powell, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
1935 photo
1935 photo (1935)Photo: National Archives, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
1933 Road Oak Knob Fire Tower and its 1964 replacement
1933 Road Oak Knob Fire Tower and its 1964 replacement (1933)Photo: U.S. Forest Service, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source

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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. Firefinder research Gave us: summary, design, height, agency, access, 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.