Crane Mountain is in the Warner Mountain range and is the tallest peak in Lake County, Oregon, U.S. It is located southeast of Lakeview in south-central Oregon, near the northwest corner of the

Basin and Range Province The Basin and Range Province is a vast physiographic region covering much of the inland Western United States and northwestern Mexico. It is defined by unique basin and range topography, characterized by abrupt changes in elevation, alternating ...

of the western United States. The mountain is in the Fremont section of the

Fremont–Winema National Forest The Fremont–Winema National Forest is a United States National Forest formed from the 2002 merger of the Fremont and Winema National Forests. They cover territory in southern Oregon from the crest of the Cascade Range on the west past the cit ...

. There was a

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...

fire lookout located near the summit which was removed in 1972. The Crane Mountain National Recreation Trail runs north and south along the crest of the mountain.

Geography and geology

Crane Mountain is a peak near the northern end of the Warner Mountains in south-central Oregon. It is in the northwest corner of the basin and range country of the western United States. The mountain is located in the Fremont–Winema National Forest, approximately southeast of Lakeview. The summit of Crane Mountain is at . The summit, which has a

topographic prominence In topography, prominence (also referred to as autonomous height, relative height, and shoulder drop in US English, and drop or relative height in British English) measures the height of a mountain or hill's summit relative to the lowest contou ...

of , is the highest point in Lake County, Oregon."California-Oregon border backcountry mule deer of the Warner Mountains"
(pdf), "Backcountry Borderlands Safeguarding Sportsmen's Interests Across State Lines", Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Washington, District of Columbia, accessed June 6, 2015."Crane Mountain"
''SummitPost'', ''www.summitpost.org'', accessed June 5, 2015.Oregon topographic map
United States Geological Survey, United States Department of Interior, Reston, Virginia; displayed via ACME mapper, ''www.acme.com'', June 4, 2015. Crane Mountain is a fault-block geologic structure typical of southeast Oregon's basin and range country. The primary rock that makes up the mountain is

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

. The mountain has a west-facing fault scarp with a steep cliff face overlooking the

Goose Lake Valley The Goose Lake Valley is located in south-central Oregon and northeastern California in the United States. It is a high valley at the northwestern corner of North America's Great Basin. Much of the valley floor is covered by Goose Lake, a lar ...

. The mountain's fault-block displacement tilts layers of basalt upward to expose the underlying John Day

rhyolite Rhyolite ( ) is the most silica-rich of volcanic rocks. It is generally glassy or fine-grained (aphanitic) in texture, but may be porphyritic, containing larger mineral crystals (phenocrysts) in an otherwise fine-grained groundmass. The mineral ...

tuff Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock cont ...

formation on the western flank of the mountain.

Agate Agate () is a common rock formation, consisting of chalcedony and quartz as its primary components, with a wide variety of colors. Agates are primarily formed within volcanic and metamorphic rocks. The ornamental use of agate was common in Ancie ...

s and thunder eggs are found in the rhyolite layers. Small amounts of

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

bearing

quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical form ...

are also found on the southern slope of the mountain. This is very unusual for an area dominated by basalt. The soils around the mountain are typical of the area. They are derived primarily from broken-down basalt and

aceous materials.Anderson, E. William, Michael M. Borman, and William C. Krueger
"Klamath Ecological Province"
, ''The Ecological Provinces of Oregon'', Department of Rangeland Resources and Management, Oregon State University, 1997. Crane Mountain is near the northern end of the Warner Mountains. The pine and fir forests of the Warner range extend north and south from Crane Mountain."Table Two – Bird Habitat Conservation Areas by Ecoregion"
(pdf), "Coordinated Implementation Plan for Bird Conservation in Eastern Oregon", Oregon Working Group, Eastern Oregon Habitat Joint Venture, West Linn, Oregon, 2005, p. 24. To the west of the mountain is the Goose Lake Valley and to the east is the

Warner Valley The Warner Valley is a valley in south-central Oregon in the United States. It is a remote valley at the northwestern corner of North America's Basin and Range Province. The valley is home to a chain of lakes and wetlands known as the Warner ...

