Deer Ridge Lookout

We loved this lookout. Had a few visitors and picked lots of huckleberries. Our old dog wasn't able to get up the steep stairs to the top, and he's too fat to carry all the way up there, so he had to sleep in the bed of the truck. The rope pull worked great to get our stuff up and down, thought it broke when we tried to pull up the cooler. Good thing we didn't try bringing the dog up in it!

The lookout was spotless and well-equipped. The view and solitude were topnotch. We had a fantastic time. Thank you!

Nice, newly updated lookout. Access is easy, Drive to base of tower. Be aware there is no woodburning stove, but a fire-ring is at ground level. There are 2 beds and a table. I saw 4 bears within 1/2 mi of the tower in 2 days. not much other big game sign however.

Great place, easy access. Great to have access to rent the lookout.

Deer Ridge Lookout is an awesome place to stay. Great views, good hiking, peaceful. Stars and moon at night are fantastic. Many thanks for the USFS for making this available to rent.

A dream of a place. Loved it.

Really lovely, very clean, great road all the way. In fact, beautiful drive up. Hiking trails right out the front steps. It's a long way from anything and I would 100% go back.

Absolutely loved every moment of being at this lookout. Experienced different ranges of weather during my stay. Every sunset and sunrise was gorgeous. Especially appreciated the wildlife that occupied the area and gave us company. The interior was also very well taken care of.

We've stayed overnight here twice, a great experience this year. Thankfully, the area and the lookout are very clean, I didn't see a single piece of trash anywhere. The drive is easy, about an hour from Bonners Ferry. Easily found huckleberries in early-season ripening within 100 yards of the lookout. The outhouse is "rustic", but usable to all but the most picky camper. The only setback was the cooking grate for the fire ring was missing; we hadn't planned on that, so had to improvise with rocks stacked inside the ring. Enjoy! Be respectful! Pack it in, pack it out!

We really enjoyed our stay. Everything was neat and tidy. The out house was clean. We had fun reading through the guest books. I'd love to know about the history. An addition that would sure be great is a way to lock the door or a working trap door that can be locked while inside. The latch inside the door is pretty useless for anything more than keeping the door shut.