SNOW CAMP LOOKOUT

Recreation Hiking, mountain biking, stargazing, and wildlife viewing are popular among guests to this lookout. An important component of the historic fabric of the watershed is the trail system. Hikers may want to wander trails that originally followed older aboriginal routes. "Chief" Elwin Frye, a packer for the Forest Service, identified a portion of the Snow Camp Trail as an Indian travel route. The trail is one of the oldest in the Forest, and provides access to Windy Valley, a pristine mountain meadow with a small crystal clear creek. At night the lookout is an ideal setting for stargazing, as constellations and planets put on a dazzling display.Facilities The renovated fire lookout is a 15' x 15' structure, originally designed for one or two people. It is furnished with a double bed with a mattress, a table and chairs, cabinets and counter space for food preparation. It is also equipped with a wood-burning cook stove and a picnic table for outdoor dining. A pit toilet is located near the lookout. There is no water on site, so visitors must bring sufficient supplies for drinking, cooking and washing. Guests must also provide their own sleeping bags, sleeping pads, towels, dish soap, matches, cooking gear, toilet paper and garbage bags. Although visitors can drive within sight of the lookout, the 200-yard hike to the summit can be strenuous when carrying gear. The final 200 yards to the lookout are open to administrative traffic only.Natural Features On a clear day, guests at Snow Camp Lookout will see ocean waves crashing along Kellogg Beach, Point St. George and Castle Rock near Crescent City, California. Effects of the 2002 Biscuit Fire and the 2017 Chetco Bar Fire are obvious within the surroundings, though forested mountains and grassy hillsides dotted with pine trees extend from the lookout as well.