The former Clara Peak Lookout sat on the top of Clara Peak at an elevation of 8,544 feet and had a commanding view in all directions. The lookout was built in 1951 and was a 14’ X 14’ cinder block cabin. It was regularly staffed through 1984 and then used during periods of high fire danger up to 1993. The cabin was demolished by the Forest Service during the winter of 1993-1994. What remains now is the concrete foundation of the lookout cabin. There are also ruins of a storage building, remnants of a snake fence installed to protect the children of the lookout staff from rattlesnakes, a cistern, and an outhouse. Although a primary USGS benchmark that was located on a corner of the foundation is gone, three secondary benchmarks are located around the foundation. Near the lookout foundation, you can also find the remnants of a large white circle made of painted rocks with the number “32” in the middle. This was an aircraft marker for the lookout. The circle and number can still be seen on the Google Maps satellite view.
To get to Clara Peak, take the 31 Mile Road west out of Espanola, NM about 12 miles to the beginning of the Clara Peak Lookout Road (see listed waypoint). The 31 Mile Road is a bumpy and rocky dirt road but most family sedans could drive it if taken slowly. The lookout road, however, will probably require an SUV or other higher clearance vehicle. If parking at the beginning of the lookout road, the hike to Clara Peak is about 3 miles one way. The lookout road has washouts and ruts that most SUVs should be able to handle. About ¼ mile from the peak, the road becomes very rocky and steep and it is suggested that you park there and hike unless you have a rugged vehicle with good clearance and 4WD. The terrain difficulty rating is because of the hike or rough drive on the lookout road.
The cache container is a small lock and lock and contains an unactivated personal geocoin as a FTF prize.
Most of the information regarding the Clara Peak lookout was obtained from the “Fire Lookout History of the Santa Fe National Forest” by Barbara Zinn, USFS Report No. R2017031000012. This publication came out in April of this year (2017) and is a great resource for lookout information in northern New Mexico and is available on the internet.
Congratulations to cyclegreen for the FTF! 