The Long Way
Meagher County
A white wooden fire lookout cabin sits on a mountain peak.
Plate I. Lookout cabin at Monument Peak Lookout. From recreation.gov
An interior view of a fire lookout cabin with a fire finder table and wooden furniture.
Plate II. Interior view, Monument Peak Lookout. From recreation.gov
Interior view of a cabin with a wood stove and wooden furniture.
Plate III. Interior view, Monument Peak Lookout. From recreation.gov
Monument Peak Lookout.
Plate IV. Monument Peak Lookout. Photograph by Forest Service Northern Region from Missoula, MT, USA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Monument Peak Lookout

Harlowton, Meagher County, Montana. Fire lookout; June 15 - October 31.

Details

Map. Harlowton, Meagher County, Montana. Larger map
Where
809 2ND ST. NW, Harlowton, MT 59036. Directions
Getting there
From Great Falls, go east on U.S. Highway 87/89 about 22 miles and turn right (south) at the rest area onto U.S. Highway 89 toward Monarch and Neihart.
Fees
Overnight Use: Single Site: $45 per night.
Access
Road to the lookout is rough the last 4 miles; a high clearance vehicle is recommended. First 2 weeks of June and the month of Oct. may be walk in, due to snow conditions.
Walk-in or reserve
for public rental use.
Phone
406-632-4391
Managed by
Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest.
Established
1936.
Coordinates
46.99737, -111.09675.

Monument Peak Lookout offers guests an impressive yet rustic room with a view. The lookout, built in 1936 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, is perched atop Monument Peak, boasting spectacular 360 degree views of the Little Belt Mountains.

Notable Events

  1. 1911A small log cabin formerly below the tower may have been where the first fire watchers, also referred to as lookouts, lived and worked from the ground before the tower and cabin were built. filson.com
  2. 1936A pole tower of that type built in 1936 was the only existing example of its type left in Montana. firelookout.com
  3. 1970sThe lookout has been abandoned since the 1970's; the cab was later lowered to the ground and set on a short foundation. firelookout.com
  4. 1999Initially perched atop Monument Peak and used for decades to scan for smoke plumes across the Little Belt Mountains, it was lowered to the ground for safety in 1999. bigskyjournal.com
  5. 1999Cabin restoration was done mainly by Passport in Time program volunteers guided by Forest Service Preservation Team carpenters and Forest employees, keeping historic construction styles and materials where possible. filson.com
  6. 1999Monument Peak Lookout remained active until 1999 when it became unstable and the cab was placed on the ground for restoration. nhlr.org
  7. 1999The lookout was removed from its 50 foot pole, restored and placed on a short, solid foundation for public rental use. recreation.gov
  8. 2005A 2005 open house was well attended and covered by a TV reporter. filson.com
  9. 2005The lookout was rededicated in July 2005 and placed in the rental system as a ground facility. nhlr.org
  10. 2019Filson provided funding to replace the roof, and Filson employees volunteered with the National Forest Foundation's Northern Rockies program manager on trail maintenance, invasive species removal, painting, and outhouse shingle replacement. bigskyjournal.com
  11. 2019The Billings Gazette reported that Montana's historic Monument Peak Lookout, southwest of Monarch in the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, was restored that summer thanks to workers from Filson, the Forest Service and National Forest Foundation, and that groups collaborated to fund and make the repairs. billingsgazette.com

People

  • Dani Southard, National Forest Foundation Northern Rockies program manager who led the volunteer restoration (2019).

Sources

  1. recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/234428
  2. firelookout.com/mt/monumentpk.html
  3. billingsgazette.com/lifestyles/recreation/article_1b7630ac-905a-5cc2-84a0-d2d33c0e8900.html
  4. filson.com/blogs/journal/field-notes-test-monument-peak-lookout-tower
  5. fs.usda.gov/r01/helena-lewisclark/recreation/monument-peak-lookout
  6. nhlr.org/lookouts/us/mt/monument-peak-lookout
  7. bigskyjournal.com/round-up-news-and-events-from-around-the-northern-rockies-2
  8. nationalforests.org/article/hitting-the-high-points-fairview-and-burley-mountain-fire-lookout-tower-restoration