Black Mountain Lookout

Closed — The lookout is not currently available for public rental and requires additional work to meet safety standards for recreational use.

About

Black Mountain Lookout has served as a fire detection site in the Idaho Panhandle National Forests since 1921, when the first lookout was constructed on a short open timber tower. The original structure was replaced in 1935 with a cabin on a 40-foot pole tower. After surviving vandalism that damaged the tower legs and resulted in trees being cut down around the site in the early 2000s, the lookout was relocated in 2019 to a new position approximately half a mile east-northeast of its original location. The current plan is to add Black Mountain Lookout to the Idaho Panhandle National Forests' recreational rental program, which includes several other historic lookouts available to the public. However, the structure currently requires additional work to meet safety standards for recreational use. The lookout's remote location in Boundary County offers views of the surrounding forest landscape, and once available, would provide visitors with a unique overnight experience in a piece of Forest Service history.

Directions

From Naples, Idaho, take USFS road #274 (Black Mountain Road) to USFS road #408 (Twenty-mile Leonia Road) in the Kaniksu National Forest. The route is a moderately used gravel road with some mild inclines near the top of Black Mountain. High-clearance vehicles are recommended due to potential downed trees and washouts.

Nearby Campgrounds