Here is a view of the High Glade Lookout in 2009. The lookout, destroyed in a wildfire in 2018, was originally built in the 1930s and is being rebuilt. USDA Forest Service photo by Mendocino National Forest

WILLOWS, CA (MPG) - On Oct. 11, Mendocino National Forest contractors began reconstruction of the High Glade Lookout, which was destroyed by a wildfire in 2018. The lookout is located near the southern boundary of Mendocino National Forest in Lake County on 16N37 Road or High Glade Road.

Forest officials ask visitors to avoid High Glade Road and to expect increased traffic on 16N30 Road (Sam Alley Road off Pitney Lane). Access to the construction site will be closed to the public.

Prior to the Ranch Fire, High Glade lookout was in use and staffed seasonally to detect wildfires in the summer and fall months. After the rebuild, the lookout will be staffed again. The location provides 360-degree views of the southern end of the forest as well as communities around Clear Lake in Lake County.

“This is an important milestone to rebuild our critical infrastructure on the forest after the Ranch Fire,” said Upper Lake District Ranger Frank Aebly. “Lookout towers serve an important role in wildfire detection but even beyond that, High Glade Lookout provides vital visitor services, education and communication during emergencies.”

The lookout was originally built in the 1930s in the Civilian Conservation Corps era when other lookouts on the forest were built. At the time that it burned, the lookout was about 85 years old. The replacement lookout tower will be similar in shape and size to the previous structure, a 10 feet by 10 feet square cabin sitting atop a 35-feet steel tower.

Forest engineers secured funding for the design and rebuild in 2022 through the Disaster Supplemental funding. Construction is expected to take a year to complete, weather permitting.