Washington Forest Fire Lookout Challenge Mystery Cache

The posted coordinates are not the final coordinates. The final coordinates are listed below as an additional waypoint, however you may not be able to claim a find for this challenge until the requirements are completed (see below).

I've always been interested in Forest Fire Lookouts. I enjoy the views, the history, and visiting with the Lookout staff. For the same reasons, my favorite places to geocache are at Lookout sites.

Click Here for a Wikipedia article about Forest Fire Lookouts. The article decribes the various types of lookouts and their history and purpose. There is also some interesting trivia regarding lookout towers.

This Washington Forest Fire Lookout Challenge is for geocachers who also love the great outdoors, the mountain drives and hikes, and the scenic and usually panoramic views. Forest Fire Lookouts also have historical significance. They were built in the early to mid-1900s. Some towers are still standing. Some are gone and only the footings and the spectacular views remain.

At the time this Challenge was created, there were 95 geocaches at lookout sites in Washington state. The list has grown considerably Washington State Forest Fire Lookout Bookmark List. Hopefully new geocaches will continue to be placed at other lookout sites. See references below.

The first firewatch lookouts were built in the late 1890s in Montana. After the turn of the century, the US Forest Service was born and after a historic wildfire, the Forest Service began building more lookout towers. During the Great Depression of the 1930's, the Civilian Conservation Corps began building hundreds of lookouts across the country. Of the more than 8,000 lookouts constructed on the mountain peaks and ridge tops across America, a total of 656 lookouts were built in Washington State alone. Then, no more than one generation later, the lookouts were being replaced by airplanes, helicopters, and video cameras. Firewatch towers were systematically being dismantled or destroyed. Fortunately, some were saved and still exist today. Of the 656 lookouts in Washington State, 107 remain. Of the 107 lookouts still standing, 53 are listed on the National Historic Lookout Register.

Here is a list of geocaches, located at lookouts that are registered on the National Historic Lookout Register:

Fire Lookouts of the Northwest by Ray Kresek

Forest Fire Lookout Association

Rex's Forest Fire Lookout Page

Washington Lookouts` by Ron Kemnow

Eric Willhite's Field Guide to Washington Fire Lookout Sites

Osborne Photo Index

Now for the challenge: Find and/or Hide geocaches at 50 Forest Fire Lookout Sites in the State of Washington.

1) Caches listed on geocaching.com are the only caches valid for this challenge.

2) Previous Finds and Hides Count so long as they are listed in this Washington State Forest Fire Lookout Bookmark List. This Bookmark list will be updated as new caches are placed and approved by the Groundspeak Approvers. Finds/Hides will be counted on caches that are archived only if the caches are archived "after" the start of the challenge. NOTE: Please let me know if there are geocaches located at lookout sites that are not on my Bookmark list. If they meet the requirements, they will be added.

3) Physical caches only - They must contain a logbook. Virtual, webcam, and event caches do not qualify.

4) You may claim a cache that you own. Only one geocacher username can claim a hide.

5) Qualifying caches MUST BE ACTIVE. Archived/disabled caches do not count unless you find them before they are archived/disabled.

6) Placement of a NEW geocache at a Forest Fire Lookout site counts the same as finding a cache at a Lookout Site, but a NEW cache must be placed within 0.2 miles of the Lookout Tower or Site. If the tower no longer exists, the lookout site is usually found at the very peak of the ridge or hill and there are usually tell-tell signs of concrete footings or foundations.

7) New caches placed will be counted if they are traditional caches with small to large containers. Micro caches are discouraged but may be allowed with approval of the challenge owner.

8) You must find at least 4 geocaches at lookouts and lookout sites in each of the 9 regions of the state defined below. This means that even though you may have found/hidden the required 50 caches, you will not have successfully completed the challenge if you have not found 4 caches in each of the 9 regions of the state.

9) You may not log this cache as a find until all requirements have been met for each individual. All invalid finds will be deleted.

10) Caches must be located at Lookouts or Lookout Sites where the original purpose of the lookout was to watch for forest fires or wildfires, such as those built by the US Forest Service or the Department of Natural Resources. Caches at other lookouts, such as those built at scenic attractions, or lookouts built specifically for bird watching, for example, do not count.

11) There may be lookouts with more than one geocache, such as Dog Mountain in Area 6 with GC11WBW and GCG4AH, and they are both listed in the Bookmark listing. You may find both caches, however only one of them will be counted for this challenge. The idea is to visit 50 different lookout sites.

12) The final cache may only be found and logged "after" completing the requirements of this challenge (finding/owning caches at 50 lookouts with at least 4 in each of the 9 areas).

Modified Rule #12 effective July 10, 2010: If you wish, you can choose to do the challenge under the original rules of visiting 50 lookout caches, with at least 4 caches in each of the 9 areas (Gold Level), or you can qualify by visiting 50 lookouts anywhere in the state, no Area requirement. (Silver Level)

How to Log this Cache:

Send me an Email with a Shared Bookmark List of your hides/finds. After verification that you have successfully completed the challenge requirements, and have found the final cache, you may then log a Find for this cache.

The 9 Areas are defined as follows:

AREA 1: The area of Washington state that lies West of Interstate 5.

AREA 2: The area of Washington State that is enclosed by I-5 to the West, Highway 20 to the South, Highway 97 to the East, and the Canadian border to the North.

AREA 3: The area of Washington State that is enclosed by I-5 to the West, Highway 2 to the South, Highway 97 to the East, and Highway 20 to the North.

AREA 4: The area of Washington State that is enclosed by I-5 to the West, Interstate 90 the South, Highway 97 to the East, and Highway 2 to the North.

AREA 5: The area of Washington State that is enclosed by Interstate 5 to the West, Highway 12 to the South, Highway 97 to the East, and Interstate 90 to the North.

AREA 6: The area of Washington State that is enclosed by Interstate 5 to the West, the WA-OR border to the South, Highway 97 to the East, and Highway 12 to the North.

AREA 7: The area of Washington State that is enclosed by Highway 97 to the West, Interstate 90 to the South, the Columbia River to the East, and Highway 2 to the North.

AREA 8: The area of Washington State that is enclosed by Highway 97 to the West, Highway 2 to the South, the WA-ID border to the East, and the Canadian border to the North.

AREA 9: The area of Washington State that is enclosed by Highway 2 to the North, Highway 97 from Orondo to Wenatchee then the Columbia River to Vantage, then Interstate 90 to Ellensburg then Highway 97 to the WA-OR border, the WA-OR border to the South, and the WA-ID border to the East.

GOLD LEVEL: Listing of Geocachers Who Have Completed This Challenge under the Original rules: Visit 50 lookout caches with at least 4 caches in each of the 9 Areas.

SILVER LEVEL: Listing of Geocachers Who Have Completed This Challenge Under Modified Rules: Visit 50 Lookout Caches anywhere in WA state.

PROGRESS OF GEOCACHERS PARTICIPATING IN THIS CHALLENGE AND NUMBER OF FOUND/OWNED CACHES. Red numbers denote the minimum requirement of 4 caches for that area has been met.