Dark Canyon Lookout Observation Site

Dark Canyon’s second steel lookout was surplused from the U.S. Army and erected on the site in 1949. The original tower height was 90 feet tall, but only the last 48 feet were ultimately used. Next to the lookout are an Observer’s cabin and shed; both are wood frame constructions that were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the late 1930s. Dark Canyon Lookout was not eligible for the National Register when the 1989 nomination of lookouts in the Southwestern Region was made. Dark Canyon became eligible in 1999 and will soon be nominated.