Lookout rental · U.S. Forest Service · Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests Pawnee NG · Idaho Springs, CO

Mestaa’Ėhehe Mountain Fire Lookout

The Mestaa’ėhehe (pronounced mess-taw-HAY) Mountain Fire Lookout is located directly off of Colorado Highway 103 west of Bergen Park and sits at the summit of Mestaa’ėhehe Mountain, which is an active communication tower site in Clear Creek County. In addition to being an active communication site, the area is a popular dispersed recreation use area with hiking, recreational shooting, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and camping. The lookout is a unique structure constructed of native granite which is situated at over 11,000 feet elevation and was built in the 1940s by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Lookout rentalReservable · Recreation.gov1 site20 ft max
Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗
Mestaa’Ėhehe Mountain Fire Lookout view from upper cabFire Lookout Tower 2Fire Lookout Tower 4Fire Lookout Tower
Photos courtesy of USDA Forest Service, Forest Service · Recreation.gov
2fires
active
Harris Park Broadcast Rx (prescribed burn) · 11 mi away · 390 acres
1 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Site mix

Fire lookouts1
This lookout is booked as a single unit on Recreation.gov. The booking page shows which dates are open and how far ahead they release. How the booking window works

Site guide

1 site. Tap a filter to narrow the list; the map follows.

SiteFits, ftSurfacePeople / vehiclesRating
Mestaa’ėhehe Mountain Fire LO20Gravel4 / 2Prime

Per-site records as published by the managing agency on Recreation.gov. Blank cells mean the agency listed nothing for that site. Check-in 3:00 PM, checkout 12:00 PM.

Amenities & rules

Max vehicle length20 ft

The lookout contains an electric stove, refrigerator, and heat; beds; table and chairs; cookware and dishes; and an exterior incinerating toilet. Please be aware that visitors are expected to clean and maintain the incinerating toilet to ensure proper operation of the unit. The lookout can accommodate four people per night. Guests will need to bring their own water for drinking, cooking and cleaning purposes, as well as their own sleeping bags/bedding. This is a pack it in, pack it out facility; guests will need to carry out all trash and clean the facility prior to leaving. During the winter months, the facilities will be cold. In the lookout, there are two small wall heaters, and one space heater. However, with the weather conditions, it’s not always possible for them to keep the place consistently warm. At 11,000 feet it can also be extremely windy. Please come prepared for the extreme winter weather conditions that can happen during your stay.

Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Mestaa’Ėhehe Mountain Fire Lookout20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 0.63 inches of precipitation, 8.8 inches of snowFebruary: 0.86 inches of precipitation, 11.4 inches of snowMarch: 1.76 inches of precipitation, 17.0 inches of snowApril: 2.37 inches of precipitation, 14.9 inches of snowMay: 2.49 inches of precipitation, 2.7 inches of snowJune: 1.73 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 2.20 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 2.30 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.55 inches of precipitation, 1.1 inches of snowOctober: 1.21 inches of precipitation, 6.5 inches of snowNovember: 0.81 inches of precipitation, 10.4 inches of snowDecember: 0.71 inches of precipitation, 8.0 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 28.4°F averageFebruary: 28.9°F averageMarch: 35.9°F averageApril: 41.2°F averageMay: 49.7°F averageJune: 59.3°F averageJuly: 65.1°F averageAugust: 63.2°F averageSeptember: 56.0°F averageOctober: 44.9°F averageNovember: 35.6°F averageDecember: 28.3°F average0 in5 in10 in15 in20 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Evergreen, 10 miles from the campground at 6,985 feet, station USC00052790 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 19 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 81 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Getting there

Please follow the directions provided below and do not use other navigation applications. From Idaho Springs and Interstate 70, take Exit 240 (Colorado Highway 103) and drive south over the bridge on Colorado 103 for 19 miles.

Nearest townIdaho Springs, Colorado
Coordinates39.6789° N, 105.4928° W · Directions ↗

Fire nearby

  • Prescribed
    Harris Park Broadcast Rx

    11 mi from the campground · 390 acres

  • Prescribed
    O'Brien 2 Broadcast Rx

    48 mi from the campground · 267 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Call the managing office before you drive.

Supplies & services

Outdoor gearClear Creek Outdoors ↗4.5 mi
Dump stationDump Station ↗13.7 mi
RV sales & serviceRV sales & service ↗16.3 mi

Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.

Explore

Worth a stop

Mount Blue Sky Recreation Area, Mount Evans Wilderness Area

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →
  • 1.5 mi
    Chief Mountain
    1.4 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 1.6 mi
    Warren Gulch
    4.3 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 3.9 mi
    Captain Mountain ↗
    8.2 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 4 mi
    Devils Canyon Spur
    0.9 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 4.1 mi
    Barbour Fork
    2 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike
  • 4.4 mi
    Devil'S Canyon
    1.7 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike

Trailheads within three miles

Trail and trailhead records are the Forest Service's. Distances are straight-line to the nearer trail end. Trail conditions are not tracked here.

Public land it sits in

On Wilderness Atlas →

Mount Evans Wilderness begins about 3.8 miles away, and it is the closest of these.

Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.

Natural features

Besides offering the unique experience of staying in a fire lookout, Mestaa’ėhehe Mountain Lookout will provide visitors outstanding panoramic views of the Great Plains, Denver, Mount Blue Sky, Pikes Peak, Longs Peak and other snow-capped peaks.

Recreation

Hiking, wildlife viewing, scenic driving, picnicking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing are all easily accessible while staying at the lookout.

Guidebooks for Colorado

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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

Do I need a reservation at Mestaa’Ėhehe Mountain Fire Lookout?

Sites at Mestaa’Ėhehe Mountain Fire Lookout are reservable on Recreation.gov. Any walk-up sites are listed on the booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

What time is check-in at Mestaa’Ėhehe Mountain Fire Lookout?

Check-in 3:00 PM, checkout 12:00 PM.

Source: Recreation.gov

How many sites does Mestaa’Ėhehe Mountain Fire Lookout have?

1 site, including 1 lookout.

Source: Recreation.gov

Will my RV fit at Mestaa’Ėhehe Mountain Fire Lookout?

The longest site here provides 20 feet of vehicle capacity. Most sites are shorter. The sidebar tool checks a trailer or motorhome length against every site.

Source: Will my RV fit

Is there cell service at Mestaa’Ėhehe Mountain Fire Lookout?

FCC coverage maps show AT&T 4G LTE and T-Mobile 4G LTE at the campground point. Terrain changes that from one site to the next.

Source: FCC Broadband Map

What is the nearest town to Mestaa’Ėhehe Mountain Fire Lookout?

Idaho Springs, Colorado. Mount Blue Sky Recreation Area, Mount Evans Wilderness Area

Source: Getting there

What if Mestaa’Ėhehe Mountain Fire Lookout is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Echo Lake (5.7 mi), West Chicago Creek (8.8 mi), and Columbine Campground (9.9 mi).

Source: Campgrounds nearby