Larch Mountain Lookout Site
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Larch Mountain is located in the heart of the Yacolt Burn area of 1902. The only known lookout built was in 1952 when the DNR built a 40 foot timber tower with a 14x14 foot L-4 cab on top.
That same year in November of 1952, another Yacolt fire was burning with most reports about the blaze coming by radio from Charles Briggs, from the state forestry lookout Larch, but he was forced to leave the lookout when the fire began to climb the east slope of the mountain.
In May of 1955, a State Forester named Beckim explained that drifts of snow seven feet deep were keeping his crews from getting the station open. The usual opening of Larch mountain was April 15. Beckim said there was more snow on lowland watersheds than he has seen since 1947.
In August 1969, Larch Mountain lookout was one of five lookouts on the Battle Ground district to be discontinued as the result of detection duties being taken over by air patrol. But, this particular station was maintained as a weather station because it is was located to give the best reports of the rising east winds through the Columbia Gorge.
In 1974, the Larch Mountain lookout tower was destroyed.
Lookout Elevation 3,473 feet
Hiking Distance: 1.5 miles (from gate below trailhead)
Elevation Gain:
Prominence: 1,080 feet
County: Clark County
Larch Mountain Lookout 1957
Access:
A good road can be walked from the Larch Mountain Trailhead Parking Area (L-1000 to L-1500). In winter, a gate will be closed just a short distance below the trailhead on the L-1500 road. There is also a side trail off the Tarbell Hiking Trail if you wanted to hike up from a much lower elevation. In fact, you could do a 15 mile hike to the summit from Moulton Falls County Park, all on trails.
Note that there is a more famous Larch Mountain Lookout on the Oregon side of the Columbia Gorge.
Nolet, Nowan and Zanderson in 1957. Photo by Ron Welsh.
Metsker map 1961
Drone view SW at about tower height in 2022
Drone view SE at about tower height in 2022
Walking up the road in February of 2022
Mount St. Helens coming into view
Looking North
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