Winchester Mountain Lookout, Fire lookout tower in Whatcom County, US

Winchester Mountain Lookout is a fire lookout tower at 6,521 feet in the North Cascades, within the Mount Baker Wilderness. The L-4 cab, built in 1935, has a 14-by-14-foot room with windows on all sides. It overlooks the north fork of the Nooksack River and the west fork of Silesia Creek, with views of Mount Baker, Mount Shuksan, Mount Larrabee, and the Northern Picket Range.

Winchester Mountain was named in the early 1900s by prospector Jack Post for the rifle he carried. The L-4 cab lookout was built in 1935 and staffed until 1966. Slated for demolition, it was saved in 1982 when Gary Haufle's Mount Baker Club struck a deal with the Forest Service: the agency supplied materials, the club all the labor. It joined the National Register of Historic Places on July 14, 1987.

Winchester Mountain was named in the early 1900s by prospector Jack Post for the rifle he carried. Volunteers from the Mount Baker Club maintain the lookout with two work parties a year, and the Forest Service supplied materials for the 1982 restoration while the club provided all the labour. Visitors today use the lookout for day visits or overnight stays, first come first served, with two bunks inside.

The lookout is reached by trail #685 from between the two Twin Lakes, a 2.1-mile one-way climb gaining 1,300 feet, rated "more difficult" by the Forest Service. The last 2 miles of Twin Lakes Road are unmaintained and suit high-clearance 4x4 vehicles; washouts can add 2 miles. Snow keeps the lookout inaccessible from early October to mid summer, and steep snowfields often need an ice axe into July. Groups are limited to 12 people, there are no toilets, and all water must be boiled.

The lookout's name comes from prospector Jack Post, who in the early 1900s named the mountain after the rifle he was carrying. The L-4 cab was slated for demolition until 1982, when Gary Haufle's Mount Baker Club struck a deal with the Forest Service: the agency supplied materials, the club all the labour. Volunteers still hold two work parties a year.