Features > Backcountry
Check Out These Lookouts!
Thompson Peak and Grizzly Ridge Trails
story by Angela Titus, photos by Bushducks
Atop Red Rock Fire Lookout on Thompson Peak Trail, this is the view to the north.
Wildfires have scorched acres of National Forests lands in the last several dry years. Manned fire lookouts can prevent such fires, which close OHV trails and limit forest access. The Forest Service has dismantled hundreds of lookouts despite their importance. Remaining lookout towers, intriguing structures perched in precarious and remote locations, have achieved cult status. Many have been refurbished into rustic cabins and campers rent them for overnight backcountry trips.
Plumas National Forest in northeastern California has two adjacent off-road trails with a total of five fire lookouts to visit. Not all the lookout towers still standing are currently in use. Advancements in fire detection systems and budgetary restrictions gradually eliminated the need to man all the towers. Plumas, like most other California National Forests, still staffs lookouts in the summer.
Thompson Peak Fire Lookout is perched on the ridge of the Diamond Mountains.
The Thompson Peak Trail starts nine miles south of Susanville, and the Grizzly Ridge Trail is located about 24 miles southwest of Susanville off Highway 89. Both trails are easy dirt roads with more difficult spur trails leading up to the towers. These are just two of the trails in the area that form a network of interesting 4-wheel drive roads for all difficulty levels.
One trail climbs to Thompson Peak and Red Rock Fire Lookouts. Both are staffed during fire season, and the watchman typically gives visitors permission to climb the towers and admire the view. Constructed in 1955, Red Rock Fire Lookout fell into disuse for a short time, but was rejuvenated and reopened in 1984.
The Civilian Conservation Corps built Thompson Peak Lookout in about 1931. The square concrete building beside the lookout was added in 1950 as the seat of a three-legged iron tower. A radar dome topped the 34-foot tower and scanned the sky as part of the Early Warning Defense System, created during World War II. Throughout the war, a typical part of all lookouts’ jobs included scanning the horizon for enemy aircraft.
Thompson Peak Fire Lookout is equipped for 24-hour a day, seven day a week use during fire season.
Not only does the Thompson Peak site serve as a fire lookout, it is also a noted observation point for raptor migration and a popular hang-glider launch site. Falcons, bald eagles, and hang-gliders ride thermals, created by warm air rising from Honey Lake below, to gain altitude.
The other trail winds through the forest with spur trails to Mt. Hough, Argentine Rock, and Smith Peak Fire Lookouts. It is also part of a designated Forest Service OHV trail network for ATVs and dirtbikes. Snowmobilers and cross-country skiers also flock to this trail in winter. Lake Davis, at the road’s end, is stocked with trout and is popular with boaters, picnickers, and campers. Remains of the Walker Mine and mill are located at the mid-point of this trail. This extensive copper mining operation once employed 600 men and maintained a sizable town for its workers nearby. But beware; the huge tailings pond and mill remains have been declared a toxic site.
Crystal Lake, as seen from the trail to Mt. Hough Fire Lookout, has one campsite among the trees on its shore.
Established in about 1909, Mt. Hough (pronounced Huff) is one of the earliest lookouts erected in Plumas National Forest. Construction costs totaled only $303 at the time. Plumas replaced the original lookout tower with a new structure in 1916 and another in 1934. The forest finally built the three-story structure on the site today in 1986.
With its commercial phone line directly to “civilization,” this station acts as a hub for the forest’s other lookouts. With permission, visitors can normally climb the tower during the summer to see the expansive 360-degree views. Like the site of Thompson Peak Lookout, hang-gliders also launch from Mt. Hough. The spur to the lookout continues past the tower, descending steeply to the picturesque Crystal Lake. This rough, steep descent is difficult.
Argentine Rock Fire Lookout is now closed due to neglect, vandalism, and changing Forest Service priorities.
Argentine Rock Fire Lookout is 10 miles from the turn-off to Mt. Hough Lookout. The forest service constructed this now-abandoned structure in 1934. Budget cutbacks and the use of fixed-wing aircraft to spot wildfires eliminated the need to staff this lookout. Vandalism and neglect have made the structure unsafe.
At Smith Peak Fire Lookout, you can look back over Grizzly Ridge and overlook Lake Davis. The Smith Peak site was initially used only as an emergency vantage point. Only the most rugged watchmen manned the rock crest before the forest constructed the current structure in 1935. Forest service staff welcomes visitors in the summer between 9:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Walker Mine mill, on Grizzly Ridge Trail, processed an estimated 167 million tons of copper during its operation.
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*This information and much more is available in the Backcountry Adventures: Northern California guidebook. Trail directions with GPS coordinates, maps, and color photos ensure you’ll never get lost. Need-to-know historic accounts of ghost towns, mines, and other amazing sites helps you make the most of your trail rides. Find these trail guides at www.4wheelparts.com, 4Wheel Parts retail stores, and local bookstores and map stores. For more information, call 866-SUV-TRIP.