Black Mountain Lookout closed for repairs

SHERIDAN (WNE) — A popular hiking destination for many years in the Bighorn National Forest, the Black Mountain Lookout will be closed for the foreseeable future.

Constructed in 1939, the lookout was part of an early fire detection program until 1980. Other fire detection methods, like flights, made staffing remote lookout towers unnecessary, according to the Bighorn National Forest’s website. 

The Bighorn National Forest announced the current closure of the lookout building with a special order published June 23, though it has been closed since 2024 “due to public safety concerns,” Bighorn National Forest Public Affairs Specialist Sara Evans Kirol wrote in an email to The Sheridan Press.

The special order states the closure is in place “to protect public safety until building repairs are complete.” The order is in effect through Dec. 31, 2028, or until it is rescinded.

HistoriCorps is once again evaluating the Black Mountain Lookout, as well as several other historic structures in the forest; its evaluation began July 23.

“Once their evaluation is complete, we’ll have a clearer scope of repairs and associated costs,” Evans Kirol wrote in an email to The Sheridan Press.

While the building itself remains closed, recreators still use the Black Mountain trail leading to the lookout.

“Hikers can still reach the lookout and enjoy stunning 360-degree views from the surrounding area,” Evans Kirol wrote in an email to The Sheridan Press. “For safety we ask that visitors respect barriers and refrain from walking on the catwalk or entering the structure.”

This story was published on July 28, 2025.