Many travelers aspire to find unconventional places to fully enjoy a vacation that is decidedly off the beaten path, experiencing a true break from the usual routine to enjoy the silences and sounds that only nature can offer.
Unusual spots for an Into The Wild-style experience, visiting areas still pristine, untouched by humans, free from mass tourism. It is still possible to find such options by staying in the historic “cabins” of the U.S. Forest Service located at the top of fire lookout towers, the fire lookouts.
Fire Lookout Towers, fire lookouts
These structures are unique and part of the history of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming in the United States. Mostly used in the early twentieth century by the Forest Service to watch for fires. During the Great Depression in America, the Civilian Conservation Corps—President Roosevelt‘s “green army”—was assigned construction projects nationwide, including over 600 fire lookout towers.
The use of fire lookouts peaked in 1938, with over 800 towers in operation each summer across Northern USA regions. After World War II, the number significantly declined. By 1964 only 250 lookouts were still in use. While some lookouts are no longer active for fire spotting due to newer fire detection technologies, several towers are maintained to offer scenic viewpoints for forest visitors, typically with views spanning at least 20 miles.
Sleeping in Fire Lookout Towers
Other lookouts are now rented for short vacation stays, appealing to those seeking recreation in nature, thus giving new purpose to accommodate guests via rental, bookable well in advance. Today there are 10 towers in Idaho, 24 in Montana and 2 in Wyoming included in the U.S. Forest Service recreation rental program.
Some towers are accessible by dirt roads, others require reaching by footpaths, bringing your own luggage and essential supplies. They are not always easily accessible but the memory of nights spent in history, natural beauty and silence of “wild” places will last forever.
Each structure rewards the senses with wonderful views of surrounding mountains and valleys, ample opportunities for wildlife spotting and hiking. It’s a dream come true: being in a high-altitude refuge, touching the vast skies of the American northwest, eyes fixed on infinite horizons dominating vast open spaces and listening only to the sounds of the natural environment.
An invitation to walks, healthy reading or writing poetry and novels, or other hobbies. Many of these towers offer rustic accommodations, sometimes without electricity or water.
Usually available in summer, they typically accommodate up to 4 people. Start imagining yourself looking out from a rustic 4 x 4 meter cabin at the top of a remote tower with endless views. You learn to follow nature’s rhythms and the balcony soon becomes the place where you feel happiest with yourself in a sanctuary of contemplation far from the noise of modernity. It’s like a spiritual retreat. As Norman Maclean—Montana writer—wrote in his brief novel “A River Runs Through It”: “It doesn’t take much in the way of mind and body to be a lookout. It’s mostly soul”.
Fire Lookout Tower Furnishings
The space inside fire lookouts is furnished with essentials: table, chairs, a wood stove, beds and cots (but sheets are not provided). Some may have some dishes, but in most cases you must bring your own kitchen utensils. Generally, electricity and water are not available. You might need to chop wood for the stove; an axe is provided. Toilets are outside.
Some lodgings provide lanterns, but it’s wise to bring flashlights. There are no phones and cell reception exists only rarely. If you don’t mind packing well for the experience of staying at the top of the world, try spending a few days in a “lookout“!
You just need to book many months in advance and follow every instruction and information given. The locations are remote, with basic services, requiring only adaptability. They are certainly “hidden treasures” suited for the few or true travelers! Bookings are made through the National Recreation Reservation System (NRRS) on the website Recreation.gov, where the daily rates for each lookout are displayed and payment is made by credit card. They cost little, around $40-50 per day. Fees from lookout rentals contribute to funding the system, maintaining high-quality experiences for the public and expanding recreational opportunities, emphasizing forest services.
Double Arrow Lookout, Montana
The Double Arrow Lookout in the Lolo National Forest of Montana, just 2 miles west of Seeley Lake in Missoula County, is on the National Historic Lookout Register. This 1933 fire lookout tower, operational until 1980, is part of the Recreation Rental program.
From May to October, it offers guests the chance to admire the Seeley Valley and nearby Swan Mountains from a unique vantage point, high atop the hills. The tower cabin (measuring 4m x 4m) includes some modern amenities: electricity, heating, an economical stove for cooking, and a small refrigerator. The outdoor toilet is steps away. It accommodates up to 4 people with two single beds and two field cots, allowing guests to personalize it with their own equipment.
Cellular service is available in the area. Nevertheless, guests must bring their own bedding, cooking utensils, food, and cleaning supplies. Each visitor should bring food, wipes, soap, trash bags, toilet paper, and anything else needed. The cabin must be cleaned before departure. The lookout tower is reachable by car, but the dirt road requires a vehicle with good ground clearance. Each guest is responsible for arranging transport and travel and their own safety.
