- Oregon County HP: #11
- Difficulty: ⭐️ (on a scale of 5)
- Summit Elevation: 6,850 feet
- Mountain Range: Blue Mountains
- Ancestral Lands: Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla; Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs
PLANNING DETAILS
Location: Tower Mountain is located in the Blue Mountain Range approximately 45 miles southwest of La Grande, Oregon. This peak sits within the Umatilla National Forest and Umatilla County, both of which were named after the Native American nation that inhabited the Columbia River Plateau.
When to Visit: Late spring to Fall. Tower Mountain requires a lengthy drive up a narrow, curvy dirt roads that are not maintained in the winter months. Summertime visitors also get the added bonus of taking in the panoramic views from the cab of the 92-foot fire lookout sitting atop this peak with the seasonal caretaker.
Fees/Permits Required: None.
Getting There: This county high point can be accessed on USFS roads from both the north and south sides. However, the 9-mile dirt road (NF-5226) on Tower Mountain’s south side is generally in better condition. This road begins near Big Creek Campground approximately 23.7 miles southeast of Ukiah, Oregon.
Directions from Pendleton:
- From I-84 (exit 209), head south on US-395 for 47 miles until you reach the junction for OR-244 Ukiah-Hilgard Highway.
- Turn left onto OR-244 and drive 1.2 miles to downtown Ukiah.
- Turn right onto Camas St. and follow the Blue Mountain Scenic Byway (NF-52) for 23.7 miles until you reach a brown sign with an arrow pointing left for Tower Mountain.
- Turn left onto NF-5226 and drive north on this narrow, curvy dirt road for 8.4 miles – ending at the fire lookout tower and caretaker’s cabin atop Tower Mountain.
Directions from John Day:
- From downtown John Day, head west on US-26 for 8.2 miles until you reach US-395.
- Turn right onto US-395 and drive north for 69 miles until you reach the junction for OR-244 Ukiah-Hilgard Highway.
- Turn left onto OR-244 and drive 1.2 miles to downtown Ukiah.
- Turn right onto Camas St and follow the Blue Mountain Scenic Byway (NF-52) for 23.7 miles until you reach a brown sign with an arrow pointing left for Tower Mountain.
- Turn left onto NF-5226 and drive north on this narrow, curvy dirt road for 8.4 miles – ending at the fire lookout tower and caretaker’s cabin atop Tower Mountain.
Parking: There is ample room for 10+ cars to park atop Tower Mountain near the cabin.
Pets Allowed: Yes. This county high point sits within the Umatilla National Forest.
Kid Friendly: Yes.
Hiking Distance: 0 miles — Visitor can drive to the summit.
The Summit: Tower Mountain’s summit contains a 92-foot tall metal fire lookout tower and a caretaker’s cabin that is occupied during the fire season. A survey monument sits near the fire lookout’s stairs, but the highest natural point of the mountain is about 100 feet west near a radio tower. The caretaker maintains a visitor’s log highpointers can sign.
Trip Summary
Date Visited: August 1, 2023
Route Used: Drive up Tower Mountain’s south side via the Blue Mountain Scenic Byway (NF-52) and NF-5226.
After waking up in Bend this morning and driving 225 miles through eastern Oregon to Black Mountain (Morrow County’s high point), I was aiming a highpointing “two-fer.” Black Mountain and Tower Mountain were less than a 90-minute drive apart, and it seemed like a reasonable goal to nab both of them in a single day.
With Black Mountain under my belt by early afternoon, I drove into the tiny, rural town of Ukiah (pop. 163) in search of a cold drink, and I was pleasantly surprised to find Rhodes Supply had sodas and an ice cream counter too!
From Ukiah, I had a serious choice to make. Did I want to continue driving east on OR-244 and approach Tower Mountain from the north? Or should I follow the Blue Mountain Scenic Byway (NF-52) and loop around to the south?
Before this junket to the eastern part of the state, I read a report from a fellow county highpointer who’d come out to Tower Mountain. He drove up the northern route and then back down the opposite side last year, and his assessment was the southern road was in a far better condition. So I decided to trust his reconnaissance, and hoped things hadn’t changed too much in the last 12 months.
The drive into the Umatilla National Forest on NF-52 was actually quite pleasant, notwithstanding the signs warning of loose cattle or cautioning that the road was not maintained for winter travel. I was just happy to be driving on paved road as the Blue Mountains Scenic Byway took me past views of the steep plateaus and canyons above the north fork of the John Day River.
A mere 40 minutes after leaving Ukiah, I passed signs for Winom Campground, then Big Creek Campground, before reaching the brown USFS signs directing me off the paved road and up NF-5226. The rest of my journey was be on a dirt road that would coat my SUV with thick layer of dust as I dropped my speed to a meager 20 mph speed.
Few of Oregon’s high points are “drive ups” like this one, and it felt a bit like cheating to take my SUV up the dirt forest road instead of hiking on a trail. Perhaps if I had one additional day on this trip, I could have hiked the 9.2 miles (roundtrip) to the summit on the Tower Mountain Trail. But with other obligations looming over my summer, I’d need to take the 17-mile drive to fire lookout instead.
The narrow road climbed 1,800 vertical feet in elevation from the paved highway up to the summit, and the curves slowed me down over and over again. As I rounded each bend, I worried. This road was way too narrow for two cars to safely pass each other. The uphill side was several feet above the roadway, while the downhill side dropped sharply and provided no safe respite. Luckily, there didn’t seem to be any other vehicles out on the road with me today.
