High Rock Lookout damaged by vandals amid restoration efforts

Volunteers with a nonprofit organization working to restore a historic fire lookout near Mount Rainier returned to the site Friday to find their years of hard work undermined by recent vandalism, according to a news release from the volunteers.

The Sand Mountain Society, an Oregon-based historic preservation nonprofit, has been involved in the restoration of the lookout since 2020, working in partnership with the White Pass Country Historical Society and the U.S. Forest Service.

The High Rock Fire Lookout is federal property, managed by the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Volunteers worked through the summer and fall of 2025 to restore the historic mountaintop lookout, which offers a stunning view of Mount Rainier for those willing to make the 1.6-mile hike.

Operating under a special use permit with the U.S. Forest Service, Sand Mountain Society volunteers planned to return to the site to finish the restoration work and begin the staffing of the lookout with volunteers.

Now, those plans may be put on hold another year as the nonprofit shifts its attention to repairing the recent damage.

Volunteers reported that the damage included most windows broken out, the door smashed in, and tools and supplies thrown over the cliff.

Original ceiling materials, meticulously repaired and restored and ready for installation, were broken and scattered over the rocks.

The vandalism at High Rock is a federal offense, and Forest Service law enforcement was quick to respond, initiating an investigation of the incident.

Volunteers are disheartened and angry, having devoted hundreds of hours of work to the restoration of the lookout. It's hard not to be disheartened, they say, when the completion of the project was within sight.

Despite the major setback, all involved are intent on "picking up the pieces" quite literally, and continuing with the restoration, even if it means another year of work at the site. As planned, the White Pass Country Historical Society will manage staffing of the lookout with volunteer stewards once restoration is complete.

High Rock Lookout is a popular day-hiking destination, and can often see hundreds of visitors on any given weekend.

The U.S. Forest Service asks that anyone with information about the vandalism of the lookout contact the Cowlitz Valley Ranger Station in Randle at 360-497-1100.

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