Lookout Butte Lookout

We went up during several fires (31) , lots of smoke, no visible flame from the tower. Visibility changed with the wind, in the evening the smoke cleared and we could see the milky way! Overall great place, but be prepared for a ruthless stair climb. There was a pully and rope, but too thin to pull up anything heavy. The bats came out at night also, low bugs.

Very interesting place, THERE IS NOT COTS as it says. The view is amazing, the road is good there. There is nothing out the. The peace and quiet is wonderful.

Family of four stayed in LOOKOUT BUTTE historic watch tower for a week in early July 2023. We have stayed in several of these tall towers, but this one is the tallest we have seen. The cabin log tells of some nervous visitors who chose to sleep on the ground. We LOVED it! Lookout Butte is in Nez Perce-Clearwater NF, and all visitors who are unfamiliar with the roads there should come with one of the USDA’s maps for that area. There is cell service at the tower but NOT along any of the access roads leading to the tower, and don’t expect to be guided by road signs. We bought our map for $14 at the USFS office in Grangeville, ID. The drive up from Lowell took us 70 minutes on Road 470, with all but the first 5 min on gravel road. The route up from Kooskia (Road 286) took us 90 minutes and close to half of that was paved. Both of those roads share the same final route the last 18 minutes to the tower. Before coming, we read several warnings about needing a high clearance vehicle for the final 200-meter access road to the tower. We drove our fully loaded Sienna van up, but we are used to driving rough roads, so we might feel comfortable going where others would not. It did get very steep. Fires were burning nearby, and the view was hazy the whole time but that made the sunsets pretty. The days were all hot and sunny, but we kept the heat down by hanging sleeping bags over the east windows in the a.m. and the west windows in the p.m.

Our group of 4 thoroughly enjoyed our stay at this amazing place. The panoramic views were exceptional. Get ready for an intense cardio workout, as you navigate the five flights of stairs! Also be prepared to share this beautiful retreat with other visitors throughout your stay. The lookout is in excellent condition; much better than others we’ve visited. Enjoy this little bit of paradise!

Had a wonderful time at this fire lookout tower! Truly a once in a lifetime experience! Word of caution, if Selway Road is closed due to a rockslide (or any other reason), there will be a sign in Koosika, ID indicating that. If this is the case, you will need to use the alternate route provided. Don't waste the time driving to Lowell, as you'll have to turn around if Selway is closed (speaking from experience).

Do note that the location given on the map here on recreation.gov is wrong. But other services such as google have the correct location. There are multiple ways to reach the lookout. I went up from the Selway river and down to the highway by Stites. Some of the turns on the way have signs pointing towards the lookout. Some do not. Be sure to have a map handy. The roads are typical back country forest service roads. You don't need a 4x4 beast, but take it easy so you don't pop a tire on the rocks.
Pack lightly. You don't want to be making tons of trips up and down the lookout. There was a gas stove top and toaster oven for cooking. Take your own cleaning supplies, you might have to clean other people's messes before you can use them.
The lookout is solidly constructed. There were a couple of boards broken on the catwalk around the top, so tread lightly and watch for splinters.

Came in by way of Elk City. Tower in good shape and found in good condition and clean. Two of our party felt uneasy sleeping in tower and spent the night on the ground. Heavy smoke blew in on Sunday from the fires in the West. Hard to breath. Cleaned tower and locked up. Had a good time. Plan on returning in 2021. Thanks!

Amazing experience for our family. There were 3 twin beds and one sleeping pad. There were not any cleaning supplies. But the chance to stay in a lookout tower is one to remember. The views were amazing and the huckleberries were plentiful. We even had quite a few people stop by!

Really wonderful and tall wood tower lookout, amazing views all the way into Washington. Lookout is in a busy summer rec area so expect visitors on atvs, but there is a lockable gate at the bottom of the stairs to keep people from wandering up. A gate on the road would be better to limit vandalism to the tower. All in all a really cool lookout though.

Did a solo trip with my dog, and it was an amazing experience. Saw a helicopter fly by, and it was at my eye-level--incredible! The guest book was full of stories that I could not stop reading. Highly recommend this experience!