Spruce Mtn Fire Lookout Tower
- 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
Perched atop a forested mountain, Spruce Mountain Fire Lookout Tower offers visitors a unique lodging experience in Medicine Bow National Forest in southcentral Wyoming. The original fire lookout was constructed during the summer of 1938 by workers employed through the New Deal's Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). After thirty years of use, it was replaced with a taller, more structurally sound tower. The new 55-foot tall tower was used as a fire lookout until the 1990s when it was renovated and opened to the public for overnight rental in 1997. The lookout is typically open from June through September. Keep reading
Guests can drive directly to the lookout most of the season. Several amenities are provided, but guests should be prepared to pack in some of their own supplies and gear for a comfortable stay. Please be aware during the month of June snow drifts may prevent you from driving directly to the tower and you may need to pack items in from a longer distance. For more information on conditions please call the Laramie Ranger District Office prior to arivial at 307-745-2300 Recreation The area around the lookout offers opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding and hunting. The lookout is also ideal for guests who simply want to relax and enjoy picnics, campfires and stargazing at night. Rob Roy Reservoir is a six mile drive from the lookout, offering opportunities for fishing, boating and water skiing. Gold panning is a popular activity in Douglas Creek, which is connected to the reservoir.
Facilities
The lookout cabin is furnished with two single beds with mattresses and can accommodate up to two guests. Inside amenities include a table with chairs, cookware, dishes, utensils, cleaning supplies, a propane heater, propane cook stove and oven, and propane lights. An outhouse with pit toilet is provided, and a campfire ring is located at the base of the lookout. Firewood can be gathered from the surrounding area. Additional camping is allowed on-site, though the area is rocky. A hoist (pulley and rope) is available to transport gear to the tower cabin. There is no water or electricity available at the site. Guests must bring enough water for drinking, cooking, and washing. Other items to bring include sleeping bags, flashlights or lanterns, towels, dish soap, matches, toilet paper, a first aid kit and garbage bags. All food and trash must be packed out, and guests are expected to clean the cabin before leaving.
Natural Features
The lookout offers panoramic views that include Medicine Bow Peak, Rob Roy Reservoir, Jelm Mountain and the southern end of the Snowy Range. Snowdrifts melt in June, welcoming the arrival of wildflowers that splash color on the rocky, timbered hillsides. Wildlife species such as elk, deer, black bears, cougars, squirrels, foxes and bats are supported by the area's diverse forest habitats. At an elevation of 10,003 feet, guests should be prepared for high altitude conditions. Summertime temperatures average 70 degrees fahrenheit, but can drop as low as 30 degrees at night or during thunderstorms.
Charges & Cancellations
Refunds for cancellations may be processed on a case-by-case basis. There are no refunds for reservation processing fees. Please be aware of changes in weather and road conditions prior to arrival and plan accordingly.
What the agency tells you
Check-in time is after 2:00 p.m. on the first day of the reservation. Check-out time is 1:00 p.m. on the last day of the reservation.
Water and electricity are not available at this facility. A manual for operating the lights, stove, and heater is available in the lookout tower
Please call the Laramie Ranger District office at (307) 745-2300 prior to your stay to check on any restrictions or conditions, such as fire or road closures, weather or storms that may affect the quality of your visit. Please be aware that the weather does vary, so check local weather and road conditions prior to arrival as they are susceptible to frequent changes. The Forest Service office is not open evenings, weekends, or holidays.
Everything else this campground posts · 9
Maximum of 2 persons, including at least one adult over 21 allowed in tower. Guests visit the tower at their own risk; safety rules must be followed
Additional camping is allowed on the site, with a total of 10 occupants at the site
The cabin is a no-smoking facility
No alcohol, smoking, drugs, fireworks, or firearms in or around the tower
Please clean cabin upon departure
Saddle and pack stock must be kept at least 500 feet from the base of the tower; hay brought must be certified weed-free
Facility available by reservation only; no first come-first served stays available
Don't Move Firewood: Prevent the spread of tree-killing organisms by obtaining firewood at or near your destination and burning it on-site. For more information visit dontmovefirewood.org.
Please print off your reservation and display it on your vehicles dash. Reservation receipt will double as a voucher for day use sites in the Medicine Bow National Forest for the reserved days.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 1 · 1 cabin
- Hookups
- None
- Longest rig
- 60 ft
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Pit Toilets
- “…and propane lights. An outhouse with pit toilet is provided, and a campfire ring is located at the…”
- Firewood
- Mentioned
Around the campground
- On the water
- Reservoir, Creek
- Biking
- Boating
- Fire Lookouts/Cabins Overnight
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Horseback riding
- Hunting
- Mountain biking
- Off Highway Vehicle Trails
- Off Road Vehicle Trails
- Water sports
- Wilderness access
- Wildlife viewing
- Night sky · 135th darkest of 248 in WY
- Bortle 2
No reading yet, book on recreation.gov
Every site here is reservable, and the record lists none held back for anyone who drives up.
No availability snapshot inside the last 36 hours, so this page draws nothing rather than ageing a reading into fiction.
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Every line of the receipt · 9
What you actually pay
“Refunds for cancellations may be processed on a case-by-case basis. There are no refunds for reservation processing fees. Please be aware of changes in weather and road conditions prior to arrival and plan accordingly.” · this campground’s own terms
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
rules read Sep 9, 2026 · record Aug 23, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
1 sites · the site map
All 1 sites
| SPRUCE | 001 | cabin nonelectric | 60 ft | 2,549 ft |
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Rob Roy CampgroundMedicine Bow National Forest · 2.1 mi
Keystone Ranger StationMedicine Bow National Forest · 2.9 miLake Owen CampgroundMedicine Bow National Forest · 7.2 miLibby Creek Aspen CampgroundMedicine Bow National Forest · 8.5 miMiller Lake Dispersed CampgroundMedicine Bow National Forest · 9.7 miPelton Creek CampgroundMedicine Bow National Forest · 10 miFrom Laramie, Wyoming, take Highway 130 west toward Centennial, Wyoming. Turn south on Highway 11 to Albany, Wyoming. From Albany, you will take Forest Service Road 500 for 5.5 miles then turn north on to FSR 500.A. The Spruce Mountain Fire Lookout will be at the end of that road. Moderate to High clearance vehicles are recommended for accessing the Tower. The road (Forest Service Road 500) to this lookout may have logging operations during daylight hours during your stay. Please read and respect the signs posted at the entrance road for further instructions upon entering this site. If you have questions, call the Medicine Bow National Forest, Laramie District Office during the week at (307) 745-2300.
The weather
the next four days
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Albany, WY
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
Spruce Mtn Fire Lookout Tower is in Wyoming’s at-large congressional district. Its representative, Harriet Hageman (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →