Gunderson Mountain Lookout Site

Gunderson Mountain is a low lone mountain rising just north of Forks.

In 1947, a road to the Gunderson lookout site was cleared and constructed before winter set in, so that the new installation could be completed in the spring before the 1948 fire season (Annual Report of the Division of Forestry). In 1948, a 75-foot surplus Navy steel tower with a 14 x18 foot ground house was erected on Gunderson Mountain, establishing use of radio communication for the first time in this area (Annual Report of the Division of Forestry).

In 1951, during the Great Forks Fire, Glen S. Merchant was working the overnight shift as a fire lookout at the State Division of Forestry post on Gunderson Mountain. He was an expert woodsman, trapper, hunter and legendary fly fisherman; reportedly, he once fought off a cougar with a fishing pole. That night at about 3 a.m., Merchant surveyed the scent from his observation cabin. He looked across the Sol Duc River Valley to the Calawah Ridge and beyond that to the foothills of the Olympic Mountains. Roughly 18 miles northwest from Forks, the horizon was glowing red. So merchant reported the fire to John LeRoy MacDonald, the district warden for the state forestry division. It started at Camp Creek, and originated from the smoldering remains of the Sol Duc fire behind Heckelsville which burned that summer.

In 1955 and 1956 the lookout was Nancy Gorbin.
In 1961, the lookout was Beth Velie. She said, My first job was on Gunderson Mountain. It had an 80-foot hand over hand ladder, that took a little getting used to, the ladder had only one break, a small platform about 2/3 way up, otherwise it was straight up to a small porch on a metal cabin at the top. As I recall, it was about a 10x10 foot cabin with a fire finder in the center. There was a stool to sit on and a small foot stool with an insulator on each of the legs in case of lightning! After all the whole cabin was metal. There was a cabin on the ground below. It was small but had everything needed, a small kitchen area and a bed. It had a wood stove with an oven box below There was no way of controlling the heat other than the amount of fire in the stove. Light was by gas lantern, no running water and there was an outhouse. I had only been on Gunderson Lookout a few weeks when a couple of DNR summer employees stopped by one evening. They were forestry students from the UW counting trees doing inventory. This is how I met my future husband. They came back several times later. My Gunderson Lookout job lasted only about 6 weeks when I was relocated to Octopus after the lookout became ill and quit.
Beth Velie, Port Angeles

In 1962, the lookout started the season staffed by Lynn Hanchett but she was transferred to Octopus.
In 1963, the lookout was staffed by Wayne Lewis, a crew boy the previous year.
In 1964 and 1965, the summers were staffed by Linda (Fisk) Pickering and she shared with us numerous photos of the lookout. She said it was a 7-foot square viewing cab on top and a tiny little wood cabin below. Getting up the lookout was memorable as there were two 40-foot sections of straight up ladder.
By 1969 the lookout was gone, dismantled.

Just north of Forks and the Sol Duc River bridge, a DNR public access road goes west. Follow this well maintained road just over a mile to a gated road on the right. The land on the right side of the road is Rayonier Timber. A recreation permit from Rayonier is required to legally recreate on this property. A non-hunting recreational pass is affordable.

Just follow the road to the top. Recent clearcuts (2017) allow for some views along the way and on the ridge north of the summit. The lookout area is loosing its view to new growth.