As I made my way around one of these turns, something shiny glinted in the distance. Far atop a ridgeline, I could make out the faint outline of a fire lookout sticking up above the trees. But then the road curved back again and I lost sight of it just as quickly as it appeared. I’d have to wait until I got there to get a better look.
My long approach wasn’t a stealthy one. I’m fairly sure anyone up at the summit could see me coming from miles away. After all, my tires were creating a giant plume of powdery dirt behind me and above me as I drove higher up the mountain.
After more than a half hour on the dusty road, I made the final turn toward the summit loop where a rustic, one-room cabin and the lookout tower came into view. This tower wasn’t just an empty one like the ones I’d hiked up to along the Appalachian Trail or the Arizona Trail. This was a working fire lookout, with a seasonal caretaker who lived and kept watch over the forest through wildfire season.
I parked my SUV and peeled my white knuckles off the steering wheel. I’d made it to the top of the aptly named Tower Mountain, but I still had one more hurdle. I didn’t hike to the summit, but there was still one key physical (and psychological) challenge left in front of me on this highpointing adventure. I needed to climb the 92-foot metal tower to the cab, where Mike – the caretaker – was waiting to greet me.
This is the point when I should probably admit that I am a big chicken with anything that involves heights. Yes, I’ve climbed a number of mountains – including some technical ones – but I still have a very, VERY healthy fear of falling. And the closer I got to the base of the lookout tower’s stairs, the more my palms began to sweat at the prospect of going up.
Mike hollered down to me to ask if I was coming up, and I reluctantly yelled that I was. It was now or never. And so, I took a deep breath and grabbed the handrails and started to mount the stairs. About halfway up, my knees began to knock a little and I had to stop to muster my courage at one of the landings where the stairs changed direction.
This ascent was nerve racking! I needed to continue upward while simultaneously: (a) keep myself from looking downward through the open metal stair treads as everything on the ground grew farther away; (b) avoid the temptation to stop to count how many dang flights of stairs I still had left to climb;(c) pretend I couldn’t feel the tower slightly swaying as I made my way up each flight; and (d) ignore the age of the tower – which was built in 1935!
At last, I made it to the hatch in the floor of the lookout tower’s cab. I only had a few more steps left until I was in the relative safety of the four-sided room where Mike sat perched on his stool awaiting my arrival.
Once I made it to the cab, the views out the windows were jaw dropping. I felt as if I could see all the way to the Columbia River – 65 miles to our north. Mike said my views were only so-so today. On a super clear day, he can make out the outline of Mt. Hood or even Mt. Rainier off to our west!!
I asked Mike how many summers he’s spent manning this fire lookout and was surprised to learn he’s been there for 16 seasons! Wow!! That’s a lot more solitude than the average person probably can handle. So I settled in for a spell, signing his visitor’s log and chatting with him about this and that for nearly an hour.
As the late afternoon turned toward early evening, I knew it was time to say my goodbyes. I still needed to drive 100 miles south to get to the state campground where my reservation was waiting for me. If I left now, I might get there in time to set up my tent by dusk.
Mike urged me to make one stop on my way back down the mountain. A small dirt road on the loop around the summit would lead me to a cliff with remarkable views of the Wallowa Mountains, he promised. So I took his advice and wished him a safe fire season. Hopefully 2023’s high snow year would make it a quiet one!
BONUS MATERIAL
Alternate Routes:
- Northern driving route. Visitors who wish to drive up to the summit from the north should approach Tower Mountain using OR-244. Approximately halfway between Ukiah and Hilgard, turn off the paved highway at Tin Trough Road/NF-5160 (an improved gravel road). Drive south on NF-5160 for 6.6 miles. Turn right onto NF-5169 and continue for 3.8 miles. Turn left onto NF-5226 and drive the final 3.4 miles to the fire lookout tower.
- Tower Mountain Trail #3156. Visitors who want to hike to the summit can use a trail on Tower Mountain’s south side, which traverses the John Day Wilderness. The Tower Mountain Trail #3156 is 4.8 miles (one-way) and begins near Forest Road 52 adjacent to Big Creek Meadows Camp and Trailhead. (Note: Depending on the season, this trail may be covered in snow or have downed trees blocking the path. Hikers should bring a map or GPS track as the trail can be very faint in places due to light foot traffic.)
Camping Nearby:
- Winom Campground is a USFS campground located just off the Blue Mountain Scenic Byway (NF-52) approximately 10 miles south of Tower Mountain offering 10 tent/trailer campsites (3 of which are group sites) on a first-come, first-served basis. The campground is maintained seasonally from Memorial Day to mid-November, and has two vault toilets, picnic tables, and two log picnic shelters at the group sites. There is no potable water, but a creek is nearby that is suitable for filtering water. Cost: $10 for single sites, $25 for group sites.
- Big Creek Campground is a USFS campground located just the Blue Mountain Scenic Byway (NF-52) approximately 8 miles south of Tower Mountain offering 3 tent/trailer campsites and 1 vault toilet. The campground is open year-round, but only maintained seasonally beginning in late-May There is no potable water at this campground, however, the trailhead for the Tower Mountain Trail #3156 is located at the south side of the campground near campsite #1. Cost: $0.
- Hilgard Junction State Park is a seasonal campground located off I-84 near LeGrande, OR, that offers 18 primitive campsites, water spigots, fire pits, flush toilets, horseshoe pits, and access to the Grande Ronde River. This state campground is open from May 5 to Oct. 5 and camping is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Cost: $10 per campsite/vehicle.
Resources:
- Highpointing Tower Mountain (Summit Post)
- Hiking the Tower Mountain Trail #3156 (Wandering Yucks)
- Timeline for Tower Mountain’s Lookout (Forest Lookouts)