Calpine Lookout in CA -- Campground & RV Camping

Calpine Lookout is an enclosed 1934 Civilian Conservation Corps fire tower in Tahoe National Forest, sitting atop a 5,980-foot Sierra Nevada summit with broad views of Sierra Valley and Lassen Peak. The single rentable top cab features a 14-by-14-foot room with two twin beds, a table, dry sink, propane heater, propane lights, and a propane stove. Outside the tower base are a picnic table, fire ring, and vault toilet. The cabin has no electricity or running water. Hiking trails and the Lakes Basin Area are nearby.

Getting there: From Sierraville, the lookout is approximately 10 miles north on State Highway 89. Renters will be given a renters packet after check-in with the best access or parking based on current weather conditions. During the winter months, access is by snowshoes, skiis or snowmobiles on a 2 mile trail with a 1000 foot elevation gain.

• Moderately separated here.
• Flat ground is scarce: under a tenth of the terrain within a few hundred yards is level.
• Cabins and shelters rather than pads.
• Haskell Peak stands 2,230 ft above the map pin, 5.4 miles west.

Rules