; both are developed

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...

areas. The mountain is drained by five permanent creeks. Crane Creek drains the northern slopes of the mountain. The western flank of the mountain is drained by Cogswell Creek and the southwest slope by Kelley Creek. All three of these creeks flow into Goose Lake. The northeast slope is drained by Willow Creek while the east and southeast slopes are drained by Deep Creek. Both of these creeks flow into the Warner Valley, supplying the

Warner Lakes The Warner Lakes are a chain of shallow lakes and marshes in the Warner Valley of eastern Lake County, Oregon, United States. The lakes extend the length of the valley, covering approximately . The lakes are named in honor of Captain William H ...

system with water.McArthur, Lewis A. and Lewis L. McArthur, "Crane Creek", ''Oregon Geographic Names'' (Seventh Edition), Oregon Historical Society Press: Portland, Oregon, 2003, p. 245.McArthur, Lewis A. and Lewis L. McArthur, "Cogswell Creek", ''Oregon Geographic Names'' (Seventh Edition), Oregon Historical Society Press: Portland, Oregon, 2003, p. 216.

Climate

During the summer, most days are sunny in the high-desert country around Crane Mountain. Daytime temperatures on the mountain are generally mild, but nights can be quite cool. Crane Mountain is very cold in winter, with snows beginning in November. The mountain's snowpack usually lasts through May. Annual precipitation averages , mostly from snowfall. This is the highest average precipitation in the Klamath Ecological Province, which includes western Lake County and southern Klamath County in south-central Oregon extending south into Siskiyou and

Modoc Modoc may refer to: Ethnic groups *Modoc people, a Native American/First Nations people ** Modoc language **Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma, a federally recognized tribe of Modoc *Modoc War, the last armed resistance of the Modoc people in 1873 *The "Mo ...

counties in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Environment and ecology

The lower and middle slopes of Crane Mountain are covered by a mixed forest. The lower elevations are dominated with

ponderosa pine ''Pinus ponderosa'', commonly known as the ponderosa pine, bull pine, blackjack pine, western yellow-pine, or filipinus pine is a very large pine tree species of variable habitat native to mountainous regions of western North America. It is the ...

and some

western juniper ''Juniperus occidentalis'', known as the western juniper, is a shrub or tree native to the Western United States, growing in mountains at altitudes of and rarely down to . It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List because it is a widesp ...

. At middle elevations, the forest is primarily ponderosa pine and

western white pine Western white pine (''Pinus monticola''), also called silver pine and California mountain pine, is a species of pine in the family Pinaceae. It occurs in mountain ranges of northwestern North America. It is the state tree of Idaho. Description ...

with

Mountain mahogany ''Cercocarpus'', commonly known as mountain mahogany, is a small genus of at least nine species of nitrogen-fixing flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae. They are native to the western United States and northern Mexico, where they grow i ...

on the drier slopes.

whitebark pine ''Pinus albicaulis'', known by the common names whitebark pine, white bark pine, white pine, pitch pine, scrub pine, and creeping pine, is a conifer tree native to the mountains of the western United States and Canada, specifically subalpine ...

and

subalpine fir ''Abies lasiocarpa'', the subalpine fir or Rocky Mountain fir, is a western North American fir tree. Description ''Abies lasiocarpa'' is a medium-sized evergreen conifer with a very narrow conic crown, growing to tall, exceptionally , with a ...

are dominant at the higher elevations. The understory in most areas is dominated by

low sagebrush ''Artemisia arbuscula'' is a North American species of sagebrush (plant), sagebrush known by the common names little sagebrush, low sagebrush, or black sagebrush. It is native to the western United States from Washington (U.S. state), Washington, ...

. The mountain meadows have

quaking aspen ''Populus tremuloides'' is a deciduous tree native to cooler areas of North America, one of several species referred to by the common name aspen. It is commonly called quaking aspen, trembling aspen, American aspen, mountain or golden aspen, tr ...

with wild flowers in the late spring and early summer. Among the most common wild flowers are Indian paintbrush, yellow balsamroots,

phacelia ''Phacelia'' (phacelia, scorpionweed, heliotrope) is a genus of about 200 species of annual or perennial herbaceous plants in the borage family, native to North and South America. California is particularly rich in species with over 90 recorded ...

