Mount Harkness Fire Lookout

Mount Harkness Fire Lookout was a wooden-cab observation tower built atop a stone foundation in the Lassen Volcanic National Park. The structure sat at high elevation and served as a vantage point for monitoring forest conditions across the park and surrounding valleys.

The lookout was constructed in 1930 following the National Park Service rustic design approach, which emphasized using local materials in harmony with the landscape. After serving as an active fire monitoring station for many decades, the structure was destroyed in 2021.

The lookout represented early 20th-century National Park Service architecture through its integration of local stone and wood materials with natural surroundings.

The structure could be reached by hiking from Juniper Lake Campground along a forest trail that gained elevation steadily. The remote location meant visitors needed to be prepared for a demanding trek through natural terrain.

On clear days, visitors who reached the top could see an unusually broad panorama stretching from peaks in Oregon all the way to the Sierra Nevada range. This exceptional vantage point made the location particularly valuable for detecting fires across such a vast territory.

Location: Plumas County

Inception: 1930

Architectural style: National Park Service rustic

GPS coordinates: 40.43119,-121.30159

Latest update: December 14, 2025 18:43