Nearby mountains offer diverse recreational opportunities, but the panoramic views are what mainly attract people to stay in this tower. The forest shelters a variety of plants, trees, and wildlife, including mountain goats, bighorn sheep, moose, elk, deer, grizzly and black bears. Bald and golden eagles live in the forest, as well as wild swans, herons, and many duck species.
Numerous trails lead from the tower to nearby mountains and valleys. Seeley Lake is just 3 km from Double Arrow Lookout and is open for fishing, boating, and other water activities. There is also a sandy beach with shaded areas perfect for relaxing and enjoying the alpine setting. The tower is close to the Clearwater River Canoe Trail, spectacular for bird and wildlife spotting, and offering unparalleled scenery. The 5.6 km route can be paddled in a couple of hours entirely on water.
Surveyors Lookout, Idaho
In Idaho, most lookouts are located in the northern part of the state, the area commonly called the Panhandle, which features numerous forests and lakes and is unquestionably a tribute to wilderness. The Surveyors Lookout stands on a tower about 9 meters high, offering phenomenal views of the Snow Peak summit and the surrounding mountains.
This structure is listed in the National Historic Register for Lookouts and offers guests a unique experience in the Panhandle National Forest, home to 400 species of wildlife including lynx and grizzly bears, as well as 73 species of river and lake fish. Originally built in 1931 as part of a lookout network used for spotting fires in the Upper St. Joe Country region, it was replaced in 1964 by the current wooden tower. Access is via a single-lane dirt road recommended for a jeep.
Surveyors Lookout sits atop the Surveyors Ridge at an elevation of 1800 m. The 9-meter-high lookout tower overlooks the spectacular Mallard-Larkins Pioneer Area, which straddles the watershed divide between the Little North Fork Clearwater River and the North Fork Clearwater River.
Other lookouts – Snow Peak, Middle Sister, and Mallard Peak – are clearly visible from Surveyors. The lookout accommodates 4 people and is furnished with a cooking stove, a wood stove for heating, and propane-powered lighting. Two twin beds and two additional mattresses are provided along with a dresser. There is also a small refrigerator, though it is suggested to bring a cooler with ice; pots, pans, and utensils are available. There is no drinking water, so the alternative is to collect water from a natural source 2 km away and boil it. Guests should bring food, sheets, first aid kits, dish soap, wipes, personal hygiene products, binoculars, and a water container.
Spruce Mountain Fire Lookout Tower, Wyoming
In Wyoming, the choice falls on the Spruce Mountain Fire Lookout Tower, available from June to September, in the southeastern part of the state. Perched on a forested mountain, the tower offers a unique experience within the Medicine Bow National Forest in southeastern Wyoming covering 1 million acres. This historic fire lookout tower, over 16 meters tall, was renovated and opened for recreational lodging in 1977. It is accessible by car. From the top of the lookout, there are views of Medicine Bow Peak at 3661 meters, the Rob Roy Reservoir basin, Jelm Mountain, and the southern slopes of the Snowy Range mountains. In June, melting snow reveals wildflowers that splash color across the rocky, forested hills. Key wildlife includes elk, deer, black bears, cougars, squirrels, foxes, and bats, all supported by the diverse forest habitats.
At 3000 meters altitude, acclimatization is necessary. Summer temperatures reach 21°C, with strong night or storm chills dropping as low as -1°C. The area around the lookout offers opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. It is ideal for those who want to simply relax, have picnics, campfires, and admire starry night skies. Rob Roy Reservoir is only 10 km by car and invites fishing, boating, and waterskiing. Nearby Douglas Creek even offers gold panning excursions.
The lookout tower provides some basic amenities: two beds with mattresses to accommodate two people; table, chairs, dishes, cooking utensils, cleaning products, heating, a cooking stove with oven, and propane lighting. An outdoor toilet and a campfire site are at the tower base. A manual winch is available to haul equipment up to the tower cabin. There is no water or electricity. Visitors should bring drinking and washing water, sleeping bags, flashlights or lamps, wipes, dish soap, matches, toilet paper, trash bags, or a first aid kit. Food waste must be fully consumed and the lookout left clean for the next guests.
Lookout Cookbook
The Lookout Cookbook is a wonderful collection of recipes, history, personal anecdotes, and over 100 photographs. Seventy recipes from breakfast to dessert have been gathered from people who have served or currently serve in fire lookout towers. This book offers a glimpse into an experiential dimension of a summer spent in isolation in a lookout. The Lookout Cookbook also highlights the historic structures and their preservation. It is published by the Museum of North Idaho.
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