Surveyors Lookout

It's a long, long trip to get there, but it's wonderfully isolated. A bear got in my car, which was scary but made for a good story!

Great experience for our family every year! It's best to try and book this site during a new moon.

Long way in but worth every minute

This lookout location is amazing! Beautiful views with not one light in sight. This lookout is quite a haul to get up to it but worth the drive. It was reported in the log book that there has been a nuisance black bear in the area that did some damage to the cabin, pit toilet and guest coolers but we were bear free for our trip. Last section getting to the lookout was a bit rough so a good clearance vehicle is suggested. The huckleberries are everywhere around the cabin.

Lovely experience, first lookout we have stayed in! The facilities were much cleaner and nicer than we anticipated. If you are visiting soon, consider donating a nice mop to help keep the floor clean? We found one night is too short of a stay to really relax unless you’re staying nearby. It’s a long slow drive in in a truck. Be prepared and follow forest service guidelines for food storage and bears. Lots of other visitors have reported bear trouble in the last few years in the log book. We didn’t see any signs of wildlife :)

I feel conflicted posting about how amazing this was, as it will probably make it harder to book in the future, but - this was a surreal experience, I feel so lucky to have snagged two nights here. It IS a rough road getting up, so I would recommend a dedicated stay rather than a quick stop. Huckleberries, surreal sunsets, and a lil oven made for the perfect trip.

I’ve always wanted to stay in a fire look out and I’m so thankful I stumbled upon the opportunity. Amazing views, fresh huckleberries everywhere! We had an amazing trip exploring and enjoying the scenery from every angle of the 360 view from the LO. Didn’t sleep much between the full moon and the sunrise but who can complain about that. Highly recommend!

No gate or hatch to close off the lookout - seen bears as well as a known issue with them coming right to the lookout and causing damage could not sleep at all after seeing one circling my SUV only good thing was the quite and huckleberrys

What a remote location; no human lights visible in all directions! This is not a location for everyone for a few reasons. First, the travel to this lookout is long; it took us 3 1/2 hours to go apx 48 miles from St. Regis to the tower. The dirt roads are narrow, in fact one 8 mile portion is really a jeep trail with few places to navigate oncoming vehicles, which thankfully were very few. Second, do not plan to stay here without bringing comfortable sleeping mats as the mats provided seem to be 1960's relics that are as hard as sleeping on the floor.
But if you're fine with these things it's an ideal spot for solitude, wildlife viewing, and hiking. Because of the effort to get to this lookout we suggest a multi-night stay. Nice to have the propane stove which we used just to make tea water on a cloudy cool morning. As the guidelines suggest, don't count on the propane heater to warm the cabin. It does provide a warmer spot right in front of it for dressing on a cold morning. There is no woodstove. We didn't use the lights. For being so late in the season (mid-Sept) we still found some edible huckleberries but left most to the resident grouse. Red crossbills were feeding on pine cones all around the tower; so enjoyable to watch and listen to.

Make sure you put away all food or the mice will keep you awake at night. We made the mistake of leaving a few items on the table and it was a party for them even after I got up and stored everything. The next night was better as we used the refrigerator and the storage cabinet.
We hiked the Scribner Falls Trail which leaves at the bottom of the spur road to the lookout or from the other end of the trail on Rd 201 but never actually saw the falls as they are hidden in a ravine down a spur trail. We also hiked up to Sawtooth Peak from Sawtooth Saddle. All trails are in good condition in the area. There is a good spring just before Sawtooth Saddle which flows from a pipe into a barrel. Saw a few friendly bow hunters out on the trails.