There are a bunch of fire-watch towers on the top of mountains scattered all over British Columbia. On a trip near Kaslo, we noticed the nearby Mt. Buchanan had such a station with access via 4×4 road. We often attempt such roads in our Honda Fit and sometimes it works and sometimes we have to turn back.

First try failure. Still a nice view though.

The road up the mountain should have been straight forward but somehow we missed a turn and even though the road looked like it was going in the correct direction, it wasn’t. And the road was turning into a goat trail. After bottoming out a few times, we got out and started to hike on a trail that looked like it went to the top of the mountain. Complete failure.

Mt. Buchanan Firewatch Tower

We abandoned this first effort and eventually found where we went wrong. The real road to the top was quite manageable in a car albeit a bit sketchy near the end. Every one of these towers are a bit different. Some you can go inside, some are still in use for some reason or another and some are completely abandoned and decrepit. Buchanan is nicely restored with a museumy feel.

Our 4×4

One thing is for sure. Visiting any one of these towers on a nice day is worth it just for the view. They don’t build them on the peaks without views!

The view!