Majestic views, solitude, and quiet, heroic vigilance— fire lookouts of the San Bernardino National Forest capture a romantic part of California’s past. The Southern California Mountains Foundation proudly oversees its preservation. Today, there are seven fire lookout towers in the San Bernardino National Forest manned by dedicated Southern California Mountains Foundation volunteers. These volunteers go through informative training, teaching them about looking for smoke plumes, reporting fires, and using the variety of instruments at their disposal to pinpoint the fire location.

Pam and George Morey have been managing this program for 18 years. Their dedication to the safety of the San Bernardino National Forest shows in their enthusiasm and commitment to the program They have trained 100s of volunteers and spent many hours in the lookouts. Over 115 smoke plumes have been spotted, preventing fires from spreading through the forest.

Prior to covid, over 6,000 visitors spent time in the lookouts, learning about what these volunteers do in the towers. After closing the lookout towers down to visitors for one season due to covid the towers are now open for visitors again! Masks will be required inside the lookout towers due to the small spaces.

If you are interested in becoming a Fire Lookout volunteer, contact Pam Morey at [email protected]