Man.. I forgot how cool this thread was , there are some kickass pics in here!
Fire outlook towers
- Thread starter sirbuildalot
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Agreed!
Yes but we call them Forest Fire Lookout towers.Do any of you guys have one of these in your area? I have one about 1.5 miles from my house. They're really pretty interesting structures. Kind of like giant treehouses minus the tree. It seems many were built in the teens and twenties, and suffered fire (ironic) or hurricane damage, and were then rebuilt in the 40's through the 60's.
Heights can vary widely, but 60-68' seems to be a common height. Cab sizes also vary, but 8' x 8', 12' x 12' and 15' x 15' seem pretty common. I know some of the ones out west are much taller. Many have been converted to allow people to spend the night like a hotel. Most are owned by the government, and some are still in active use to this day, as is the case with the one near me. These were used around the world, not just the united states.
This is the one in my area. For those unfamiliar with these structures they were widely used to detect smoke over a wide area. Typically up on a hill or high elevation area of town. 360 degree views with windows, binoculars, and a device called an "Osbourne fire finder", were common features to allow the attendant to alert the station of possible fires.
peakbagger
ArboristSite Member
The US Forest Service had some standard designs and specifications that several firms could supply. There are some PDF copies out on the web. The tower in the photo looks like one of their standard designs despite being in Canada There was a small cab design and a larger cab design as well as a wooden tower designs. The parts are designed to be universally interchangeable to the maximum amount possible. There are also firms that dismantle and sell used towers, they will either sell you a pile of parts or re-erect them. They don't require a crane, they were erected with gin poles and pulleys. Many were built in the Eastern US forests long before helicopters so frequently there was a bull dozer road built with a small bull dozer, some of the old roads are quite impressive how they got up steep terrain to the top of the mountain. Some became hiking trails but many were abandoned.
The Ash Cave tower in central Ohio is pretty cool and at 80’ tall I have to push myself to climb to the top , something about those see through metal grate steps that gives me the willies.
Delilah Peak L/0 on the Sequoia NF
Erik
I hike with a couple that volunteer at this lookout, also at Park Ridge, and Buck Rock. This is their picture, looking at the Delilah tower from the Kings River near Hermit Hole.
This is the Bald Mountain lookout tower, near Shaver Lake, California. I think it was last used in the 80s, a 4WD club and the F.S. fixed it up enough to not have to tear it down, several years ago. It’s on a 4WD trail, but there’s a route from Tamarack Ridge that’s easy enough for a stock vehicle. Also a hiking trail from Dinkey Creek road, about a half mile west of Glen Meadow.
Drptrch
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Park Ridge during the Rough Fire
And good ole Buck Rock
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Drptrch
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Drptrch
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It’s just to the right of the plume, came down from there and this is from McKenzie Ridge above the Helipad
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Drptrch
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It’s just to the right of the plume, came down from there and this is from McKenzie Ridge above the Helipad
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As it progressed
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Nice to have these pictures. I know someone who was on the Rough Fire, but he was up by Spanish Mountain.
Drptrch
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I was detailed to south side of river
Big Meadows to Hume to Converse basin and up to Delilah
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My mom was campground host at Stoney Creek, they had to evacuate.
These pictures are of cleaning up the mess on the Spanish OHV trail, and getting it ready to open. It took two seasons, then the hydrologist had to approve it. I volunteer with OHV by the way.
A lot of the trail looks like this now.
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