North Bay Lookout Site (Saddle Hill)
Based on an old map with hand drawn private lookouts sketched on the map, it seemed a lookout may have been located on Saddle Hill, just north of Grays Harbor. Talking with Leslie Romer, she was already aware of this and provided me with some notes from others who had been there. Leslie got the notes from Olive Hull, who originated the Olympia Mountaineers lookout award list. She first went there in 2001 with Harold Lloyd, hike leader for The Olympians hiking club, and timber cruiser, primarily for Weyerhaeuser. Follow visits included 2006 and 2012. Found was two large cement blocks and one thin cement post with an angle beam through it, under three communication towers.
During my visit in 2020, I found some dug up cement footings but they didn’t have the typical steel rod anchors attached. Since the site is full of communication towers, the footings could be from anything. More to come if found. Leslie had this location under the name North Bay Lookout.
WillhiteWeb.com: Washington Fire Lookouts
Access & Route:
Property is owned by a timber company that has signs at the gate restricting visitors. Although the company has affordable permits, this particular area is part of a license area you bid on for private use, so the general recreation permit will not be valid. If you did go behind the gate, a road quickly goes north then a side road branches off up to the communication towers.
Elevation: 240+ feet
Hiking/Biking Distance: One mile
Elevation Gain: 190
Prominence: 180
Access: Private Timberlands/No Trespass signs
Three footings at the side at the summit
Three footings at the side at the summit
Some of the communication towers on top
Location of Saddle Hill near Ocean Shores
1940s map showing a dot and label on Saddle Hill. Others on this map written in were fire lookouts.
A badly managed stand of timber along the roadway up.