Fire Lookouts Locationless (Reverse) Cache
This cache has been locked, but it is available for viewing.
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(virtual)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Fire Lookouts, sometimes called Lookout Towers, once stood guard over our country's national forests. Fire lookouts open to the public offer breathtaking views from the top of the world as well as a chance to visit history. Early fire lookouts were simply scaffolds, attached precariously to trees and offering little shelter to the early fire observers. Most surviving fire lookout towers, built in the 20's and 30's, are 14' by 14' structures assembled from pre-manufactured kits and packed up to mountain peaks by truck or even mule train. Windows offered a 360-degree view of the area for the occupant. All the comforts of home were available: wood stove, bed and lantern.
Here are some interesting facts about fire lookouts:
The tallest lookout tower in the world: Warren Bicentennial Tree Lookout, Australia - 225.7 feet.
Tallest all-steel lookout tower in the world: Beard Tower, 5km SE of Manjimup, W. Australia - 200 feet.
Tallest lookout tower in the U.S.: Woodworth Tower, Alexandria Louisiana - 175 feet.
Highest lookout site in the world: Fairview Peak, 25mi NE of Gunnison Colorado - 13,214 feet.
Lowest lookout sites in the world: Pine Island L.O., Florida & Evans Pines L.O., Florida - 2 feet.
Earliest known fire lookout in the world: Mount Masada, west of the Dead Sea, in present-day Israel, approx. 2,000 years ago. It was built by the evil King Herod's army in the Holy Land to protect against his enemies who were burning his empire.
State with the most known lookout sites: Idaho (989). 196 of them still exist with roughly 60 staffed each summer.
Number of lookout sites in Alaska: 2! For a state that has huge conflagrations we hear about in the news, this is surprising.
Number of lookout sites in Rhode Island: 10! Amazing how the smallest state had five times as many lookouts as the largest state in the union.
Only state that has never had a lookout: Kansas.
To log a Fire Lookout Visit, enter the name of the lookout, its geographic location (GPS coordinates and State, Country), elevation, and upload a picture of the lookout with GPS. Any additional information would also be nice, including whether or not it is still manned, year it was built, and include a photo of the view.
As an example, the following lookout is on Red Top Mountain, in the Wenatchee National Forest (Cascade Mountain Range) in Washington State. The elevation at the lookout is 5400 ft. First developed with a cabin in 1924, replaced in 1928 with a cupola cabin, the present 10' treated timber tower with L-4 cab, built in 1952 had stood abandoned since the 1970's. The lookout was totally restored from 1996-1997, and is "staffed" as an interpretive site during the summer.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)