Idaho Lookouts Information
Introduction
Idaho has some amazing fire lookouts comprising a wide variety of architectural styles. From lookouts you can drive to, to lookouts that require days of backpacking, the geography is as varied as our lookouts. Did you know that Idaho has had 989 fire lookouts scattered throughout the state at one time or another?! Only around 180 remain, but most of these are historic structures and listed with the National Historic Lookouts Registry.
A daunting task indeed…designing a playing card deck celebrating Idaho’s lookouts. We began by polling the experts…”Of Idaho’s numerous lookouts, past and present, which ones would you celebrate and incorporate into such a card deck?” We relied heavily on their recommendations, but of course had to include a few of our personal favorites. Hopefully you will find a few familiar ones.
This deck of playing cards is dedicated to all those who lost their lives or suffered hardship while staffing, building, maintaining or supplying all of the many lookouts throughout Idaho. We specifically feature two of those…wonderful young people with their entire lives ahead of them…who died at Bertha Hill Lookout. Glenn Frazier who died June 13, 1932 when lightning struck the tower pictured in this deck, and Maida L. Talbott who died from a fall from the lookout on July 16, 1964. They died serving us, keeping watch while we lived our lives. That sacrifice is surely worthy of remembrance.
Locations
Want to go exploring?! The locations of our featured lookouts can be found below. Clicking on the GPS coordinates will take you to the lookout location on Google Maps. Those lookouts designated with asterisks no longer remain. Those preceded by double angles (») can be driven to or reasonably close to, and the following list starts in the north and continues to the southernmost lookout. Get out and find a lookout! Make a picnic out of it. Take this lookout deck and play a card game at your picnic. Loser washes the dishes.
West Fork: 48.832400,-116.751280
»Lookout Mtn: 48.772890,-116.769233
»Gisborne: 48.34961,-116.75629
»Little Guard: 47.798060,-116.006086
Mallard Pk: 46.93809,-115.52486
»Bertha Hill: 46.764256,-115.792373
»*Jerry Johnson: 46.49323,-114.93270*
Grave Pk: 46.394927,-114.730375
*Old Man: 46.269530,-115.365582*
*Wylies Pk: 45.98229,-114.96586*
»Sourdough: 45.726848,-115.815952
»Burnt Knob: 45.702684,-114.991185
»Grave Pt: 45.642220,-116.380830
Sheepeater: 45.38986,-115.34687
»Heavens Gate: 45.368610,-116.494720
»No Business: 44.764313,-116.196172
»Twin Peaks: 44.593287,-114.476451
»Pilot Pk: 43.960107,-115.686767
»Danskin Pk: 43.413192,-115.658857
Links to Useful Lookout Websites and Resources
There are some who have been working for many years, to preserve the history of our unique fire lookouts. Without their efforts many of the images and stories connected to our lookouts would be extinct. Some of those are the following:
Ray Kresek, who’s book “Fire Lookouts of the Northwest” is considered THE reference source, the bible of fire lookouts and their history in our corner of the universe. If you can find a used copy, and you are interested in lookouts, buy it…quickly! More info regarding Ray and his work can be found at firelookouts.com. An index of a list of Ray’s lookouts, including pictures and info can be found in barebones format at: https://www.firelookout.com/id/
The Forest Fire Lookout Association has a wonderful alphabetical listing of current and former Idaho lookouts at: https://firelookout.org/lookouts/us/id/ This resource was used repeatedly during the production of our card deck. The column on the far right contains links to many wonderful pictures and information.
The National Historic Lookout Registry also has an alphabetical listing of Idaho lookouts with tons of information via links. This source can be found at: http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/ID
Last but not least, the irrepressible Cat House and her partner Billy Cooter at https://www.idahofirelookouts.com/. Their photography and enthusiasm is second to none. For a breath taking example go to https://www.idahofirelookouts.com/north-idaho-panhandle-region/west-fork-lookout/. A header video of the West Fork lookout we feature as our Jack of Diamonds shows the area and the lookout as nothing else could. They have big ambitious plans. If you ever staffed a lookout, or have rare historical photos of lookouts please contact them with the information so they can add it to their historical record.
Acknowledgments
This deck would not have been possible without the assistance of the following people and groups:
Our “panel of experts” who gave invaluable advice regarding unique and favorite lookouts in the state of Idaho: Cindy Bartholf – retired USFS Archaeologist; Luke Channer – Southern Idaho FFLA Director and legendary lookout photographer and hiker; Richard Holm Jr. – lookout enthusiast and author of “Points of Prominence: Fire Lookouts of the Payette National Forest”; Cat House & Billy Cooter – authors, photographers (extraordinaire!), builders & maintainers of idahofirelookouts.com; Gary Weber – Forest Fire Lookout Association, a national organization dedicated to preserving lookouts and their legacy throughout the world. (Gary is the treasurer and a north Idaho lookout specialist, among other things.)
Our lookout illustrations are best understood as artistic interpretations. Pictures of actual lookouts were sometimes converted and hand modified, other times the pictures were models. Sometimes composites of several pictures were used. The process varied slightly from picture to picture. BUT without the gracious people who allowed us access to their photos the illustrations would not have been possible. Many thanks to the following:
Cat House & Billy Cooter of idahofirelookouts.com; Mallard Peak, Little Guard, Grave Point, Lookout Mountain.
Luke Channer, Southern Idaho Director of the FFLA; Sheepeater, West Fork