Firetowers, Lookouts & Rustic Cabins for Rent. - book review

Whole Earth, Winter, 2002

The last wilderness romance: a funky old-fashion shelter with minimal comfort and maximum views. You can rent these remote cabins, which sleep four or five, for about $25 per day. The 145 described here are all located in the West. The best are difficult to reach. Most are approachable by 4wheel drive. All need advance reservations. The little-known details and full getting-there instructions are here.--KK

Firetowers, Lookouts
& Rustic Cabins for Rent
Carolyne Ilona Gatesy
1997, 226 pages
$15, Bear Mountain Press
Glastonbury, CT 06033
888/232-725
www.bearmountainpress.com

All of the firetowers, lookouts, and cabins described in this book are rustic in every sense of the word, They are remotely located, and most lack the conveniences of civilization such as running water, electricity, or telephones. The interiors took like they were from the 1950s and the furniture included is generally limited. They contain sparse, serviceable, shabby or rough-hewn furniture of the sort you might throw out, after the Salvation Army had rejected it. However, if you hike or ski in, you will appreciate just sitting down with a roof over your head. the beds are usually plywood, built with a plank on top, and occasionally lacking a mattress. (I recommend bringing an inflatable mattress if none are listed by the district as included with the rental.) Upon making your reservation, be sure to ask for a detailed list of what is available with the rental and what to bring.

Squaw Peak Lookout

As long as you have four-wheel drive and patience, you can enjoy this scenic cabin in the summer. There is initially a horrendous road of 2.5 miles of ditches and holes, and then an additional 2.5 mile hike into the Lookout, or you can park your vehicle and hike the five miles.... Squaw Peak is a one room painted white cabin with a stone base located on a bare peak in the Cabinet Mountains. There is a stone outbuilding next door in the process of being rehabbed. The cabin does have available a propane refrigerator and stove and if you send for information. included are instructions in the operation of both items. There is also a wood stove, and wood is kept in the basement.

Category:          Very rustic lookout
Elevation:         6,167
Road condition:    Trail access three miles from
                   Highway 200
Availability:      All year except July and
                   August; exact dates depend
                   on fire season
Daily use fee:     $25 for up to five people

Berry Creek Guard Station. built in 1934, sits with gorgeous scenic views in the Shell Creek Mountains. The view includes aspen, many tall trees, and lots of mountains. Deer, elk, and sometimes bobcat and coyote may be seen or heard from the cabin boundary. The old cabin has a living room, one bedroom, a propane cook stove and refrigerator, and a propane wall heater. There is indoor plumbing during the warm season, including a shower and toilet.