Satus Peak Fire Lookout

Satus Peak is at the far eastern edge of the Cascades, the highest point on the long Toppenish Ridge. It is likely the windiest lookout site in Washington. Five structures were so severely damaged by the incessant wind, each needed to be replaced. But the location is extremely good for finding fire, so the lookout is staffed each summer.

In 1920, a cabin was built on the summit.
In 1933, a 10x10 foot cab was constructed.
In 1957, another cab was constructed.
In 1960 a heavy timber and frame cab was constructed.

In 1967 a steel & wooden cab atop 4 foot concrete pillars was built with roof beams of heavily laminated timbers and walls of double construction, with cable guys running through the building and tied together at the four corners. But even this didn’t hold. Kresek tells the story in his book that the lookout staffer was crouched in terror behind the firefinder as the cabin was being torn from its moorings. Thirty-nine windows blew out and the wall was caved in before the storm subsided. When she called on her radio, the dispatcher at Toppenish, 25 miles away, had no idea what she was talking about, for all was calm in the valley below.

Finally, in 1976, the present 2-story heavy steel cab with a concrete base was constructed with reinforced iron beams in the roof and walls, with all fabrication triple welded. The airtight windows are hermetically sealed triple strength Thermopanes set in steel frames. On the ground floor there is a bathroom, complete with a flush toilet and a bathtub and shower served by a thousand-gallon reservoir and an electric hot water tank. An internal spiral staircase connects the two floors. The upper living area is full of amenities such as a kitchen, cabinets, an electric range with propane backup, refrigerator and heater. During the winter, the windows are covered with very heavy metal plates making the structure nearly vandal proof.

Over a dozen different outhouses have blown away. The count was up to at least fourteen before the current lookout was built with a bathroom on the first floor. Once a lookout was trapped in an outhouse when its door hinged into the wind, and with all her might she couldn’t push the door open. Outhouse number 14 (now gone) had a coiled rope on the wall with an anchor attached and a note saying IF LIFT OFF IS EMINENT, QUICKLY DROP ANCHOR INTO HOLE AND HANG ON FOR DEAR LIFE!

Satus Peak also gained some fame when in 2008, the Barefoot Bandit crashed a stolen Cessna airplane near the summit after hitting strong turbulence. He hiked out 30 miles eluding authorities, eventually reaching railroad tracks and hopping on freight train bound for Oregon, where he then stole a car and drove to Reno Nevada.

An area is also famous for having one of the world’s highest number of UFO sightings as well as Bigfoot sightings. The open area called Starvation Flats just before the lookout is known locally as The Landing Field.

One story told was of the staffer leaving the lookout in somewhat of a hurry to go down to town. After leaving, she had the uneasy feeling that she might not have securely closed and locked the first-floor outside door. When she arrived back at the lookout, sure enough, the door was wide open. After the place had been thoroughly checked out for signs of intruders or other damage, everything appeared normal and in place. A few nights later, she awoke to a noise within the lookout, there had been an intruder after all – a packrat. After being chased around the cab, it finally disappeared down the spiral staircase to the first floor. But worse, her false teeth were missing from a glass on the table! Many different people tried as hard as they could to find the packrat, without success. Finally, the packrat and nest was found, in amongst the coils on the backside of the refrigerator and the rat was dispatched. The lookout was somewhat of a packrat herself; among other things was an ample supply of newspapers saved for window-washing, but perfect for the packrat to lay claim to and of course, to leave its mark! As cleanup progressed, the missing denture finally appeared, or at least what was left of it…one tooth! Regulations didn’t allow for reimbursement of the cost of false teeth, but the records later showed some “improvements” purchased for the lookout!

Satus Peak Lookout