It’s time for a vacation.
I’ve been nursing a cold since New Year’s, my inbox is stressing me out, and all that dress talk last week made me sleepy. A work-free, Twitter-free, email-free vacation sounds excellent to me right now.
And I recently discovered a relaxing vacation option that also happens to be very frugal.
For under fifty bucks a night, you can rent a fire lookout tower from The U.S. Forest Service. The prices are cheap, and the views are stunning (I’ll show you). I came across this tip over on Reddit, where user garflnarb pointed out the Service offers towers and cabins that are as low as $20 a night. My inner cheapskate had to investigate.
I quickly found that the U.S. Forest Service website confirmed that they do indeed rent lookouts and cabins. But their site was a little confusing to navigate. The Forest Fire Lookout Association’s website was a bit more simplified. They write:
Fire Lookouts are available as rentals in many states and provide a unique getaway experience. If you don’t mind packing in your own gear and staying on top of the world, try renting a lookout!
FFLA lists lookouts and cabins by state. Find your state, click on a park, and it’ll take you directly to the park’s website where you can check out rates, photos and info. I found several completely stunning lookouts in my state with rentals as low as $35 a night. This was in off-season, but “off-season” was March-July, so that’s kind of perfect for a low-key summer vacation.
And check out this photo of the Hirz Mountain Fire Lookout in Lake Shasta, from Flickr user St. Blaize:
Gorgeous. Rates at this one are $75 a night. But you can have a maximum of four people in the lookout. Some lookouts offer a higher capacity, too. It seems like a great option for a group trip, and it’s even cheaper when you split that already low rate.
Keep in mind–most of these places don’t offer electricity. These are lookout towers stationed in the middle of rural forest areas, so it’s kind of like camping, only you have a roof over your head and beds to sleep in. And toilets. And running water. And, usually, a propane heater. What I’m getting at is, it’s totally worth the price.
For more detail you can check out the USDA Forest Service website or FireLookout.org, which makes it a little easier to find these places. I’m actually planning to book one of these, and when I do, I’ll definitely check back in about my experience. Have you guys ever stayed in a lookout tower? Would you try it?
Photos: Alexandra M and St. Blaize.
Managing your money is like going to the dentist or standing in line at the DMV. Nobody wants to do it, but at some point, it’s inevitable: you need to clean your teeth, renew your license, and manage your money like a grown-up.
I think this is cool and something my husband would want to try. I would love to try it, but we must all remember, you have to climb the tower to stay in it.
Haha yep! Most of them probably come with a hike.
@Kristin – Were you able to try it yourself? I was looking at the site and it looks like most of them (at least in California) don’t include water (like Hirz Mountain)? They list that you have to bring your own water for cooking, bathing, etc. I’m guessing that means no toilets either? That’s kind of a bummer..
Not yet, but I’m hoping to try it sometime this summer! Thanks for pointing out the water–I’ll update the post. Most of them have vault toilets. But yeah, as mentioned, it’s sort of like camping, with a few more amenities and comforts. 🙂