The Calpine Lookout’s observation cab offers a cozy overnight getaway for outdoorsy visitors to California. (Erin Williams/For The Washington Post) ...

Fire lookout towers found in numerous national forests have been converted into campsites-in-the-sky.

The Calpine lookout was constructed in 1934 as a three-story structure with external stairs at an elevation of 5,980 feet, about 40 miles from Truckee.

Calpine, another lookout I visited in the million-acre Tahoe National Forest, near the hamlet of Sierraville, is on the rental list, though it remains un-staffed, except in emergencies.

Calpine Hill: Built in 1934 at an elevation of nearly 6,000 feet, Calpine was used as a lookout until 1975. The Forest Service rents the lookout year-round for $45 per night through Recreation.gov.

Abandoned fire lookout stations are being repurposed as backcountry cabins, offering affordable rustic overnight retreats with stellar views ...

FIRE AT THE GEYSERS How it started: The fire began Sept. 3, 2004, when a high-voltage connection failed, spraying molten metal onto dry grass, according to a state report. Damage: Driven by high ...

One of California's three remaining windmill-style lookouts, which were built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, Calpine sits at nearly 6,000 feet, 40 miles outside of Truckee. You ...

The Calpine Lookout has been available for rent since its restoration in 2005. Nine years later, the inside is rustic, but still very comfortable. The outside, however, is ready for another overhaul.

According to the Forest Service, Calpine is one of three surviving windmill-style lookouts in California. The lookout was actively staffed until 1975 and is occasionally used as a fire lookout ...