Spruce Mtn Fire Lookout Tower

Laramie Ranger District, 3838 Cherrywood East Loop, ATTN: Recreation Program
LARAMIE, WY 82070

Overview

Perched atop a forested mountain, Spruce Mountain Fire Lookout Tower offers visitors a unique lodging experience in Medicine Bow National Forest in southcentral Wyoming. The original fire lookout was constructed during the summer of 1938 by workers employed through the New Deal's Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). After thirty years of use, it was replaced with a taller, more structurally sound tower. The new 55-foot tall tower was used as a fire lookout until the 1990s when it was renovated and opened to the public for overnight rental in 1997.

The lookout is typically open from June through September. Guests can drive directly to the lookout most of the season. Several amenities are provided, but guests should be prepared to pack in some of their own supplies and gear for a comfortable stay. Please be aware during the month of June snow drifts may prevent you from driving directly to the tower and you may need to pack items in from a longer distance. For more information on conditions please call the Laramie Ranger District Office prior to arivial at 307-745-2300

Recreation

The area around the lookout offers opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding and hunting. The lookout is also ideal for guests who simply want to relax and enjoy picnics, campfires and stargazing at night. Rob Roy Reservoir is a six mile drive from the lookout, offering opportunities for fishing, boating and water skiing. Gold panning is a popular activity in Douglas Creek, which is connected to the reservoir.

Facilities

The lookout cabin is furnished with two single beds with mattresses and can accommodate up to two guests. Inside amenities include a table with chairs, cookware, dishes, utensils, cleaning supplies, a propane heater, propane cook stove and oven, and propane lights. An outhouse with pit toilet is provided, and a campfire ring is located at the base of the lookout. Firewood can be gathered from the surrounding area. Additional camping is allowed on-site, though the area is rocky. A hoist (pulley and rope) is available to transport gear to the tower cabin. There is no water or electricity available at the site. Guests must bring enough water for drinking, cooking, and washing. Other items to bring include sleeping bags, flashlights or lanterns, towels, dish soap, matches, toilet paper, a first aid kit and garbage bags. All food and trash must be packed out, and guests are expected to clean the cabin before leaving.

Natural Features

The lookout offers panoramic views that include Medicine Bow Peak, Rob Roy Reservoir, Jelm Mountain and the southern end of the Snowy Range. Snowdrifts melt in June, welcoming the arrival of wildflowers that splash color on the rocky, timbered hillsides. Wildlife species such as elk, deer, black bears, cougars, squirrels, foxes and bats are supported by the area's diverse forest habitats. At an elevation of 10,003 feet, guests should be prepared for high altitude conditions. Summertime temperatures average 70 degrees fahrenheit, but can drop as low as 30 degrees at night or during thunderstorms.

Charges & Cancellations

Refunds for cancellations may be processed on a case-by-case basis. There are no refunds for reservation processing fees. Please be aware of changes in weather and road conditions prior to arrival and plan accordingly.

Camp site features

Across 1 camp site:

Longest RV: 60 ft
Largest party: 2 people

Directions

From Laramie, Wyoming, take Highway 130 west toward Centennial, Wyoming. Turn south on Highway 11 to Albany, Wyoming. From Albany, you will take Forest Service Road 500 for 5.5 miles then turn north on to FSR 500.A. The Spruce Mountain Fire Lookout will be at the end of that road. Moderate to High clearance vehicles are recommended for accessing the Tower. The road (Forest Service Road 500) to this lookout may have logging operations during daylight hours during your stay. Please read and respect the signs posted at the entrance road for further instructions upon entering this site. If you have questions, call the Medicine Bow National Forest, Laramie District Office during the week at (307) 745-2300.

Stay Limit

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

Reviews

19 reviews

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

Jeff K

Loop:Spruce

Site:

Reviewed 3 months ago

Beautiful sights, very clean tower with good amenities, very good firepits on the ground for cooking. Close to places to go like Rob Roy Lake, which was fun for my dog to swim in, a little cold for my taste but it was about him swimming. Up in the tower I had a constant breeze, and it was much cooler then on the ground and no fly's. Easy to find firewood in the area for fires. Outhouse was clean and very usable. Sound of the nights were awesome to hear, night stars in the sky were awesome. Only negative item was every day and near evenings had visitors pull up to the gate wanting to enter and see the tower, even a couple wanting to spend the night in the tower. It was bearable because of the great site.

