Cache Mountain

Driving up Highway 20 approaching Santiam Pass, one of the most noticeable mountains viewed to the south is Cache Mountain.

In 1931, due to fears that the presence of more than 10,000,000 feet of wind toppled timber would constitute a grave fire hazard when the needles became dry as tender, officials of the Deschutes National Forest placed two extra lookouts on duty. One of them (Wilbur Costello) was on Cache Mountain, which looked into the devastated area from the south. The peak had already been approved as a lookout point but in May 1931, Leslie Colvill, a Deschutes National Forest official made the trip to the mountain to determine the feasibility of placing a lookout on Cache mountain. The following year, a road was constructed to the summit. A phone line was also run up the mountain from the Suttle Lake Junction on the highway. Some brush was removed at the summit to improve visibility for Lyle Anderson, the lookout in 1932. In 1933, a 20 foot pole tower with L-4 cab was constructed, as well as a 12 by 20 foot wood frame garage.

In early September of 1967, there was a huge fire in the region that destroyed several popular recreation areas, including Cayuse campground near Big Lake and the Cash Mountain lookout.

First Lookouts
1936: Emil Johnson
1937 Philip Gould
1938: Paul Talonen and Bill Baty
1940 Torey Newton.
1941: Harry Stroebe
1945: Madame Dore

It looks like there are many ways up to the Cache Mountain area. I came in off the road along Suttle Lake, using FR2066, FR2068 and then FR800. Other ways could be shorter.