Henness Ridge Fire Lookout, Fire lookout tower in Yosemite West, United States.

Henness Ridge Fire Lookout is a three-story redwood watchtower standing on a granite foundation with an observation room featuring an external catwalk, living quarters, and a garage. The structure sits at 6,300 feet elevation and overlooks the surrounding forest landscape that it once helped protect.

The Henness Ridge Fire Lookout was built in 1934 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, a relief program for unemployed men aged 18 to 24. It was the second lookout erected in Yosemite, after the prototype at Crane Flat. The National Park Service used it for fire detection during the 1960s and 1970s, and it remained in service in the 1980s. A 1979 case study recommended it for further evaluation under National Register criteria; it is historic structure number 5300.

The lookout is one of only four National Park Service rustic lookouts in California, and one of two in Yosemite alongside the Crane Flat prototype. Unlike the metal towers of the U.S. Forest Service, these timber structures were designed to sit within the forest rather than above it. The building is listed as historic structure number 5300.

The trailhead is unmarked, at the end of Azalea Lane in Yosemite West. Take the asphalt access road to the right, pass the water towers, and continue 0.7 miles to the lookout at 6,300 feet. The route is short but climbs steadily; carry water and layers for changing mountain weather.

The lookout is one of only four similar structures in California, and just two rustic-style lookouts remain in the state. Its design was deliberately meant to sit against the forest, unlike the metal towers of the U.S. Forest Service. It carries historic structure number 5300.