Penstemon ''Penstemon'' , the beardtongues, is a large genus of roughly 250 species of flowering plants native mostly to the Nearctic, but with a few species also found in the North American portion of the Neotropics. It is the largest genus of flowering ...

Clarkia ''Clarkia'' is a genus within the flowering plant family Onagraceae. Over 40 species are currently classified in ''Clarkia''; almost all are native to western North America, though one species (''Clarkia tenella'') is native to South America. ...

common yarrow ''Achillea millefolium'', commonly known as yarrow () or common yarrow, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. Other common names include old man's pepper, devil's nettle, sanguinary, milfoil, soldier's woundwort, and thousand seal. The ...

, and spreading phlox. Crane Mountain and the surrounding area host a wide variety of wildlife. Larger mammals found in the area include

mule deer The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer. Unlike the related whit ...

Rocky Mountain elk The Rocky Mountain elk (''Cervus canadensis nelsoni'') is a subspecies of elk found in the Rocky Mountains and adjacent ranges of Western North America. Habitat The winter ranges are most common in open forests and floodplain marshes in the lo ...

coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecologica ...

bobcat The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the red lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to North America. It ranges from southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to Oaxaca in Mexico. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUC ...

s, and

cougar The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large Felidae, cat native to the Americas. Its Species distribution, range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mamm ...

s. Smaller mammals include

American badger The American badger (''Taxidea taxus'') is a North American badger similar in appearance to the European badger, although not closely related. It is found in the western, central, and northeastern United States, northern Mexico, and south-centr ...

porcupine Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two families of animals: the Old World porcupines of family Hystricidae, and the New World porcupines of family, Erethizont ...

striped skunk The striped skunk (''Mephitis mephitis'') is a skunk of the genus '' Mephitis'' that occurs across much of North America, including southern Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico. It is currently listed as least concern by the IUCN on ac ...

black-tailed jackrabbit The black-tailed jackrabbit (''Lepus californicus''), also known as the American desert hare, is a common hare of the western United States and Mexico, where it is found at elevations from sea level up to . Reaching a length around , and a ...

white-tailed jackrabbit The white-tailed jackrabbit (''Lepus townsendii''), also known as the prairie hare and the white jack, is a species of hare found in western North America. Like all hares and rabbits, it is a member of the family Leporidae of order Lagomorpha ...

pygmy rabbit The pygmy rabbit (''Brachylagus idahoensis'') is a rabbit species native to the United States. It is also the only native rabbit species in North America to dig its own burrow. The pygmy rabbit differs significantly from species within either the ...

golden-mantled ground squirrel The golden-mantled ground squirrel (''Callospermophilus lateralis'') is a ground squirrel native to western North America. It is distributed in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia and Alberta, and through much of the western United States. ...

s, and

least chipmunk The least chipmunk (''Neotamias minimus'') is the smallest species of chipmunk and the most widespread in North America. Description It is the smallest species of chipmunk, measuring about in total length with a weight of . The body is gray to ...

s. "Wildlife list for Crane Creek"
''Oregon Wildlife Explorer'', National Resources Digital Library, Oregon State University Libraries, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, accessed December 10, 2014. Forest birds common to the Crane Mountain area include

pygmy nuthatch The pygmy nuthatch (''Sitta pygmaea'') is a tiny songbird, about long and about 10 grams in weight. Description Measurements: * Length: * Weight: * Wingspan: It ranges from southern British Columbia south through various discontinuo ...

juniper titmouse The juniper titmouse (''Baeolophus ridgwayi'') is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. The American Ornithologists' Union split the plain titmouse into the oak titmouse and the juniper titmouse in 1996, due to distinct differences in song ...

mountain chickadee The mountain chickadee (''Poecile gambeli'') is a small songbird, a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. Taxonomy The specific name honors naturalist William Gambel. The mountain chickadee was formerly placed in the genus ''Parus'' with ...

blue-gray gnatcatcher The blue-gray gnatcatcher or blue-grey gnatcatcher (''Polioptila caerulea'') is a very small songbird native to North America. Description It is in length, 6.3 in (16 cm) in wingspan, and weighing only . Adult males are blue-gray on the upperp ...

