December 2021 – The Roaming Civic

Trip Report.

My partner and I decided to book a rental in Reedsport for the New Year and our 3-year anniversary. We chose Reedsport for it’s proximity to two lookouts along the coast. We figured we could end and start the year doing what we enjoyed most. We headed to Bunker Hill L.O. since we had some time to kill before checking into our rental. This will be our last lookout visit for the year! It’s located in the coastal town of Coos Bay at the Oregon Department of Forestry building. We were able to find it by following signs to the ODF building from HWY-101. Heading south on HWY-101 you will turn right on to Flanagan Road. You will stay on Flanagan Road until you reach Lookout Lane. Turn Left on to Lookout Lane. If you end up driving past Lookout Lane you can still get there by turning left on to Bay Park Lane and then another left on Fifth Road. The junction of Bay Park Lane and Fifth Road has an ODF sign. The buildings were closed for the holiday but we were still able to access the grounds and view the lookout from the parking lot. There is marked visitor parking just past the gate.

History.

In 1937, a combination lookout and water tower were built for the ODF by the CCC of Camp Walker. A 7’x7′ lookout cab was built atop a 3,000 gallon 52′ water tank. This lookout tower was used by the Coos Fire Patrol until the 1950’s. It was also used briefly for air raid spotting during the war, but it was found that most spotting had been done from the ground. The combined lookout and water tower was dismantled in 1965. It wasn’t until 1996 that they decided to build a new lookout tower on Bunker Hill for training. The existing 12’x12′ lookout sits atop a 40′ steel tower next to the district headquarters. The steel tower used was donated by the U.S. Coast Guard. It is currently an interpretive site for visitors and listed on the National Historic Lookout Register. it’s labeled as the Coos Bay Lookout on the tower itself.

Bonus: We visited the Umpqua Lighthouse State Park to check out the lighthouse before heading to Bunker Hill L.O. It is ran by the U.S. Coast Guard and tours are offered through the museum. While parked we spotted another structure closer to the ocean that resembled a lookout. I’m sure it’s used by the U.S. Coast Guard for some sort of training but the base looked almost identical to Bunker Hill L.O.

NOTICE: As of July 20, 2024 this area is currently closed due to the active Diamond Complex.

Location.

Umpqua National Forest

Status.

Active; Currently standing

Estimated drive time from Portland, OR.

4 hours

Date visited.

December 4, 2021

Elevation.

6,417′

National Historic Lookout Register.

US 486; OR 79

Trip Report.

We debated visiting this lookout during the winter months and planning it as a snowshoe since the access road, NF-4793, is located right off of HWY-138. There’s also a small snow park located right at the turn off. This would be easy to access since it is plowed in the winter. There hadn’t been much snow in this area as of recently and we decided to check it out as a day hike instead. The weekend forecasted for cold but sunny skies. We were hopeful we wouldn’t be met with any snow and decided to try for Garwood Butte (post) while we were in the area too. As we made our way down to the Umpqua NF from Portland, we could see patchy snow on the tips of the high peaks. We decided to head for Garwood Butte (post) first but only made it a little less than a mile down the road before we were met with deep snow. It wasn’t worth the risk to drive, so we continued on to Cinnamon Butte. We turned on to NF-4793 and were uncertain if we’d be met with more snow. There is a sign for the lookout from HWY-138 and at the road junction off of NF-4793, so it is easy to find. The turn off for the lookout access road is only a mile and a half up NF-4793. I figure this road gets more sun exposure since we were able to drive to the junction with no issues. It is a gated road so you will need to park and walk the remaining distance. From the gate it is another 1.5 miles to the summit. As you hike up the road, you will already start to get some great views of Mt. Thielsen and the surrounding Diamond Lake area. There is a large parking lot on the summit which makes me believe you can drive there in the summer months. We had the summit to ourselves for the majority of the time. Another couple had hiked up while we were eating lunch but didn’t stay for very long. We took our time on the summit since we already had reservations in Roseburg for the night. It was a gorgeous day to visit!

History.

The current lookout tower was built for Buster Butte in 1955 as a 41′ treated tower and R-6 flat roof cab. It wasn’t moved to Cinnamon Butte until 1976. It has since seen some renovations. The original Cinnamon Butte L.O. was developed as a 35′ tower with L-4 cab in 1934 by the CCC. This lookout is one of the few that is still actively staffed every summer. The structure was threatened by the Thielsen Fire in September 2020. Evidence on how close the fire came can be seen on your hike up the road. It’s apparent that the access road was part of the fire break.