The Long Way
Mineral County
A view of forested mountains from a high balcony.
Plate I. Catwalk view, Thompson Peak Lookout Tower. From fs.usda.gov
A scenic view of forests and distant mountains from an elevated balcony.
Plate II. Mountain view from Thompson Peak Lookout Tower. From recreation.gov
A snowy mountain landscape with frosted evergreen trees under a cloudy sky.
Plate III. Mountain view, Thompson Peak Lookout Tower. From recreation.gov
A fire lookout tower stands on a hill with communications towers.
Plate IV. Thompson Peak Lookout Tower. From recreation.gov
The interior of a fire lookout tower with panoramic windows overlooking forest and mountains.
Plate V. Interior of Thompson Peak Lookout Tower. From fs.usda.gov
A kitchen counter with wooden cabinets and tile flooring.
Plate VI. Kitchen area, Thompson Peak Lookout Tower. From recreation.gov

Thompson Peak Lookout Tower

Superior, Mineral County, Montana. Lookout Tower; Open May 8, 2026 - October 8, 2026.

Details

Map. Superior, Mineral County, Montana. Larger map
Where
Superior, Mineral County, MT. No street address stated. Directions
When
Arrival no earlier than 2:00pm; departure no later than 11:00am.
Getting there
Turn left onto Diamond Match Road, towards the Exxon Gas Station, and continue just over a mile, then turn right onto Forest Service Road 320. Drive for about 3 miles and then turn right onto Forest Service Road 7863 and travel just over 6 miles to the lookout.
Fees
$75 per night.
Access
Guests will need to bring water for drinking, cooking and cleaning purposes, as well as bedding, towels, soap, garbage bags and toilet paper. Guests will need to clean the cabin before leaving.
Walk-in or reserve
Reservation confirmation required; entry gate and lookout locked, key code sent with confirmation.
Phone
406-822-4233
Managed by
Lolo National Forest.
Established
1984.
Coordinates
47.17860567, -114.9077653.

One-room rental cabin equipped with 1 twin-bed with a mattress pad and sleeps up to four people. The facility has electricity and cell phone service, as well as an electric stove, heater, microwave and small refrigerator.

Notable Events

  1. 1934A 30-foot pole tower with an L-4 cab replaced the tree platform tower in 1934. firelookout.com
  2. 1967Thompson Peak was among the lookouts the Lolo manned in 1967. mhs.mt.gov
  3. 1984After bears ate the tower legs and vandals took chainsaws to it, the tower was replaced in 1984 with the present 20-foot concrete base topped with a live-in cab. firelookout.com
  4. 1992By 1992 the Lolo manned only 10 lookouts during the summer fire season; Thompson Peak was one of nine that had also been manned in 1967. mhs.mt.gov

People

  • Orilla James, lookout on Thompson Peak (about 18 years).
  • Fern Bonnell, staffed the Thompson Peak station for the Superior station.
  • Garry O'Hara, lookout (1953).
  • Katherine Mercer, lookout (1957-1959).

Sources

  1. fs.usda.gov/r01/lolo/recreation/thompson-peak-lookout