Cassin's vireo Cassin's vireo (''Vireo cassinii'') is a small North American songbird, ranging from southern British Columbia in Canada through the western coastal states of the United States. This bird migrates, spending the winter from southern Arizona (th ...

plumbeous vireo The plumbeous vireo (''Vireo plumbeus'') is a small North American songbird, ranging from far southeastern Montana and western South Dakota south to the Pacific coast of Mexico, including the extreme southern regions of Baja California Sur. It is ...

American dusky flycatcher The American dusky flycatcher (''Empidonax oberholseri''), or simply dusky flycatcher, is a small insectivorous passerine of the tyrant flycatcher family. The dusky flycatcher is one of many species in the genus ''Empidonax''. These species are ...

Hammond's flycatcher Hammond's flycatcher (''Empidonax hammondii'') is a flycatcher in the family Tyrannidae. This small insectivorous bird inhabits the coniferous and mixed forests of western North America. The name of this bird commemorates William Alexander Hammon ...

olive-sided flycatcher The olive-sided flycatcher (''Contopus cooperi'') is a small to medium sized passerine bird in the family Tyrannidae, the Tyrant flycatcher family. It is a migratory species that travels from South to North America to breed during the summer. It ...

Vaux's swift Vaux's swift (''Chaetura vauxi'') is a small swift native to North America, Central America, and northern South America. It was named for the American scientist William Sansom Vaux. Description This is a small swift, even compared to other ''C ...

hermit thrush The hermit thrush (''Catharus guttatus'') is a medium-sized North American thrush. It is not very closely related to the other North American migrant species of ''Catharus'', but rather to the Mexican russet nightingale-thrush. The specific na ...

Bullock's oriole Bullock's oriole (''Icterus bullockii'') is a small New World blackbird. At one time, this species and the Baltimore oriole were considered to be a single species, the northern oriole. This bird is named after William Bullock, an English amateur ...

Woodhouse's scrub jay Woodhouse's scrub jay (''Aphelocoma'' ''woodhouseii''), is a species of scrub jay native to western North America, ranging from southeastern Oregon and southern Idaho to central Mexico. Woodhouse's scrub jay was until recently considered the sam ...

Steller's jay Steller's jay (''Cyanocitta stelleri'') is a bird native to western North America and the mountains of Central America, closely related to the blue jay found in eastern North America. It is also known as the long-crested jay, mountain jay, and pin ...

Clark's nutcracker Clark's nutcracker (''Nucifraga columbiana''), sometimes referred to as Clark's crow or woodpecker crow, is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae, native to the mountains of western North America. The nutcracker is an omnivore, but subsists mai ...

, and

black-billed magpie The black-billed magpie (''Pica hudsonia''), also known as the American magpie, is a bird in the corvid family found in the western half of North America. It is black and white, with black areas on the wings and tail showing iridescent hints o ...

. There are also at least five woodpecker species that live on or near Crane Mountain, including the

red-breasted sapsucker The red-breasted sapsucker (''Sphyrapicus ruber'') is a medium-sized woodpecker of the forests of the west coast of North America. Description Adults have a red head and upper chest; they have a white lower belly and rump. They are black on the ...

Williamson's sapsucker Williamson's sapsucker (''Sphyrapicus thyroideus'') is a medium-sized woodpecker belonging to the genus '' Sphyrapicus'' (sapsuckers). Habitat and range Breeding habitat is open forested areas with conifers, mainly ponderosa pine, douglas-fir, a ...

black-backed woodpecker The black-backed woodpecker (''Picoides arcticus''), also known as the Arctic three-toed woodpecker, is a medium-sized woodpecker ( long) inhabiting the forests of North America. Taxonomy The black-backed woodpecker was described and illustrat ...

white-headed woodpecker The white-headed woodpecker (''Leuconotopicus albolarvatus'') is a non-migratory woodpecker that resides in pine forests of the mountains of western North America. Description It has a black body (approximately long) and white head. It has whit ...

