Apgar Fire Lookout, Fire lookout tower in Glacier National Park, Montana, United States.
The Apgar Fire Lookout is a two-story frame structure with a pyramidal roof situated at about 5,236 feet elevation in Glacier National Park. It features rustic architectural elements designed for observing the surrounding forest and mountain terrain.
The first lookout at this spot was completed in 1929 and burned down two weeks later. It was immediately replaced by the present two-story frame structure with a pyramidal roof, whose design originated with the U.S. Forest Service. The lookout was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 16, 1986.
The tower is named after Milo B. Apgar, a settler who arrived at Lake McDonald in the 1890s. It represents early tourism development near the Great Northern Railway in this area.
Visitors reach the tower via a round-trip hike of about 7.2 miles through lodgepole pine and larch forests with an elevation gain of about 1,850 feet. Bring sturdy hiking boots and plenty of water, as the trail moves steadily uphill.
The first lookout here burned down in 1929, two weeks after it was finished, and the present two-story frame building was put up right away in its place. The structure is now boarded up and unused, so visitors see only its exterior.
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