Lake of the Woods Lookout

2nd time to the Lake of the Woods Fire Lookout. Absolutely stunning views and beautiful surroundings. The Lookout is equipped with a propane stove for cooking but you have to pack in everything else. Double mattress and box springs works great if you bring sleeping bags as it has been well used. Nice wooden table for dining and playing games with benches. Stairs are steep.

Gold Beach Ranger District says they have issues with people getting lost in finding the lookout. DO NOT USE THE GOOGLE MAP LINK that is on Recreation Northwest website. Go to US Forest Service Page and print out the driving directions. And watch for the signs coming from Gold Beach and you cross the Rogue River and it’s an easy drive to the gate for the Lookout.

Enjoyed my stay here. The lookout tower is well set up with basic necessities, it was raining during my stay but I was warm and dry throughout the night. The drive from town took approx 2 hours and I had some difficulty unlocking the padlocks, but it was worth the unique experience:)

Enjoyed my stay here. The lookout tower is well set up with basic necessities, it was raining during my stay but I was warm and dry throughout the night. The drive from town took approx 2 hours and I had some difficulty unlocking the padlocks, but it was worth the unique experience:)

The most perfect, peaceful stay!
Don’t trust Google maps - it takes you down a private road with a locked gate and you will have to turn around. Follow the specific instructions given on the lookout listing.
The gate was broken but I still didn’t have any visitors which was awesome!

The most perfect, peaceful stay!
Don’t trust Google maps - it takes you down a private road with a locked gate and you will have to turn around. Follow the specific instructions given on the lookout listing.
The gate was broken but I still didn’t have any visitors which was awesome!

Lookout towers are the best! This one has great views from the tower, and a nice amount a room down below.

Lookout towers are the best! This one has great views from the tower, and a nice amount a room down below.

The road had swells & chucks that were difficult to maneuver with Subaru Forester. Propane & solar lights did not work, there was no heat or refrigeration source. The bed was stained & dirty. Two of the windows are failing & another window had a large crack from the top to the bottom. The lookout in general needs much repair.

The road had swells & chucks that were difficult to maneuver with Subaru Forester. Propane & solar lights did not work, there was no heat or refrigeration source. The bed was stained & dirty. Two of the windows are failing & another window had a large crack from the top to the bottom. The lookout in general needs much repair.

We were up there this fall in early October - we had clear weather - GORGEOUS!! so we watched sunrises and sunsets each day.

Do NOT count on the solar lights or showers working. BRING STRING LIGHTS w BATTERIES as most of the LED solar lights were dead. It is DARK DARK DARK at night - very cool too! I would NOT engage any propane system in the tower for heat or for cooking (we never saw a heater) - so plan accordingly - we brought camp stoves and cooked outside (the Carbon Monoxide alarm was dead too so we just played it safe). If you bring your pups, clean up after them. We picked up about 10 poo piles when we arrived. The outhouse is actually nice. There are GEOCACHES around and this is a very interesting geological area. If you are a rockhound, you won't be disappointed. Finally, it would be nice if the sign at the bottom of the hill was reworded to: "TRESSPASSING: STAY OUT unless you have a permit for the TOWER." We had a visitor on a motorcycle and he wouldn't leave after we asked nicely - he made is point by walking around and peering about for about 15 minutes; we let him be as to not escalate anything. He had a gun on his bike; 4 women in our group.