Lookout Towers of the US

Ever since my mother worked at a lookout tower in Montana when I was 11, I've been a bit obsessed with them. Whenever I see one on a map, I make a plan to go see it. Sometimes they're no longer there, sometimes they're (rarely) still occupied by a human, and sometimes they're for rent by the Forest Service! They're never a disappointment.

My favorite are the older wooden ones, but they're all beautiful to me. I have more marked on maps than I've actually visited, so I've got some work to do, but I've recently taken the time to add some to my shop for other Lookout Tower appreciators to see and, if they like, own a print of!

Garver Mountain Lookout, MT

Garver Mountain Lookout Tower is found in the farthest northwest corner of Montana. We took a camping trip to this area a couple of summers ago with our motorcycles and rode the long dirt road up to the marker on the map. From there, it was on foot for over 1/4 mile, in our stiff motorcycle boots, but totally worth the trek. When we came back down to our bikes, we were greeted by a curious snowshoe hare who had no fear of us and walked right up to me while standing next to my bike. A genuine northwest Montana experience; since I partially grew up there, I should know! As a kid, though, I never visited the Yaak area, only a short distance (relatively) from my town. For some reason, it was shrouded in mystery, and rumors of disturbed, violent animals were spread around my school, but I never believed them, and now it's a favorite place of mine to visit. See the print.

Kanabownits Lookout Tower, AZ

This lookout tower we found while exploring the back roads north of the Grand Canyon in Kaibab National Forest. Very remote yet manned full-time, and we were invited to make the climb and go inside.

Kaibab National Forest is one of my favorites for its sprawling dirt roads, trails, scattered campsites, and cool Arizona forest trees and wildflowers. Being able to ride our motorcycles for miles down a dirt road and eventually reach rarely seen parts of the Grand Canyon is priceless.  See the print.

Jacob Lake Lookout Tower, AZ

Jacob Lake Lookout isn't very far from the previous tower, and if you've camped at Jacob Lake, a little way north of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, or even driven to the North Rim, you may have seen this one right next to the highway. This steel lookout tower is 80 feet tall and has a 7-foot-by-7-foot steel box on top. It was erected in 1934.

It, too, was manned when we visited, and we were allowed inside to take a look around the vast, burnt landscape surrounding it. Much of the forest was unfortunately burnt from a huge fire in the 90s, and again in 2020, 70 acres around Jacob Lake were burnt. We've camped nearby, off-grid, and the area can get incredibly windy. Please be careful with your campfires! See the print.

Gardner Lookout Tower, Louisiana

Now, Louisiana is not a place I would have thought of when thinking about lookout towers, but that's because I grew up in the mountains and thought of forest fires only really happening in forests, which were in mountains...right? And then I lived in Portland, where it was typically too wet for fires. Until I started traveling the rest of the country and realized how many forests there were, and that even when places are completely flat, they still get forest fires. The weird things your childhood logic does to your brain can be amusing; luckily, traveling fixes most people's skewed ideas about the world. Which is why it's the best. This tower was surprisingly high, but I'm having trouble finding any history or info about it, unfortunately. See the print.

Lunch Peak Lookout Tower, ID

Lunch Peak Lookout: Unmanned wooden tower view. 

This historic tower stands high atop a mountain outside Sandpoint, Idaho, in the state's panhandle. The drive was easier than some, but definitely took some patience. It's no longer manned but lovingly cared for and a favorite spot for hikers and nature lovers in the area. The alpine air had fresh wildflowers and a chilling breeze to accompany the amazing view. The tower itself is only one story high due to the already vast view. Definitely a favorite, even if we didn't get to go inside! See the print.

Blue Mountain Lookout Tower, MT

This is the one my mother worked at when I was 11. When my partner and I visited in 2012, the tower was still there and manned, but the cabin that we stayed in had burned down years before. The current worker had a travel trailer to stay in that had somehow been hauled up the long, jackknifed, tedious route by the fire department. I remembered how the commute home to where we lived, on the other side of town - down and up more mountains- would have taken my mom hours for what was geographically a short distance, which is why we stayed on the mountain without going into town unless completely necessary. Somehow, we actually ran into the guy working the tower in 2012 twice in town in the month we stayed in the area. It's a small town, but still.. We were invited to come hang out on the mountain and have a few beers, but we never made it, unfortunately. Our giant F350 worked hard enough the first time, and I had a broken leg - which sadly meant I didn't get to go up the tower this time like I had dozens of times as a kid. Hopefully it's a tower I'll get to see again!