Bald Butte Lookout (Fremont-Winema National Forest, OR)

303 HWY 31
PAISLEY, OR 97636

Overview

Bald Butte Lookout is perched atop the windy summit of Bald Butte in the Fremont-Winema National Forest in south-central Oregon. It is surrounded by forested hillsides and expansive views.

The lookout was built in 1931 and served as a Forest Service fire detection site for over 50 years. It was constructed from an Aladdin L4 ground-mounted lookout kit in which all of the pieces were pre-cut in six-foot lengths or less so the entire kit could be packed by horses into the remote site. The total cost of the structure at the time was $668.49 and only took a few days to assemble.

At one time, hundreds of these types of lookouts were in service throughout the Pacific Northwest. Today only two such structures remain in Oregon, providing a unique lodging experience for guests seeking recreation and relaxation.

The lookout offers basic amenities, though for guests to enjoy their experience completely, they must bring several of their own supplies.

Recreation

Hiking, birding, stargazing and wildlife viewing are popular activities. Bald Butte Trail is a quiet all-season trail that offers a variety of terrain and wildlife viewing opportunities. Hikers traverse large open meadows filled with summer wildflowers, heavily wooded forests and ridgetop scrambles along Oak Ridge Trail and Surveyor's Ridge Trail, overlooking the Hood River Valley. Trails in the Gearhart Mountain Wilderness are also nearby.

At night the lookout provides an ideal setting for stargazing, as constellations and planets put on a dazzling display.

Facilities

The 14' x 14' lookout is furnished with two cots, a table, bench and storage cabinets. It is also equipped with a propane heater, cook stove, and lights. An outdoor picnic table and an accessible vault toilet are also on-site.
There is no water on-site, so guests must bring sufficient supplies for drinking, cooking and washing. Guests must also provide their own sleeping bags, linens, towels, dish soap, matches, cooking gear, first aid kit, toilet paper, ice cooler and garbage bags. Although lighting is available, it is recommended that guests bring an additional light source in case of emergencies.

Natural Features

Fremont National Forest is known for its towering snow-capped peaks, volcanic landscapes, wide-open sage basins, scenic vistas and wild places where visitors can still find solitude.

Nearby Gearhart Wilderness offers 22,823 acres of scenic views and primitive recreational opportunities. Throughout the remote area, streams rush through narrow meadows and Blue Lake lies nestled beneath a canopy of mixed-conifer forests. Rock formations cap most of the high elevation ridge tops.

Camp site features

Across 1 camp site:

Pets allowed: all 1 sites
Largest party: 2 people

Directions

From the Paisley District Office, travel 0.5 miles north on Highway 31 and turn left on Mill Street. Stay on Mill Street to the Y junction (turns into gravel at this point) , then turn right on Forest Road 3315. Continue on Forest Road 3315 for 21 miles. Turn left on Forest Road 28, and travel 0.5 miles to the junction with Forest Road 3411. Turn right on Forest Road 3411 and travel 2 miles to Forest Road 450 (450 is not marked, there is a sign that says Bald Butte with an arrow). Turn right on Forest Road 450; this leads to the top of Bald Butte. The last 2 miles of road on Forest Road 450 to Bald Butte Lookout are minimally passable for low clearance or highway vehicles. The road is steep, rough and may have large rocks that should be moved. Large RVs are not recommended on this road.

Stay Limit

Check in from 2 PM, check out by 12 PM.

Reviews

15 reviews

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 stars

Vanessa B

Loop:Area Bald Butte Lookout

Site:

Reviewed 3 months ago

Was finally able to stay here for the Perseids peak, and it was an incredible experience. Previous reviews had me a little nervous, but you can tell there have been improvements. The cots were very comfortable, especially with added Thermarests. 1 of the lanterns wouldn't light even after a wick replacement, but one provided plenty of ambient light. The stove also worked great! Highly recommend using the bathroom with the door open; epic view. I drove my truck there, but didn't need to engage 4wd. High clearance recommended, but I could have made it in my AWD wagon.

Heather S

Loop:Area Bald Butte Lookout

Site:

Reviewed 3 months ago

Sunsets and sunrises are amazing!! LO was comfortable, propane heat and stove worked great! Newer cots. Some flies, but not bad. Last 2 miles in were a bit rough, but easy to navigate the ruts. Recent repairs to siding. Contributed to cleaning supplies and cleaning. Not a sole to be seen the entire drive in and out. A couple of fisherman at nearby lakes. Dead horse lake is great to spend the day at and not far away. Highly recommend for a peaceful getaway!

Elissa W

Loop:Area Bald Butte Lookout

Site:

Reviewed 4 months ago

This was by far our best camping trip of the year! Bald Butte has the best fuse and great facilities! We were able to cook dinner on the stove and the heater kept us nice and warm at night. Plenty of room for cots and gear inside and the nice little table and chairs. The picnic table in our house work well and the Butte has the perfect sunset view, the sunsets were insane! We are definitely hoping to come back at sometime and we can’t recommend this more!

John R

Loop:Area Bald Butte Lookout

Site:

Reviewed 2 years ago

As the last 2 reviewers said, it needs some work. I would start with putting screening up at the roof/wall connection. The outhouse desperately needs a new door handle to keep the door shut. We had our own stove, so didn't light the one there and I put new mantles on the lights and they worked great. You have to push in the lever and then up to light. Didn't need the heater as the weather was a cool mid 60s and felt really good after all the heat in Central Oregon. We hiked the 450 road to the west for a mile+, went down to the North Fork Sprague River and checked that out, along with the Ingram Cabin that was in the area. We also had a great glass of wine on the picnic table and watched a wonderful sunset. So there were some positives to the trip of 14th-16th of July. One more positive were the brand new cots (2) left there, still in the box. They were pretty comfy but I would suggest some padding as they were firm. On the not so good side, the flies that greeted us when we opened the door, hundreds dead on the floor and a few still buzzing around. I took insect spray so I got rid of the flying ones and then swept up everything. I would suggest more sticky fly paper if you go and maybe a new plastic tablecloth for the table, I left the insect spray for the next guests. They really weren't bothersome after that, thankfully.

ROBERT S

Loop:Area Bald Butte Lookout

Site:

Reviewed 2 years ago

Needs some work.

Brian J

Loop:Area Bald Butte Lookout

Site:

Reviewed 2 years ago

Horrible… just horrible. The road is almost impassable and the lookout needs major work. Had two nights and stayed a few hours and decided to leave. This lookout should be shut down and not rentable

Availability

See the Camp Sites section below to find detailed booking availability.

Reserve

Popularity: Very busy