Tim D

Loop:Spruce

Site:

Reviewed 3 months ago

If you come into staying here knowing you will end up with other people interested in the tower and that it is in the middle of an area heavily used by UTVs/motorcycles, you'll have a great experience here. We knew this coming in, but apparently the camper prior to us had to call the Sheriff due to conflicts with others that had not reserved the site (loved the log book where you can leave messages/notes about your stay!) This is not a "private, peaceful" place to stay if you are looking for complete isolation. That being said, we loved our stay. The pulley lift is awesome to not carry all your gear up several flights of steep stairs. Make sure you open the small windows when you arrive as the tower can get hot and stuffy, and if you leave the door open you'll be in a cloud of bugs. Beds were comfortable (we just used our backpacking pads and bags on top of them), and the propane lighting at night was great - we played a board game before bed time. Restroom was clean - make sure you use it before bed or you're gonna get a workout in during the middle of the night climbing stairs! Was great to have a combo code lock at the top of the stairs so "visitors" could not access our stuff, we even allowed a couple with their grandkids to climb up the flights of stairs to see the view as we made dinner at the picnic table, knowing they could not get to our space in the tower made everyone happy. Shore fished Lake Owen and Rob Roy over our three days here, if you find a good shoreline on one of the fingers of Rob Roy you can have good privacy and be away from the roads - bring your hammocks as there are great trees to just chill in when you are not fishing or exploring. Great experience provided by the USFS, it was very cool to see the fire finder still in the middle of the tower and there is the old "Firefighter's Guide" that explains how staff would use it to locate fires - very fun to read through. Glad we chose to try this out and will try to be back in the future!

Mark B

Loop:Spruce

Site:

Reviewed 3 months ago

This is a beautiful spot with 360 degree views. The directions for finding it were not clear. The turnoff was not 7 miles in but about 5.8. We were not aware of a sign on the right side which is back a ways from the forest service road. Took some back and forthing to find it. The lock on the gate and the trapdoor worked fine. We mostly stayed in the lookout reading, napping and enjoying the lightening, wind and rain. The stairs are narrow and steep and at this altitude takes a bit of time to climb. The place was clean and rodent free. Beds were comfortable and the stove and lights worked fine. Like most pit toilets this one could have used some attention. I am alarmed lately at the dearth of insects and birds. Only five species of birds. Ground squirrels are abundant. I have found this to be true throughout the forested west. Fire, bark beetles draught and intense logging have not doubt played majors roles in the biota crashing. We are happy that rec.gov are still offering this sort of property.

Edmond M

Loop:Spruce

Site:

Reviewed 4 months ago

Amazing place. We had so much fun. Quick Tip: the lock for the tower door is a bit fussy. Once you enter the combo, you need to push it in, then pull to release. We almost had to abort our trip after trying unsuccessfully to unlock it for about 15mins...it was only out of desperate frustration that we discovered that push/pull technique is what unlocks it...good luck!

Bry W

Loop:Spruce

Site:

Reviewed 4 months ago

We spent one night here and had a fantastic experience. The tower was clean and well maintained, although we did find a couple of spiders (which is to be expected in a remote lookout). One of our biggest concerns was whether other visitors would interrupt our stay, but we had complete privacy the entire night. The rope pulley for hauling gear up to the tower was incredibly useful. The only minor issue was that the padlock on the tower was a little difficult to unlock. We also got a flat tire on the dirt road leading out, so I'd definitely recommend bringing a good spare tire and being prepared for the drive. We experienced a strong windstorm overnight, and while the tower gently swayed, it actually added to the adventure and we always felt safe. Overall, it was a unique and memorable stay with incredible views. We'd absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for a one-of-a-kind overnight experience.

Ashley L

Loop:Spruce

Site:

Reviewed 5 months ago

This was such a great experience. The drive up was super easy and the gate and sign was helpful in keeping hikers without a reservation out. The tower is in excellent shape. It was super clean and well stocked up toilet paper, a basin to wash dishes, pots, plates, cleaning supplies, etc (we brought our own). Stove top worked great for making a meal. We had 2 bars of Verizon cell service and we were able to stream a World Cup game. We brought our own string lights and made it cozy. The pulley system came in handy and made getting things up/down really easy, especially water. Overall a great experience and hopefully we can get lucky enough to stay again!

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