Trip Report.

The day after visiting Rustler Peak L.O., we decided to venture out to Halls Point L.O. and White Point L.O. They are located within two miles of each other on the same ridgeline, so it was easy to see both in the same afternoon. From Prospect, we drove to FS-64 and took this until we reached FS-200, which is on the left. You will take this road all the way up until you meet a junction with FS-290. FS-200 was steep but drivable in my Civic. I really didn’t like driving on the steep grade, so I had my partner drive on the way back down to camp. Once at the junction, you can continue left on FS-200 to White Point L.O. or right on FS-290 to Halls Point L.O.. The roads seemed to deteriorate after the junction, so we decided to park and road walk the remaining distance. It was about a mile or so to each lookout from where we parked the car. We decided to start with Halls Point L.O. and headed down FS-290. It was a hot and dusty road walk, and the amount of smoke in the air didn’t make it any easier. High clearance vehicles can drive farther down FS-290 from the junction until they reach the gated road. From the gate it’s only another 1/4 mile to the lookout. The trip reports we found online noted that Halls Point L.O. is actively staffed. We even saw fresh tire tracks on the road past the gate. Given the extreme fire danger on the forest, in conjunction with the nearby Devil’s Knob Complex wildfire, we assumed we’d be met by a lookout attendant when we reached the summit. Halls Point L.O. sits low to the ground on a rocky knob and the shades were drawn on the side from which we approached. There weren’t any vehicles on the summit but I still didn’t want to disturb the lookout attendant if there was one. I called out a questioning “hello?”, to see if anyone was there. I didn’t receive a response and we didn’t hear any movement inside the lookout either. I called out again and waited before approaching with caution. Once on the catwalk, we could see that there was no one there. However, it appeared someone had recently been up at the lookout, since there were unopened water and Gatorade bottles on one of the tables. There were also a couple of full water jugs on the floor and a mattress was on the bed frame. The door was locked but we were still able to see what was left inside of the lookout. We took our time on this summit with lunch and enjoyed our non-existent view. This is definitely one of my favorite lookouts that I’ve been to so far and I would like to come back on a clearer day to catch the view. On our way back down to the junction we saw a skunk walking up the road. My partner noted that skunks are typically nocturnal creatures and that there might be something wrong with it if it’s out during the day. We waited for it to leave the road before cautiously walking around it. Back at the junction, we walked past my parked car to FS-200 and on towards White Point L.O.

History.

Halls Point has been an active lookout site since 1912, when a crow’s nest platform used to occupy the summit. In the 1930’s, an L-4 tower was built to house the lookout attendant. In 1956, the L-4 tower was replaced by the current R-6 flat cab. It appears to be well maintained by the Forest Service even though it is no longer staffed full-time. There was also a beautiful bench on the summit in memory of Verna Hegler. She staffed this lookout for 21 years, from 1994 until her death in 2015 at the age of 74. We speculated that it might not be staffed full-time anymore due to her passing.

In 1994 Verna began the career she loved most of all, staffing the historic Hall’s Point fire lookout on the High Cascades Ranger District. The mountain was a part of her, and she a part of the mountain. For more than two decades no smoke escaped her watchful eye. Verna’s calm and quiet voice was one of confidence and the legals she gave for the fires she turned in were always dependable. No one knew the landmarks from that vantage point better than she did. From closing the lookout in fall to opening the next season, how soon she could return to her summer retreat was never far from her mind.

Her spirit will surely visit often in this favorite spot.

Forest Service Bench