Chews Ridge Lookout

Chews Ridge Lookout stands on Chews Peak in the Santa Lucia Range of Los Padres National Forest, where fire watching has been documented since at least 1919. The present steel-frame tower, built in 1929 and later updated with a replacement cab in 1984, reflects the austere conditions of backcountry fire detection, lacking most modern utilities and relying on a battery-powered U.S. Forest Service radio. Named for homesteaders Constantine and Nellie Chew, the site is tied to local settlement as well as a long fire history, including the 1903 blaze, the 1977 Marble Cone Fire, and the 2017 Soberanes fire. Since 2019, restoration has supported seasonal volunteer staffing.

Gonzales, California · United States