Don’t Mind Me I’m On the Lookout
Shasta-Trinity Historic Lookouts Open for Summer Stays…
If you’re looking for a unique overnight experience without having to travel too far out of the North State, then staying in a retired and restored fire lookout managed by the U.S. Forest Service may be the perfect choice for a couples retreat or small family outing.
Four lookouts (and one historic guard station) out of the eight in the entire state are in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, and although most are in primitive areas that you need to hike or have a four-wheel-drive vehicle to get to, the views from the top are worth the extra effort. All of these are available to rent in the summer through recreation.gov:
• Little Mt. Hoffman Lookout (McCloud)*
Open June through mid-October ($75/night), the Little Mt. Hoffman Lookout is a 14×14-foot wooden cabin with windows on all sides and a 360-degree wooden deck. Built in the 1920s, this tower is on top of a cinder cone on the edge of the Medicine Lake Highland. A wood stove, two cots and dining table are inside, but you need to bring your own bedding, food, toilet paper, drinking water and lighting. From its 7,300-foot glass windows, you can see Mount Shasta, Lassen Peak and Mount McLoughlin, as well as Tulelake Basin and Fall River Valley.
• Hirz Mountain Lookout (Shasta Lake area)*
Available to rent out May through mid-October ($110/night), this 20-foot tower within the Shasta-Trinity National Forest sits on a 3,540-foot peak with panoramic views of Shasta Lake, Lassen Peak and Mount Shasta. Inside, the tower has two twin beds, cabinets and cleaning supplies, while a picnic table and vault toilet are at ground level. There is no drinking water, and pack out what you pack in. While this tower provides a roof over your head, bring your own bedding, flashlights, and be sure to have a campfire permit if you’re using a camping stove.
• Girard Ridge Lookout (near Dunsmuir)
Built in 1931, used until 1981 and restored in 1997, this is one of the only architectural gems of its kind left in California. The sleeping cabin ($75/night) is 13 feet off the ground (accessible by a flight of stairs) and has a gable roof with an exterior catwalk. The vault toilet is on ground level in a separate building about 30 feet away. There are no cooking facilities, water or electricity, so you have to bring your own, but you get arguably the best views of Castle Crags spires and you’re three miles away from the Pacific Crest Trail.
• Post Creek Lookout, Hayfork
This charming two-room cabin built in 1934 is a little bit easier to get to and has more amenities than the others without compromising on the views. A kitchen is equipped with a table, dishes, utensils, pots and pans, and there is a flush toilet inside the cabin and water (although not potable). You should still bring your bedding, stove and lighting, though. This guard station atop the Beegum Gorge gives overnighters nice views and vistas of the Yolla Bolly Mountains.
• Forest Glen Guard Station (Weaverville area)*
Built in 1916, the Forest Glen Guard Station is the oldest building in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest but doesn’t seem that way with its upscale amenities. Available to rent from mid-April through early December ($75/night), this is less of a lookout tower than it is a two-story cabin on the ground that sleeps up to eight people. Its interior has a fully stocked kitchen, four twin beds, a double futon, indoor bathroom with a flush toilet, and space heaters which come in handy on the cooler nights. It’s next to the South Fork Trinity River surrounded by oak trees, Douglas firs, and ponderosa pines. •
*As mentioned in Moon Northern California Road Trips by Stuart Thornton and me.
Article Written by:
Kayla Anderson is a freelance writer and co-author of Moon Travel Guides’ Best of California State Parks and Northern California Road Trips. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from CSU, Chico and loves to read, write, and explore the North State and beyond.