, and

Lewis's woodpecker Lewis's woodpecker (''Melanerpes lewis'') is a large North American species of woodpecker which ornithologist Alexander Wilson named after Meriwether Lewis, one of the explorers who surveyed the areas bought by the United States of America as pa ...

Birds of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predators ...

found in the area include northern pygmy-owl,

northern saw-whet owl The northern saw-whet owl (''Aegolius acadicus'') is a species of small owl in the family Strigidae. The species is native to North America. Saw-whet owls of the genus ''Aegolius'' are some of the smallest owl species in North America. They can b ...

long-eared owl The long-eared owl (''Asio otus''), also known as the northern long-eared owlOlsen, P.D. & Marks, J.S. (2019). ''Northern Long-eared Owl (Asio otus)''. In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook o ...

barn owl The barn owl (''Tyto alba'') is the most widely distributed species of owl in the world and one of the most widespread of all species of birds, being found almost everywhere except for the polar and desert regions, Asia north of the Himalaya ...

great gray owl The great grey owl (''Strix nebulosa'') (also great gray owl in American English) is a very large owl, documented as the world's largest species of owl by length. It is distributed across the Northern Hemisphere, and it is the only species in th ...

great horned owl The great horned owl (''Bubo virginianus''), also known as the tiger owl (originally derived from early naturalists' description as the "winged tiger" or "tiger of the air"), or the hoot owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an extrem ...

prairie falcon The prairie falcon (''Falco mexicanus'') is a medium-large sized falcon of western North America. It is about the size of a peregrine falcon or a crow, with an average length of 40 cm (16 in), wingspan of approximately 1 meter (40&nb ...

northern harrier The northern harrier (''Circus hudsonius''), or ring-tailed hawk, is a bird of prey. It breeds throughout the northern parts of the northern hemisphere in Canada and the northernmost USA. The northern harrier migrates to more southerly areas ...

northern goshawk The northern goshawk (; ''Accipiter gentilis'') is a species of medium-large bird of prey, raptor in the Family (biology), family Accipitridae, a family which also includes other extant diurnal raptors, such as eagles, buzzards and harrier (bird) ...

red-tailed hawk The red-tailed hawk (''Buteo jamaicensis'') is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of the most common members with ...

turkey vulture The turkey vulture (''Cathartes aura'') is the most widespread of the New World vultures. One of three species in the genus ''Cathartes'' of the family Cathartidae, the turkey vulture ranges from southern Canada to the southernmost tip of South ...

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of p ...

s, and

bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...

History

In the summer of 1867, Archie McIntosh, chief

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

scout for Colonel

George Crook George R. Crook (September 8, 1828 – March 21, 1890) was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. During the 1880s, the Apache nicknamed Crook ''Nantan ...

, led a group 18 of Warm Springs or

Shoshone The Shoshone or Shoshoni ( or ) are a Native American tribe with four large cultural/linguistic divisions: * Eastern Shoshone: Wyoming * Northern Shoshone: southern Idaho * Western Shoshone: Nevada, northern Utah * Goshute: western Utah, easter ...

scouts on a reconnaissance patrol from Old Camp Warner south toward the Surprise Valley looking for a

Paiute Paiute (; also Piute) refers to three non-contiguous groups of indigenous peoples of the Great Basin. Although their languages are related within the Numic group of Uto-Aztecan languages, these three groups do not form a single set. The term "Pai ...

