Sitting on the west rim of Crater Lake, The Watchman Lookout has one of the best views in the world, looking down at Wizard Island and Crater Lake below. Sand Mountain Society was asked to give assistance by the Park Historian, Steve Mark, in 2010.
| Quick Facts | The Watchman Lookout |
|---|---|
| Agency | National Park Service |
| District | Crater Lake National Park |
| Elevation | 8,013’ (2,442 m.) |
| Year Built | 1932 |
| Style | National Park Service with stone base |
| Major SMS Work Efforts | 2010 (replaced broken glass and installed replica ceiling) |
| Season | Late July – late September |
| Location | 42°56′35″N, 122°10′21″W |
| Access | 0.8 mile trail, easy grade that gets more steep close to the summit. |
| Additional Notes | This site is very popular with visitors, who are not allowed on the lookout level. Sometimes staffed in fire season. |
In 2010, the Sand Mountain Society was asked to assist with the restoration of one of Oregon’s most prominent fire lookouts: The Watchman on Crater Lake Rim. The Watchman is our first partnership project with the National Park Service, and is the highest elevation lookout we have ever worked on (at a lofty 8,013 feet).
SMS volunteers carried replacement plate glass windows to the lookout, removed the cracked windows, and restored them. SMS also removed the replacement plywood ceiling and provided CVG-fir rustic bevel siding newly milled to match what would have been on the ceiling originally.
The SMS also visited Mt. Scott Lookout on the east side of the Park to collaborate with the Park Historian on an assessment, but there was not enough time to fit work on the building into our schedule.