Red Butte Fire Lookout

Administrative agency:  Umpqua NF

Staffing status:  presently used only to support radio antennas, it may be placed in the rental program at a later time

Elevation:  5275 ft

Structure:  1953 41 ft wooden tower with L-4 cab

Access:  the lookout is around 10 miles from the pavement coming in from the north, the road is signed several times, no gates are present, although one will be installed if it is rented

Road conditions:  the road is pretty good until the last mile or so, it become rutted and washboarded, the road is mostly dirt at this point, and would be interesting we wet, prior to this point it is graveled pretty well

Interior:  the interior is mostly empty, I believe most of the windows are gone, the cab defiantly needs work

Other structures on summit:  several radio towers and buildings are present, including a FS repeater, at least one backup propane tank is there, the grid power line was buried a long way just for the repeaters

Electrical power source:  grid power

Other:  the bottom flight of stars have been lowered, the tower was going to be put into the rental program within the next couple of years, electrical power was going to be added to the cab, the outhouse was going to be replaced, and a gate was going to be added, then someone found led paint, the cost of removing it will be high, so the present plans are unknown, hopefully they will find a solution in which the tower gets restored, the summit sits high above the surroundings so the view goes a long way, there is a good view of the south from the ground, including Tater Hill, Bland would probably be visible from the tower on a good day

Visited:  Dominic Luebbers in June 2001