Jumpoff Lookout and Peak

Elevation: Lookout at 5,670 feet, highpoint at 5,760+
Distance: Drive-up or hike
Access: High Clearance to drive up

Divide Ridge stretches for miles south of Rimrock Lake and the Tieton Basin. Located at Jumpoff Point on the divide, at the north end, is the former lookout called Jumpoff, the last remaining lookout in the Naches Ranger District. The Jumpoff Lookout is at a point with sheer cliffs to the north, east and west.

Take Forest Road #1302 from Windy Point off of U.S. Hwy. 12. This is a 13 mile drive that requires some high clearance and good tires. There are rocky sections, one rutted section and snow or trees could block the road in early season.

Long before this point was used as a fire lookout, access was good because of a wagon road and the Tieton Cattleman's Association running cattle on it from the town of Tieton pre-1900s. The location was used as a training station because of the road access and earlier snow melt being further east. The first structure developed about 1923 with a D-6 cupola cabin. In 1958 or 1961, the current R-6 flat cab replaced it. The lookout has been used sporadically since the 1960s on an emergency basis. The Forest Service also claims a third structure was built at some point, a rock tower lookout that had a view room built over a living quarter. If true, it would likely have been the first structure, dating before the 1923 cupola. A spring is located 100 yards southeast of the present station and the old phone line went directly north down the knife ridge to Jumpoff meadow. A possible explanation the lookout was spared removal is its younger age and that it was the radio relay location for the Tieton Ranger District, assisting even during air patrols. In the 1970s a garage was removed and a newer outhouse replaced the old one. Portions of the old phone line may still be evident above Jumpoff Meadow.

In 2010 it was realized that vandalism and neglect were slowly destroying the structure. Broken windows and missing shutters allowed snow to accumulate inside the lookout and the floor was showing water damage. Copper thieves had removed the lightning protection with catastrophic damage to the roof covering. Mike Hiler and “Friends of Jumpoff” began that summer to stabilize the lookout. Since then, the roof covering was repaired and is now water tight, shutters were repaired and replaced and the cabin was cleaned and efforts are made to keep the structure tidy and hospitable. Over the next several years, the shutters got back on with plexiglass openings so visitors won’t pull them off to see inside. The water damaged floor was repaired, cabinets were repaired. Mike Hiler helped drive this and he was the lookout on Jumpoff during 1969 to 1973.

Many without high clearance vehicles like to hike to the lookout. This is done from below on the west side using the Long Lake Road. From Long Lake shelter, there are reported numerous ATV roads, game trails, and bootpaths. Find your way to a steep trail heading up to Louie Way Gap. Then head NE along Divide Ridge until the Jumpoff plateau on a motorcycle trail. From there, its an easy half mile to the lookout on the road. 2,600 feet with ups and downs and 8.7 miles round trip.

1956 Image of the Cupola Cabin

Access map using Forest Road #1302 from Windy Point off of U.S. Hwy. 12. This is a 13 mile drive that requires high clearance vehicles.

Access map using trails from the west in the basin below Divide Ridge.

Jump Off 2 Benchmark

Outhouse destroyed, image in 2015

On the road nearing the lookout

The lookout from near the highpoint at the Jump Off Benchmark

Inside the lookout 2015

Cupola Cabin year unknown

Inside the lookout 2018 after repairs

Outside the lookout 2018 after repairs

Jumpoff Lookout sometime between 1950 and 1955