(mm 2203.4) 0.7 miles due west of you, and 750 higher than you, is the Red Mountain Lookout sitting at 4,965′.
This is the first of five lookouts on the PCT. They are: Red Mountain, Mt Adams (ruins), Miners Ridge (staffed), Mebee Pass (standby), and Slate Peak (staffed). There is a sixth in Canada.
Built in 1959, the current lookout at Red Mountain is the fourth lookout to have been built on the summit. In 1910, the Forest Supervisor H.O. Stabler stated that Red Mountain was “unquestionably the best lookout point” within the Columbia National Forest, later the Gifford Pinchot. The lookout has views of Rainier, Adams, St. Helens, and Hood.
The first lookout structure, an 8’x8′ cedar cab, was built on the summit in 1913. Around 1919 the crude cab was replaced by a cupola, then in 1935 with the current structure.
A garage was added in 1938 and converted to living quarters in 1942 when the lookout was staffed 24 hours a day in World War II as an Aircraft Warning Station.
A violent windstorm December 14th, 2006, severely damaged the lookout, blowing the roof and walls apart as well as the radio communication facilities for the Skamania County Sheriff’s Department.
During the summer of 2007, Matt Haldeman initiated a volunteer effort to restore the lookout, obtaining donations of materials to rebuild the structure. 'Passport in Time' volunteers donated labor and expertise for reconstruction efforts in 2007 and 2008. Windows were salvaged from a fire lookout in Oregon and Forest Service employees continued the restoration work, finally completing interior walls and flooring in 2010. In 2010, Mount Adams District Ranger Nancy Ryke said the forest was exploring opportunities for the public to enjoy the lookout, possibly converting it to a rental.
Source: TrailChick.com