The Long Way
Clear Creek County
A stone and wood tower sits atop a rocky hill against a cloudy blue sky.
Plate I. Mestaa'ehehe Mountain Fire Lookout tower. From fs.usda.gov
A stone and wood building stands against a cloudy mountain landscape.
Plate II. Mestaa'ehehe Mountain Fire Lookout tower. From fs.usda.gov
A mountain goat stands outside an open door overlooking a landscape.
Plate III. Mountain goat outside Mestaa'ehehe Mountain Fire Lookout. From recreation.gov
A view of mountains and forests from a lookout tower balcony.
Plate IV. Catwalk deck, Mestaa'ehehe Mountain Fire Lookout. From recreation.gov
The interior of a fire lookout tower with windows looking out at mountain ranges.
Plate V. Interior view, Mestaa'ehehe Mountain Fire Lookout. From fs.usda.gov
A stone and wood lookout tower stands on a rocky mountain peak under a clear blue sky.
Plate VI. Mestaa'ehehe Mountain Fire Lookout. From recreation.gov
Interior view of a fire lookout tower with windows showing mountain views, a desk, and a finder instrument.
Plate VII. Inside the Mestaa'ehehe Mountain Fire Lookout cab. From recreation.gov
A stone and wooden fire lookout tower stands atop a rocky summit.
Plate VIII. Mestaa'ehehe Mountain Fire Lookout. From recreation.gov
An interior view of a cabin kitchen with wooden paneling, a sink, stove, and bunk beds.
Plate IX. Interior, Mestaa'ehehe Mountain Fire Lookout. From recreation.gov

Mestaa'ehehe Mountain Fire Lookout

Bergen Park, Clear Creek County, Colorado. Fire lookout; Year round.

Details

Map. Bergen Park, Clear Creek County, Colorado. Larger map
Where
Bergen Park, Clear Creek County, CO. No street address stated. Directions
When
Check-in is at 3:00 and Check-out is at 12:00.
Getting there
From Idaho Springs and Interstate 70, take Exit 240 (Colorado Highway 103), south over the bridge 19 miles; right onto Forest Road 192.1, one mile to parking area before a locked gate.
Fees
$80 per night.
Access
Combination lock and key entry; no water, guests provide their own for drinking, cooking and washing; no tent, trailer or RV camping; pack out all trash; no pets.
Walk-in or reserve
Entry by combination lock and key; combination printed on confirmation letter.
Phone
303-567-4382
Managed by
Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests.
Established
1940s.
Coordinates
39.679677, -105.493297.

Electric stove, refrigerator, heat; beds; table and chairs; cookware and dishes; exterior incinerating toilet visitors must clean and maintain; accommodates four people per night.

Notable Events

  1. 2007Volunteers from the Colorado and Utah chapter of the Forest Fire Lookout Association have been working with the U.S. Forest Service since 2007 to restore the lookout to its historic state. themtnear.com
  2. 2013Members of the public could rent the lookout for overnight stays; Squaw Mountain became the first fire lookout tower available for rent near the Front Range. themtnear.com
  3. The U.S. Board on Geographic Names' Domestic Names Committee officially approved changing the name of Squaw Mountain to Mestaa'ėhehe Mountain; no members were opposed. rmpbs.org

People

  • Owl Woman (Mestaa'ėhehe), Influential Cheyenne translator for whom the mountain was renamed (early 1800s).
  • Mistanta, Cheyenne linguistic and cultural translator honored by the Mestaa'ėhehe name (early 1800s).
  • Mestaa'ėhehe (Owl Woman), Cheyenne woman for whom the mountain is named; daughter of White Thunder, wife of Colonel William Bent, inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame.

Sources

  1. fs.usda.gov/r02/arp/recreation/mestaaehehe-mountain-fire-lookout
  2. recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/234792
  3. rmpbs.org/news/mestaahehe-mountain-renaming-squaw-mountain
  4. themtnear.com/stories/historic-squaw-mountain-fire-lookout-available-to-rent,1337
  5. coloradosun.com/2021/09/17/mestaaehehe-mountain-squaw-clear-creek-geographic-naming-advisory
  6. coloradovirtuallibrary.org/resource-sharing/state-pubs-blog/mestaaehehe-mountain