The National Historic Lookout Register (NHLR) is maintained by the American Resources Group® in Washington, D.C. This is the U.S. equivalent of the World Lookout Register. The registers are a cooperative effort of the Forest Fire Lookout Association, the National Forestry Association, the National Woodland Owners Association, the U.S. Forest Service, state foresters and Interior agencies.

Listing in the National Historic Lookout Register is often a first step toward eventual nomination to the National Register of Historic Sites maintained by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Sometimes necessary structural modifications preclude listing in the latter register, and the only appropriate recognition given to these historic lookout sites is that afforded by the NHLR.

When a structure is less than 50 years old, but has sufficient historical significance to be registered, the lookout is listed in the National Lookout Register with an NHLR number, and is automatically transferred to the NHLR upon the 50th anniversary of its construction.

Fire lookouts are a proud symbol of forest conservation in America and are well recognized by the general public. They also often continue to perform an invaluable role in early detection, so important in keeping wildfires manageable and within budget.





What's New

The following is a list of recent additions to our web. Whenever we add or change a lookout photo or description, or add anything else to our web, we'll put a notice here. The most recent changes are listed first, and each item is linked to the page with the updated content.