Henness Ridge Fire Lookout
Encyclopedia
The Henness Ridge Fire Lookout in Yosemite National Park
was built in 1939 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) which was a public work relief program for unemployed men age 18-24. The CCC provided unskilled manual labor related to the conservation and development of natural resources in rural areas of the United States.
One of two examples of the National Park Service Rustic
style built in Yosemite, the Henness Ridge Fire Lookout is a three-story structure. On the lowest level, this version has a garage with room for one vehicle. The mid level is an office/bunk area with a 360 view of Yosemite and the surrounding Sierra National Forest. Atop this level is an upper observation area, with an overhanging roof. It is smaller the underlying office level to provide a walkway around the periphery.
This lookout was the second built in Yosemite, with the prototype built in Crane Flat and was still in use in the 1980s. It was designed in the National Park Service Rustic
style, and is one of only four similar structures in California, with the Crane Flat Fire lookout being the only other in Yosemite. These lookouts were specifically designed to blend with their surroundings, in contrast to the metal towers used by the U.S. Forest Service.
“The 1979 case study recommended certain properties for further evaluation under the National Register criteria. Those included … the Henness Ridge structure is also significant in conservation. It is historic structure number 5300”
At 6300 feet elevation, the site contains montane hardwood forest dominated by black oaks with a Greenleaf manzanita layer. Mixed conifer and hardwood species form the multiple forest layers seen here. Also, white and red fir is present.
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...
was built in 1939 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) which was a public work relief program for unemployed men age 18-24. The CCC provided unskilled manual labor related to the conservation and development of natural resources in rural areas of the United States.
One of two examples of the National Park Service Rustic
National Park Service Rustic
National Park Service rustic, also colloquially known as Parkitecture, is a style of architecture that arose in the United States National Park System to create buildings that harmonized with their natural environment. Since its founding, the National Park Service consistently has sought to provide...
style built in Yosemite, the Henness Ridge Fire Lookout is a three-story structure. On the lowest level, this version has a garage with room for one vehicle. The mid level is an office/bunk area with a 360 view of Yosemite and the surrounding Sierra National Forest. Atop this level is an upper observation area, with an overhanging roof. It is smaller the underlying office level to provide a walkway around the periphery.
This lookout was the second built in Yosemite, with the prototype built in Crane Flat and was still in use in the 1980s. It was designed in the National Park Service Rustic
National Park Service Rustic
National Park Service rustic, also colloquially known as Parkitecture, is a style of architecture that arose in the United States National Park System to create buildings that harmonized with their natural environment. Since its founding, the National Park Service consistently has sought to provide...
style, and is one of only four similar structures in California, with the Crane Flat Fire lookout being the only other in Yosemite. These lookouts were specifically designed to blend with their surroundings, in contrast to the metal towers used by the U.S. Forest Service.
“The 1979 case study recommended certain properties for further evaluation under the National Register criteria. Those included … the Henness Ridge structure is also significant in conservation. It is historic structure number 5300”
Hiking trails in the Yosemite West Area
The hiking trail to the Henness Ridge Fire Lookout begins at an unmarked trailhead at the end of Azalea Lane in Yosemite West. Using the asphalt access road to the right, hike past the water towers and continue 0.7 miles to the Henness Ridge fire lookout tower. Of the four that were built, this historic site is one of only two remaining rustic-style lookouts in the state. Built in 1939 by CCC, it was used by US Park Service for fire detection during the 1960s and 1970s,At 6300 feet elevation, the site contains montane hardwood forest dominated by black oaks with a Greenleaf manzanita layer. Mixed conifer and hardwood species form the multiple forest layers seen here. Also, white and red fir is present.
See also
- Yosemite West, California
- Yosemite National ParkYosemite National ParkYosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...
- Yosemite ValleyYosemite ValleyYosemite Valley is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of California, carved out by the Merced River. The valley is about long and up to a mile deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Half Dome and El Capitan, and densely forested with pines...
- Badger Pass Ski AreaBadger Pass Ski AreaBadger Pass Ski Area is a small ski area located within Yosemite National Park. Badger Pass is one of only three lift serviced ski areas operating in a US National Park...
- Mariposa County
- History of the Yosemite areaHistory of the Yosemite areaFor over 3,000 years Sierra Miwok, Mono, Paiute, and other Native American groups have lived in the central Sierra Nevada region of California. When European Americans first visited the area that would later become Yosemite National Park, a band of Miwok-speaking Native Americans called the...
- Chinquapin, CaliforniaChinquapin, CaliforniaChinquapin is a former settlement in Mariposa County, California. It was located north-northwest of Wawona. Also, it is adjacent to the community of Yosemite West-History:...