Buck Rock Lookout to get needed face lift

SEQUOIA NATIONAL FOREST The historic Buck Rock Lookout will undergo a major renovation this summer, the Sequoia National Forest announced.

Originally constructed in 1923, the lookout has not seen any significant enhancements since the 1970s. Located in the Giant Sequoia National Monument, Buck Rock is staffed annually for wildfire detection and is open to the public during the fire season.

Renovation of Buck Rock will include the rehabilitation of the interior and exterior siding, installation of new cabinets, refurbishing the window frames and trim, weather-proofing the cab, replacing the catwalk fencing, upgrading the electrical system, and replacing a section of the 1942-era stairway.

Wherever possible, the original materials used in the construction of Buck Rock will be refurbished and utilized in the renovation; otherwise, in-kind period appropriate materials will be used to reflect the 1920s era.

Located in the Big Meadows area in the cooler elevation of 8,500 feet, Buck Rock Lookout is a popular destination for people from all over the world. Perched 300 feet above the ground on a granite dome, visitors have grand views of the High Sierra featuring the Great Western Divide, Kings Canyon and surrounding beauty. Eagles, falcons and other birds of prey are often spotted soaring the skies around the lookout. After many years of being shuttered, Buck Rock reopened in 2000.

According to the Buck Rock Foundation website, access to the top is via a series of stair flights (consisting of 172 steps) suspended from the side of the rock.

The current lookout building was constructed in 1923 and is historically significant as a representation of the earliest 4-A style live-in cabs of which there are only three in existence in the world today.

Prior to the current building, an open platform was situated on the top of the rock, which a patrol unit would climb onto to scan for smokes using only binoculars, a compass, and a map. Spotting a smoke, he would quickly descend, hop on his horse and chase down the fire. In 1914, a telephone was installed and a phone line between Pinehurst and Buck Rock was carried by mules and restrung at the beginning of each season.

Originally, only long slim tree trunks with boards nailed across for steps led to the top. A series of ladders for climbing to the lookout came next, and finally in 1942, a stairway built by Frank Fowler and crew was added to ease the climb. By the 1980s, electricity replaced gas and wood as a source of energy, and today the lookout enjoys many of the modern conveniences of most homes.

Legend has it that if you look at the rock from a certain angle, you can see the profile of an Indian warrior, thus the name Buck Rock. Native Americans referred to the rock as Finger Rock.

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Buck Rock Lookout to get needed face lift