Administrative agency:
Willamette NF
Staffing status:
last staffed in the 60's the lookout is abandoned and in poor
condition
Elevation:
4969ft
Structure: 1927 steel Aermotor tower, originally with
ladder only access, wooden stairs were later added inside the
tower
Access:
it is possible to access the tower from several different
direction, all of which require driving a good distance on gravel
roads, signs are sometimes absent or weathered and hard to read,
due to this as well and other factors this tower may not be as
straightforward to access as some, a gate is present approximately
one mile form the trailhead, however it was opened upon my visit,
a second gate was in place at one time but has since been removed,
the trail is around 1/4 mile in length, it is signed and it is pretty easy to follow, the last
portion right below the tower is somewhat overgrown
Road conditions:
the gravel road starts out in fair condition and remains that way
until right before the trailhead, it then becomes very steep and
rocky with many potholes, and is not usable for most two wheel
drive vehicles, the best idea is to park there and walk the last
distance to the trailhead
Interior:
the interior is empty except for some graffiti, the windows are
long gone and the roof has bullet holes in it, it is still
possible to see where the fire finder stand was once mounted, many
pieces of the tower are still painted saying something like "US
Forest Service Lowell OR", it is also possible to see evidence of
the phone system if you look for it
Other structures on summit:
none, the living quarters that were once present are now gone
Electric power source:
None
Other:
climbing the tower isn't the easiest as access has been somewhat
restricted although it is still possible to do so, if you chose
this more adventurous option be sure to be careful as a couple of
the stair treads have been removed, even if you climb the tower
some of the view has been overgrown, although a nice view of the
forest is still possible from the tower, from the
ground the view has been totally blocked by trees, at onetime the
FS had thought about moving the lookout to the ranger station
although that never occurred, current plans are to keep the
lookout in its current location and restrict access to it and then
setup some sort of interpretive area at the site, if you are in
the area the Lowell Ranger Station often displays an intricately
done scale model of the lookout in their lobby area
Visited:
Dominic Luebbers August 2002 |
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