Bear Basin Lookout and Cabin
3Heads up3 fires, nearest 23 mi
- Right now
- Nobody has saidNo season, no closure, no bookings to read
- Sites
- 1All of them booked ahead
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 12 notices
In the agency’s own words
On a high, narrow mountain ridge at 5,280 feet, Bear Basin Lookout and Pierson Cabin offer visitors an awe-inspiring experience and a quiet haven away from crowds. Excellent views of the Siskiyou Wilderness to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west are why visitors love staying in the heart of the Six Rivers National Forest of northern California. The current lookout building was previously situated at Camp Six, where it was used to spot forest fires. That structure was moved from Camp Six to Bear Basin Butte in 1996. The original Bear Basin Butte lookout existed in the 1930s. Keep reading
During the summer and early fall months (July 1 - September 30), the rental includes both the lookout tower and a modern 1930s-style cabin built in the 1990s. This is a remote location. Access to the cabin is variable and the road is not maintained for winter use. High-clearance, four-wheel drive vehicles are recommended, and guests are also advised to carry chains and a shovel. Guests should note that even during the summer, the paved portion of the road (South Fork Road) frequently has numerous rocks and debris. The last half mile of the access is on a steep gravel road. Quality tires and high-clearance vehicles are recommended. Guests are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety, and must bring several of their own amenities.
Recreation
Bird watching is available, as well as great hiking opportunities in the nearby Siskiyou Wilderness. Please don't forget to pick up a Siskiyou Wilderness Map at your nearest Forest Service Visitor Center or local outdoor store before venturing into the wilderness. Horseback riding trails may be accessed nearby, and wildlife viewers may catch a glimpse of deer or bears, which make their home in the area.
Facilities
The lookout and cabin can accommodate up to eight guests, but up to 12 guests are permitted for an extra fee. The cabin has an entry room with a countertop suitable for organizing supplies and preparing food. Three double beds are provided (one of which is a bunk above the other) in the cabin and a futon in the lookout. The cabin also has a four-seat dining table, three chairs, a bench, a book case, and a wood-burning stove (firewood is provided). Board games and various books may be available for use. A vault toilet, picnic tables and a campfire ring are outside. No water or electricity is available. Guests should bring plenty of water, food, bedding, flashlights and other basic camp gear ( click here for more cabin details ).
Nearby Attractions
The Smith River National Recreation Area Visitor Center is about 21 miles, or roughly one hour by vehicle, from the lookout. Doe Flat and Island Lake Trailheads, which access the Siskiyou Wilderness, are within three miles of the lookout.
What the agency tells you
This facility is located in a remote and wild area, far from any services; before making a reservation, become aware of weather and travel safety, especially if visiting during the fall, winter, or spring.
Road and weather conditions are unpredictable. Always be prepared for changing conditions and carry a map, tire chains, and snow shovel. High-clearance vehicles are recommended.
Access roads are steep and narrow; the last one mile to the cabin is gravel.
Everything else this campground posts · 9
If a low-elevation storm is predicted, be sure to park facing the vehicle downhill before reaching the snow zone. It is the responsibility of the cabin guest to arrange for towing if their vehicle gets stuck in snow.
No electricity or water is available at either facility; guests should be prepared to bring their own water.
The rental accommodates eight guests; an additional fee of $5 per person per night is charged for additional guests, up to a maximum of 12 people. This additional fee is payable directly to the Forest Service at the time of key pickup.
Access to cabin is by key; contact (707) 457-3131 during regular business hours (Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) to arrange pickup at the Smith River Visitor Center in Gasquet, CA.
The lookout and cabin are closed on October 1st each year to protect the building from damaging winds. Weather is unpredictable, and in some cases, when a strong storm is predicted to arrive before October 1st, the lookout may close early. The Pierson Cabin will still be available. Please call the Smith River NRA Visitor Center for the most current information.
