Gold Butte Lookout in OR -- Campground & RV Camping

Gold Butte Lookout is a historic 1934 Civilian Conservation Corps cabin sitting on 3-foot stilts at 4,618 feet on the summit of Gold Butte in Willamette National Forest. Surrounded by an exterior catwalk and glass windows, it offers panoramic views of Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Hood, and the Cascade Range. The 14x14-foot rustic wood cabin sleeps four on a twin bed and three cots, and includes a table, wood heating stove, dishes, and cleaning gear. An outhouse and firewood shed are outside. Guests must bring their own water, cookstove, and lights, and hike the final half-mile up steep terrain.

Getting there: From Detroit Ranger Station, drive east on State Highway 22 toward the town of Detroit. Directly after crossing the bridge, take a left onto Forest Service Road (FSR) 46 (Breitenbush). Drive FSR 46 for about 4 miles to FSR 4696. Turn left (northeast) onto FSR 4696 and drive about three-quarters of a mile to FSR 4697. Turn left (north) onto FSR 4697 and drive about 5 miles to the saddle. Turn right onto FSR 451 and proceed to the first right (FSR 453). Proceed through the gate approximately half a mile to the parking area at the second green gate. The last 2 miles of road access are rough gravel and dirt at a 10 percent uphill grade. Low clearance vehicles are not recommended. The lookout is located approximately half a mile from the parking area. You will be hiking on a road to a saddle and from there a steep trail to the summit.

• Well separated here, a single-site campground with the nearest through road 0.6 miles off.
• Flat ground is scarce: under a tenth of the terrain within a few hundred yards is level.
• Cabins and shelters rather than pads.
• Dunlap Creek runs 0.7 mi off.
• Mount Jefferson stands 5,878 ft above the map pin, 17 miles southeast.

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