FirefinderFire lookouts of the US

Fire lookout · Albany County, Wyoming

Spruce Mountain Lookout

CCC-era 1938 lookout tower in Medicine Bow National Forest, rebuilt as a taller R-6 tower and opened to public rental in 1997.

Visit & stay

You can rent this lookout for overnight stays through recreation.gov.

Season
June through September
Sleeps
Up to 2 people
Getting there
Guests can drive directly to the lookout most of the season.

Rules

  • No water or electricity on site
  • Clean the cabin before leaving

Overview Perched atop a forested mountain, Spruce Mountain Fire Lookout Tower offers visitors a unique lodging experience in Medicine Bow National Forest in southcentral Wyoming. The original fire lookout was constructed during the summer of 1938 by workers employed through the New Deal's Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). After thirty years of use, it was replaced with a taller, more structurally sound tower. The new 55-foot tall tower was used as a fire lookout until the 1990s when it was renovated and opened to the public for overnight rental in 1997. The lookout is typically open from June through September. Guests can drive directly to the lookout most of the season. Several amenities are provided, but guests should be prepared to pack in some of their own supplies and gear for a comfortable stay. Please be aware during the month of June snow drifts may prevent you from driving directly to the tower and you may need to pack items in from a longer distance. For more information on conditions please call the Laramie Ranger District Office prior to arivial at 307-745-2300 Recreation The area around the lookout offers opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding and hunting. The lookout is also ideal for guests who simply want to relax and enjoy picnics, campfires and stargazing at night. Rob Roy Reservoir is a six mile drive from the lookout, offering opportunities for fishing, boating and water skiing. Gold panning is a popular activity in Douglas Creek, which is connected to the reservoir. Facilities The lookout cabin is furnished with two single beds with mattresses and can accommodate up to two guests. Inside amenities include a table with chairs, cookware, dishes, utensils, cleaning supplies, a propane heater, propane cook stove and oven, and propane lights. An outhouse with pit toilet is provided, and a campfire ring is located at the base of the lookout. Firewood can be gathered from the surrounding area. Additional camping is allowed on-site, though the area is rocky. A hoist (pulley and rope) is available to transport gear to the tower cabin. There is no water or electricity available at the site. Guests must bring enough water for drinking, cooking, and washing. Other items to bring include sleeping bags, flashlights or lanterns, towels, dish soap, matches, toilet paper, a first aid kit and garbage bags. All food and trash must be packed out, and guests are expected to clean the cabin before leaving. Natural Features The lookout offers panoramic views that include Medicine Bow Peak, Rob Roy Reservoir, Jelm Mountain and the southern end of the Snowy Range. Snowdrifts melt in June, welcoming the arrival of wildflowers that splash color on the rocky, timbered hillsides. Wildlife species such as elk, deer, black bears, cougars, squirrels, foxes and bats are supported by the area's diverse forest habitats. At an elevation of 10,003 feet, guests should be prepared for high altitude conditions. Summertime temperatures average 70 degrees fahrenheit, but can drop as low as 30 degrees at night or during thunderstorms. Charges & Cancellations Refunds for cancellations may be processed on a case-by-case basis. There are no refunds for reservation processing fees. Please be aware of changes in weather and road conditions prior to arrival and plan accordingly.

Book on recreation.gov

Rental details from recreation.gov, checked 12 Oct 2026. Rules, fees and seasons change, so confirm on the booking page before you go. Data source: ridb.recreation.gov

Access

Open to the public. Rental tower, drive-up most of the season; June snowdrifts may block the road.

Can you climb it?
Yes
Road to the top?
Yes, you can drive up
Trail
Guests may need to pack gear in on foot during early-season snow.
Staffing
Not staffed (as of 2008)

Facts

Status
Standing
Type
Cab on a towerR-6 tower (41-foot treated-timber, per firelookout.com; Recreation.gov instead says 55 feet)The designs: R-6, L-4
Built of
Wood
Height
30 ft (9.1 m)
Elevation
9,997 ft (3,047 m)
Agency
U.S. Forest Service
Land
Federal land
Location
Albany County, Wyoming
Coordinates
41.20276, −106.21727
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 12 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-wy-spruce-mountain

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.

