Spruce Mountain Fire Lookout Tower // ADVENTR.co

Fire Lookouts Extravaganza | Tuesday – Thursday, August 30 – September 1, 2022

After hiking to the Shadow Mountain Fire Lookout in the morning, it was time for me to head further north through North Park and into the Medicine Bow Mountains of Wyoming so I could spend the next two nights at the Spruce Mountain Fire Lookout Tower while exploring the surrounding area. Over the past couple of years I’ve been trying to visit more Fire Lookouts and Towers in the Rocky Mountains and have already spent a night in the Jersey Jim and Mestaa’ėhehe Mountain Lookout, so it should come as no surprise that I have been trying to reserve a night at the Spruce Mountain Fire Lookout Tower, which sits atop the 10,003 foot summit of Spruce Mountain near Laramie, Wyoming and was renovated and opened to the public for overnight rentals in 1997. Of course, getting a reservation proved to be a bit challenging, but I finally managed to grab two nights (the minimum length of stay allowed) and then began planning this Fire Lookouts Extravaganza!

This is the first view you get of the Spruce Mountain Fire Lookout Tower as you drive up the access road to the summit.

There is a locked gate at the end of the road that you need a combination to get through.

From the parking area it is a short walk to the base of the Lookout Tower.

The Spruce Mountain Lookout Tower bathed in late afternoon light.

Looking up the tower.

There are a couple flights of stairs to reach the top.

The surrounding views get better the higher you climb…

Here’s a view from the catwalk towards the Centennial Valley.

A look at the interior of the Lookout Tower.

Of course, no Fire Lookout is complete without an Osborne Fire Finder in the middle.

Evening views over the surrounding treetops.

Watching an amazing sunset at the Spruce Mountain Fire Lookout Tower!

Spruce, 1949

If you wander around the tower a bit, you might come across the old outhouse. Don’t worry, there is a newer and nicer one located closer to the tower.

Looking to the south you can see Longs Peak (14,259) and Clark Peak (12,951) in Colorado on the horizon.

Cotton Candy Clouds

A view over the nearby Rob Roy Reservoir just after sunset.

Although I caught two nice sunsets while I was staying at the Spruce Mountain Fire Lookout Tower, I only watched one sunrise since I was up early and hiking to the summit of Medicine Bow Peak on the first morning. It was a beautiful sunrise and a great way to end my stay! The following photos were all taken on that last morning before I packed up the Jeep and headed back into Colorado.