QUAIL PRAIRIE LOOKOUT

The nearby Upper Chetco Trail is the main east/west route through the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. It offers access to the Chetco River and two main tributaries. Heavy vegetation provides shade but eliminates most views, and at least three significant long and steep sections provide a challenging backpacking experience. Anglers will enjoy the remote location and scenic backdrop of the nearby Chetco River, providing angling opportunities for trout, steelhead, and salmon in season. The Chetco starts in steep, deeply dissected, sparsely vegetated, mountainous terrain within the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. At night the lookout is an ideal setting for stargazing, as constellations and planets put on a dazzling display.Facilities The one-room lookout rests on the top of a 41-foot timber tower, surrounded by a catwalk. It is furnished with a single bed, a table and two chairs, a stool, broom and fire extinguisher. It also features a wood stove, a propane stove for cooking and a propane refrigerator. A vault toilet is located near the tower. There is no water or electricity available at the site. Guests must bring water for drinking, cooking and washing. In addition, visitors will need to supply a light source, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, cooking gear, towels, dish soap, matches, a first aid kit, toilet paper and garbage bags. Firewood is provided.Natural Features The lookout affords panoramic views of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness and the Chetco River drainage. The Kalmiopsis Wilderness is an area of great geological and botanical interest. Many of the rocks were formerly parts of the oceanic crust, while diverse plant life provides evidence of adaptation to the area's harsh soils. The Kalmiopsis leachian, a shrub discovered in the Gold Basin area in 1930, is a relic of the pre-ice age. The Kalmiopsis Wilderness is named after this unique endemic plant. Diverse landscapes provide habitat for a wide-range of wildlife, from spotted owls and black-tail deer to salamanders and salmon. These species, along with many others, depend on surrounding undeveloped wilderness, undisturbed wetlands, clean streams, and diverse forests to live.