"Nebula" Photo by Barbara McCabe, 2023 Artist in the Lookout ©2023

 The Black Mountain Lookout
The refurbished Black Mountain Lookout located at 7,161’ in elevation on the eastern edge of the Plumas National Forest. The seventy-five year old Black Mountain Lookout comes with a commanding view to the east of Nevada’s Basin and Range folds, to the north stands the higher, still active Thompson Peak Lookout. At the bottom of the Sierra Nevada’s eastside escarpment sits the sometimes colorful, however, often dry Honey Lake.
 
Out of service for over thirty years, this building was built in the late 1930s/early 1940s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. It served as a home and office for rangers who worked on the historic Milford Ranger District, now known as the Beckwourth Ranger District.
 
It has recently been retrofitted by a group of very dedicated volunteers with electricity, a heater, stove, refrigerator and updated lighting rod to ground technology.
 
This new accommodation is a natural for cycling and hiking “Peak Baggers”, photographers (incredible sunrise and sunset shots), stargazers, adventurous families, solitude seekers and others who want a quiet night in the mountains but prefer not to sleep on the ground.
 
Easy access begins near the small settlement of Milford on State Highway 395, twenty-three miles south of Susanville. Roads to lookout locations are often gravel or dirt so, if you are driving, bring your most capable vehicle.

Click here for more information, directions, and reservations.

2025 ARTIST IN RESIDENCE, BLACK MOUNTAIN LOOKOUT
 
The Artist in Residence program provides a unique opportunity for one artist to spend three nights at the Black Mountain Lookout to draw upon the breathtaking landscapes of the Plumas National Forest for inspiration. In return, the program asks that the artist donate an original piece of framed artwork and/or body of work from this experience and work with Plumas Arts to make a public presentation of the work in November 2025.
 
The Artist-In-Residence seeks to use art and artists to explore the many ways in which people relate to the Plumas National Forest. The program goals include:

1. Capture the beauty and spirit of the Plumas National Forest (PNF) through the creation of high-quality art;
2. Provide learning opportunities through the arts and visitors to the PNF;
3. Help citizen understand the connections between public lands, use of natural resources and our emotional ties to beauty, nature and self expression, thus serving as a link between the utilitarian and aesthetic values of the forest; and
4. Celebrate the power of the arts—and artists—to explore and interpret the forest environment and the forest related issues.

 
Artist selection is based on an evaluation system that includes: how the artwork will support the forest’s interpretive themes, resume of professional art work, application packet and electronic file of artist work or website link.

Submit to ​g[email protected]
or mail to:
Plumas Arts
PO Box 600
​Quincy, CA 95971

Printable Application Here

2025_lookout_application-r.pages
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Fillable Application

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