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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. 1938 BuiltOriginal lookout built by CCC crews.Source: recreation.gov
  2. 1950 BuiltSource: firelookout.com -- Rex Kamstra's Forest Fire Lookout Page
  3. 1950 StaffedH. Arnold Maves listed as lookout personnel.Source: firelookout.com
  4. No record between 1950 and 1997
  5. 1997 Opened as a rentalRenovated and opened for overnight rental.Source: recreation.gov
  6. No record between 1997 and 2015
  7. 2015 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterRegistered on the National Historic Lookout Register January 3, 2015.Source: nhlr.org
  8. 2016 RestoredNew roof and lightning protection system installed in summer 2016.Source: firelookout.org
  9. 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 4 Oct 2026, fact-checked.

The first lookout on Spruce Mountain, a 30-foot pole-and-L-4-cab tower, went up in the summer of 1938, built by Civilian Conservation Corps crews working in what is now the Medicine Bow National Forest.1,2 Sources differ on exactly when it was replaced: Recreation.gov says the original stood for about thirty years before being swapped for a taller, sturdier tower, while a lookout-history site describes the present structure as a 41-foot treated-timber R-6 cab that replaced the original 1930s pole tower, without giving an exact year.2,3 A lookout-history record lists a staffer named H. Arnold Maves at the site in 1950.3

The tower did its job as a fire lookout into the 1990s.2 By then staffing of the backcountry lookout had ended, and in 1997 the Forest Service renovated the structure and opened it to the public for overnight rental.2 It sits at roughly 10,000 feet in the Medicine Bow National Forest, about 30 miles west-southwest of Laramie, Albany County, Wyoming.1,3

Spruce Mountain Lookout was added to the National Historic Lookout Register in January 2015.1 Visit reports filed with the register in 2004 and 2008 describe a tower in generally sound condition — stairs, glass and shutters all holding up — though both visits noted it could use paint, and volunteers have pitched in on upkeep around the site.1

Today the lookout remains a working rental rather than a museum piece. It's open from June through September, and for most of that season guests can drive right up to it, though lingering June snowdrifts can force visitors to pack gear in on foot for a stretch.2 The U.S. Forest Service's Laramie Ranger District manages bookings and can advise on current access conditions before a stay.2

  1. Spruce Mountain Lookout, National Historic Lookout Register, http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/wy/spruce-mountain-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-04). ↩
  2. Spruce Mountain Fire Lookout Tower, Recreation.gov, https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/233989 (accessed 2026-10-04). ↩
  3. Spruce Mtn. Fire Lookout Tower, firelookout.com, https://www.firelookout.com/wy/sprucemtn.html (accessed 2026-10-04). ↩

Photos

Spruce Mountain Lookout (photo
Spruce Mountain Lookout (photoPhoto: Kent Argow, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
View from catwalk (photo
View from catwalk (photoPhoto: Kent Argow, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Spruce Mtn. in 1939
Spruce Mtn. in 1939 (1939)Photo: the National Archives and Records Administration and the U.S. Forest Service, via firelookout.com · source
Spruce Mtn. L.O.
Spruce Mtn. L.OPhoto: the National Archives and Records Administration and the U.S. Forest Service, via firelookout.com · 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 year it was built.

    • firelookout.com -- Rex Kamstra's Forest Fire Lookout Page: 1950
    • recreation.gov: 1938

    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, register numbers, agency, 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. Recreation Information Database (recreation.gov) Gave us: ownership, access, rental details, dates, links Data source: ridb.recreation.gov · Public data from the US government · retrieved 12 Oct 2026
  4. Forest Fire Lookout Association: lookout rentals Gave us: rental details, links Forest Fire Lookout Association rentals list (firelookout.org) · No licence stated; facts extracted only (state, name, booking link, manager, closure note), no prose copied. The FFLA says it is not involved in managing any rental program. · retrieved 12 Oct 2026
  5. firelookout.com -- Rex Kamstra's Forest Fire Lookout Page Gave us: what it is built of, design, height, 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
  6. Forest Fire Lookout Association chapter reports Gave us: dates, links Forest Fire Lookout Association, chapter and restoration-grant reports (firelookout.org) · No licence stated; facts only (dates, names, the kind of work done). Every note is our own wording and every event links to the FFLA report it comes from. Positions are copied from the NHLR, FFLOS and FFLA records. · retrieved 8 Oct 2026
  7. 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
  8. 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

Firefinder takes facts (places, dates, numbers) from these sources and writes its own words. See all sources and licences.