Fall Mountain Lookout Tower — Local services in Rest Lawn Cemetery

The Fall Mountain Lookout Cabin is a former Oregon Forest Service lookout built in 1933. Back in the day, before satellite surveillance technology, lookout personnel monitored the forest from this perch for signs of smoke, alerting fire guards at times of peril. The lookout is located approximately 14 miles southwest from John Day, Oregon on Fall Mountain in the Malheur National Forest. At an elevation of 5,949 feet, the approximately 25 foot high lookout tower offers 360-degree views of the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness, and the surrounding valley including the distant towns of Seneca and Mt. Vernon.

The Fall Mountain Lookout cabin is noted as the only recreational tower in Oregon to have electricity and certainly does have its comforts. The 14×14 foot cabin has a futon, table and chairs, electric heater, stove, and refrigerator. Two can sleep on the futon, but there is space on the cabin’s floor for a couple of sleeping bags. The lookout has glass windows on all four sides offering 360 degree views of the surrounding area and a catwalk on the outside of the cabin to walk around. There is no water located at the facility or any water in the surrounding area. This is a “pack it in, pack it” out location. The Forest Service has built a very nice single person vault toilet (outhouse) within 50 feet of the cabin. Located a few distant yards from the lookout tower is an old shed and a couple of radio and electricity towers. Cell phone reception is crisp and clear thanks to a nearby cell tower.

The Fall Mountain Lookout cabin is an excellent base camp for hiking, fishing, hunting, or exploring the vast wilderness in the surrounding John Day area. On a clear day, the lookout offers great views for photography and sightseeing and the 360-degree views from the tower are a perfect place to experience sunsets and sunrises, stargazing, and the many summer thunder and lightning shows that Eastern Oregon is well known for. Plus, the lookout cabin is like a giant tree house, and well, that has an appeal...

Stayed the 26th and 27th of August 2025. This tower is extremely dangerous and apparently closed because of that danger when we stayed there although we were not notified of the danger or the closure... 1 night was refunded with no explanation but two nights remained active so we arrived and stayed two nights in the tower with very high winds. The tower failed inspection miserably. See pictures. The tower should not be rented after it failed inspection due to danger. The Do Not Climb sign seems to indicate the danger in climbing the OUTSIDE of the tower not the stairs. The sign should simply say TOWER CLOSED. Why was only 1 of three days canceled? Why not put a chain across the stairway and a sign that says danger tower is closed. And why not cancel our entire reservation rather than just 1 of 3 days with zero...

Nice place to stay but google maps gave bad directions. Came from the west. First road it says to take is closed off. Then once you go around to south east entrance it sends you up wrong way around a very badly maintained area. Instead you need to take a left once you get to first turn near lookout. Which goes...