All vehicles, including OHVs and snowmobiles, must remain on designated routes and obey all closure orders. A Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) is available from the Smith River National Recreation Area Visitor Center or at http://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/srnf/maps-pubs/?cid=STELPRDB5080418&width=full. Always check the MVUM before traveling on routes where use is not clearly marked.
Click here for more information on the Six Rivers National Forest
In general, cancellation policies apply even if you find yourself unable to reach your destination! Again, it is your responsibility to arrange for your travel and safety!
Don't Move Firewood: Please protect your National Forest by preventing the spread of invasive species. Firewood can carry insects and diseases that can threaten the health of your western forest. You can make a difference by obtaining and burning your firewood near your camping destination. Visit Dontmovefirewood.org.for further information.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 1 · 1 cabin
- Hookups
- None
- Accessible sites
- 1
- Pets
- Allowed
Facilities
- Toilets
- Vault Toilets
- “…books may be available for use. A vault toilet, picnic tables and a campfire ring are outside. No…”
- Drinking water
- None, bring your own
- “…electricity is available. Guests should bring plenty of water, food, bedding, flashlights and other basic camp…”
- Firewood
- Mentioned
Around the campground
- On the water
- Lake, River, Coast
- Biking
- Hiking
- Wildlife viewing
- Winter sports
Nothing on the booking system for the next 30 nightsread 16:45 UTC
Every site here is reservable, and the record lists none held back for anyone who drives up.
Every one of the next thirty nights is in recreation.gov’s record and not one site is being offered on any of them. That’s a campground closed or not yet released for booking, not a sold-out one.
Watch for a cancellation
Full? Watch it.
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
Tell me when the season opens
Watch for the season to open
One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 15
What you actually pay
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 5
recreation.gov availability, read 16:45 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Oct 1, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
1 sites · the site map
All 1 sites
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 1 of the 1 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
Measured shade is NLCD Tree Canopy Cover 2024 (USDA Forest Service / MRLC) read at the site’s own coordinate, 27% canopy or more, and only for the sites the agency gave no Shade value. It never changes the agency’s own shaded count beside it.
| AREA BEAR BASIN LOOKOUT AND CABIN | 5116 | cabin nonelectric | yes | 2,480 ft | $75 |
OpenStreetMap has no toilet mapped within 1 km of this campground, so no site here carries a toilet distance. That’s a gap in the map, not a finding about the campground.
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Panther Flat CampgroundSmith River National Recreation Area · 10 mi
Big Flat CampgroundSmith River National Recreation Area · 12 miWest Branch CampgroundKlamath National Forest · 16 miNorth Fork CampgroundSmith River National Recreation Area · 16 miDriving to Bear Basin Butte Lookout:
Take Highway 199 to milepost 24.85, ten miles east to Gasquet. Turn onto Little Jones Creek Road. Stay on the paved road (FS16/17N05 Jawbone Road) for 9.7 miles. Turn left on 16N02 and go .5 miles. Locked gate to lookout access road is on left.
Distance from Smith River NRA Visitor Center: 21.5 miles Driving time: approximately 1 hour
Directions from Smith River NRA Visitor Center, 10600 U.S. Highway 199, Gasquet, California 95543: Travel east on Hwy 199 10.6 miles (mile post 24.73) to Little Jones Creek Road (a.k.a. FS 16/17N05/Jawbone Rd). Follow signs to Bear Basin Lookout, staying on the paved road. About 5.8 miles up Jawbone you will have your first view of the lookout. At about 20.5 miles (10 miles on Jawbone), turn left onto 16N02 and continue to gate at 20.8, following sign to Bear Basin Lookout.
The weather
the next four days
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Gasquet, CA
The land, and who answers for it
what threatens it · who answers for it
Roadless country, and what’s coming for it
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
Bear Basin Lookout and Cabin is in California’s 2nd congressional district. Its representative, Jared Huffman (D), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: A+. See every public-lands vote →