With Photos by Jo. N. Miles
Jumpoff Lookout is the last surviving fire Lookout Station in Yakima County. The 1961 "R-6" flat top building is located at the west end of Jumpoff Ridge, overlooking the Tieton Basin from the east. The present building replaced an earlier (1930s - 1958) structure which apparently had a cupalo viewing room with a small, lower living quarters.
The old building is now showing the wear from many winters perched on a high overlook of pillowed basalt. Jo Miles and I have visited this old lookout several times in the past three years, attempting to stabilize the structure until we "Discover" some way to return it to a working "fire watch" station. We patched the roof, installed numerous shutters, and cleaned it out a bit. Other volunteers have repaired the door and attempted to keep it clean.
Here you can see that the structure is basically intact, minus lightening rod ground cables, and some glass windows.
Why do I mention Jumpoff now? Well, the William O. Douglas State Trail is to open in June of 2012 and it will pass very near the old lookout. Because I have been ask by a number of folks , "How do I get there", AND, "Just where is the William O. Douglas Trail", I have decided to create a short posting on this blog answering those questions. To begin, consult the Yakima Herald, December 20, 1011 for an article by Scott Sandsberry titled, "Blazing a Trail". This article has a wonderful photo (By Susan Paolelli) taken near Jumpoff, showing the great view into the Tieton Basin and a portion of the #1126 trail dropping down the old Phone line route toward Jumpoff Meadow via Jumpoff Gap. This next photo by Jo Miles is a very similar photo, showing Rimrock Lake, Kloochman Rock, and, in the distance, White Pass.
In this above photo you can see Jumpoff Meadow at the lower right, Kloochman Rock in the middle left, and Rimrock Lake running west. That Ridge on the left side of Rimrtock Lake (in this picture, south in virtual space) is "Frenchman Ridge" and the WOD trail will wander down it's spine, east to west, as it heads for Clear Lake. The shiny spot in the middle foreground is Lost Lake. Kloochman Rock is an important chapter in the William O. Douglas book, "Of Men and Mountains". A photo very similar to this, taken near by in the evening (by Kristin Hiler ) is on the cover of my book about local history and setting. Titled, "Buckskin Larch and Bedrock" it is available on Amazon.com
And, if you are interested in more wonderful Tieton Basin Photos, you can purchase a companion photo CD by Jo N. Miles titled "The Photos of Buckskin Larch and Bedrock". It is available at the Yakima Museum, Inklings Books, and Whistl'n Jacks Lodge. Here is one of my favorite shots in that collection. This photo is titled, "Tieton Glacial Boulder" and it shows a huge erratic glacial boulder perched on a knoll on the northeast end of Rimrock Lake, seen in the background.
Jumpoff Lookout is located in Section 1, T.13n. R.14E, W.M. You can drive there in the summer with a good, stout 4x4, or you can hike there along the William O. Douglas trail. The trail comes from the east on the Jumpoff Road after connecting to Snow Mt. Ranch over the Hatton Road. Here is a photo of the area (several miles east of Jumpoff) where the two roads meet. This photo gives you a good idea of the hike out of Yakima and up Jumpoff Ridge to Jumpoff Lookout. Here you are looking back east toward Yakima, WA. on a cloudy day.
Same general area, looking back east but on the opposite ridge. These are wonderful hikes with great views, great clouds, and great trees. This lonesome Ponderosa Pine is typical of the scattered trees on this ridge top and in the adjacent canyons. This is a natural tree seeded from others nearby.
As you hike west from Jumpoff you will pass Kloochman Rock. The present trail will skirt the south end of this massive geologic feature and this is the view you will see looking north, over the top of Kloochman. Douglas tried to climb the right (east) side, a foolhardy task at best, but it resulted in a wonderful chapter to his classic book. When I hiked this area with Drug Czar William Bennet some years ago he had no idea where he was until I mentioned Kloochman Rock which he knew well from Douglas' wonderful book.
And, on the west side of Kloochman Rock a lonely hiker climbs the craigs made famous by William O. Douglas. Rimrock Lake in the distance with Frenchmans Ridge to the left. Is that a Wilderness permit hanging from the pack?
GETTING THERE: DIRECTIONS FOR VISITING JUMPOFF RIDGE, JUMPOFF LOOKOUT, AND MID SECTIONS OF THE WOD TRAIL: Right now Jumpoff Lookout Station is managed as a closed building, but the door isn't locked. Just load a stout 4x4, turn south between the Windy Point Bridges (Highway 12 west of Naches) on road 1302, and drive 13 miles west. The road is only suitable for 4x4 vehicles with good clearance and strong tires. Lots (and lots) of good views and opportunities along the way to stroll around, take pictures, and enjoy the sights. In section 5, about 4 miles before you get to Jumpoff, you'll see the Hatton road (#641) turn back to the east. After you cross the cattle guard you have 2 more miles to go and can look for established dispersed camping turnouts.
There is snow across the road until around July 1 and if you plan to visit before August, take a chain saw to cut out blow-down across the road. By Aug, generally, the jeepers have cleared the road.
Sleeping in the building right now is problematic as it is small, there is glass on the floor, some windows might be open, and you could have unexpected visitors. I'd suggest car/tent camping at one of the hunter camps back to the east, then you can hike either east on the Hatton Road, or west through Louey Gap to Long Lake (trail # 1126), OR down to Jumpoff Meadow along the old phone line trail from Jumpoff Gap.
Jumpoff is 5,745 feet elevation and the views both east and west are great. The present lookout building was constructed in 1961, replacing an older one. I think this is the last, surviving fire lookout in Yakima County. Take a Discovery parking pass to park in Game managed land, a litter bag, map, and extra water. When dispersed camping on National Forest put out your camp fires, pack home litter, and avoid damage to roads and facilities.
And finally, another Photo by Jo N. Miles of a controlled burn in the Tieton Basin. Fires like this were common before settlement and are an important part in creating, and maintaining the natural setting. Jumpoff Lookout was once a vital link in identifying wildland fires in this area.
I want to thank Jo Miles for his photos for this collection. If you want to see more photos of the area along the new William O. Douglas Trail just stop by the Yakima Museum, Inklings Bookshop, or W'Jacks Lodge for this photo CD titled "the photos of Buckskin Larch and Bedrock".
I want to close this post with one of my favorite photos by Jo Miles. This photo is along the William O. Douglas trail east of Snow Mt Ranch. It captures the essence of high, ridge top settings in Yakima County and reminds me of the lonely days I spent on Jumpoff Lookout watching for fires and reading Jack Kerouac. It has the quiet solitude, the invisible sound of the wind, the hugeness of the sky and the landscape, and the promise of a storm, all wrapped into one great photo.
Watch this blog for a feature on the Photos of Jo. N. Miles. I'll be posting that in a week or so.
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