Bald Butte Lookout (Fremont-Winema National Forest, OR)
Bald Butte Lookout (Fremont-Winema National Forest, OR) is a national forest campground in Oregon. Hookups: no hookups.
- Type
- National forest campground
- Location
- Oregon
- Coordinates
- 42.61440, -120.78980
- Hookups
- No hookups
- Activities
- Camping, Hiking, Historic & Cultural Site, Hunting, Interpretive Programs, Wildlife Viewing
- Map
- Open in OpenStreetMap
- Phone
- 541-943-3114
Amenities
- Reservable sites
Only amenities a source confirms are listed; an amenity missing here is unknown, not absent.
About Bald Butte Lookout (Fremont-Winema National Forest, OR)
Overview Bald Butte Lookout is perched atop the windy summit of Bald Butte in the Fremont-Winema National Forest in south-central Oregon. It is surrounded by forested hillsides and expansive views. The lookout was built in 1931 and served as a Forest Service fire detection site for over 50 years. It was constructed from an Aladdin L4 ground-mounted lookout kit in which all of the pieces were pre-cut in six-foot lengths or less so the entire kit could be packed by horses into the remote site. The total cost of the structure at the time was $668.49 and only took a few days to assemble. At one time, hundreds of these types of lookouts were in service throughout the Pacific Northwest. Today only two such structures remain in Oregon, providing a unique lodging experience for guests seeking recreation and relaxation. The lookout offers basic amenities, though for guests to enjoy their experience completely, they must bring several of their own supplies. Recreation Hiking, birding, stargazing and wildlife viewing are popular activities. Bald Butte Trail is a quiet all-season trail that offers a variety of terrain and wildlife viewing opportunities. Hikers traverse large open meadows filled with summer wildflowers, heavily wooded forests and ridgetop scrambles along Oak Ridge Trail and Surveyor's Ridge Trail, overlooking the Hood River Valley. Trails in the Gearhart Mountain Wilderness are also nearby. At night the lookout provides an ideal setting for stargazing, as constellat
Cell coverage
No coverage data for this location yet.
Nearby RV services
- Dump station
- None mapped within 50 mi
- Water fill
- None mapped within 50 mi
- Propane
- AmeriGas · 43 mi
- Low clearances
- None mapped within 10 mi
- Off-road routes
- 169 designated routes (447 mi) within 10 mi
Other places to stay nearby
| Name | Type | Distance | Fee | Hookups |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bald Butte Lookout | Private campground | under 0.1 mi | — | — |
| Lee Thomas Campground | Private campground | 3.0 mi | — | — |
| Lee Thomas Campground | National forest campground | 3.0 mi | — | — |
| Hanan/Sycan Campground | Free campsite | 3.3 mi | Free | — |
| Deadhorse Lake Campground / Trailhead | National forest campground | 3.8 mi | — | — |
| Dead Horse Lake Campground | Private campground | 3.9 mi | — | — |
Open Bald Butte Lookout (Fremont-Winema National Forest, OR) in DryRig
Save it offline, check your rig's clearance on the drive in, and see what's nearby on the map.
Sources. Recreation.gov (RIDB). Updated June 2026. Facility facts only; DryRig does not publish ratings or reviews on this page.