raiding party led by Chief Ocheho. As the patrol moved south, they picked up a fresh trail heading west into the Warner Mountains. As the patrol followed the trail up the east slope of Crane Mountain, the Paiutes ambushed McIntosh and his scouts. One scout was killed early in the fight. After some skirmishing, the Paiutes charged the scouts' position, but were repelled with a loss of three dead and several more wounded. The Paiutes then began to circle around behind the scouts, trying to cut off their escape route. To avoid being trapped, McIntosh ordered the scouts to retreat. As the scouts withdrew, the Paiutes continued to pursue them. One more Paiute warrior was killed during the retreat; however, they continued to harass the scouts all afternoon and throughout the night until the scouts reached Honey Creek, near where ''New Camp Warner'' was being built. A few days later, Colonel Crook led 360 soldiers and scouts through the Goose Lake Valley looking for the Paiutes that McIntosh had encountered. Two scouting patrols were sent to reconnoiter Crane Mountain from the west. One of the patrols found a well-built Indian fortification, but it had been abandoned. After the army drove the

native people Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

out of the area, settlers began to populate the Goose Lake Valley west of Crane Mountain. The mountain was named for Samuel Crane, an early pioneer who settled near Goose Lake at the foot of the mountain in 1869.Shaver, F. A., et al,
''An Illustrated History of Central Oregon Embracing Wasco, Sherman, Gilliam Wheeler, Crook, Lake, and Klamath Counties State Of Oregon''
Western Historical Publishing Company, Spokane, Washington, 1905, p. 816. Cogswell Creek was also named for an early pioneer who settled near Goose Lake, just west Crane Mountain. In 1952, the Forest Service built a

fire lookout tower A fire lookout tower, fire tower or lookout tower, provides housing and protection for a person known as a "fire lookout" whose duty it is to search for wildfires in the wilderness. It is a small building, usually on the summit of a mountain or ...

on Crane Mountain along with a small cabin to serve as the lookout's residence. This Crane Mountain lookout was sited a short distance north of the mountain's summit at an elevation of . It replaced an older lookout located at Willow Point, approximately northeast of Crane Mountain summit."Crane Mountain Lookout Site"
, ''Former Fire Lookout Site Register'', Forest Fire Lookout Association, Vienna, Virginia, accessed April 28, 2015.Kresek, Ray E., ''Fire Lookouts of the Northwest'' (Third Edition), Historic Lookout Project, Spokane, Washington, Ye Galleon Press, 1998. The tower was a standard treated timber CT-6 lookout with a elevation. The cabin was a one-room L-4

hip-roof A hip roof, hip-roof or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope (although a tented roof by definition is a hipped roof with steeply pitched slopes rising to a peak). Thus, ...

structure with a footprint. The Willow Point garage was moved to the Crane Mountain site for the lookout's use. The total cost of building the lookout was $2,828. The cabin was renovated in 1963. After two decades of use by the Forest Service, the tower and support structures were demolished in 1972.

Recreation

In the summer, recreation opportunities in the Crane Mountain area include

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

horseback riding Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

mountain biking Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and pe ...

bird watching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, ...

wildlife viewing Wildlife observation is the practice of noting the occurrence or abundance of animal species at a specific location and time, either for research purposes or recreation. Common examples of this type of activity are bird watching and whale watching ...

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...

, and

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...

. Some trails on the south side of Crane Mountain are also open to

off-road vehicle An off-road vehicle, sometimes referred to as an overland or adventure vehicle, is considered to be any type of vehicle which is capable of driving on and off paved or gravel surface. It is generally characterized by having large tires with dee ...

s."Crane Mountain Trailhead"
United States Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Fremont-Winema National Forest, Lakeview, Oregon, accessed April 28, 2015."Crane Mountain National Recreation Trail #161"
United States Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Fremont-Winema National Forest, Lakeview, Oregon, accessed April 28, 2015."Crane Mountain National Recreation Trail"
''Travel Oregon'', Oregon Tourism Commission, Salem, Oregon, accessed May 8, 2015. In the fall, the area around Crane Mountain is known for its excellent deer and elk

hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

.Faris, Irwin
"New Pine Creek"
''Herald and News'', Klamasth Falls, Oregon, October 10, 1950, p. 14. In the winter, the western slope from Kelly Creek to Cogswell Creek is available for

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

and

snowshoeing Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footwe ...

, but it is a very challenging route. Also, weather conditions on the mountain can change rapidly, especially in the winter. As a result, visitors enjoying winter activities need to check weather forecasts before setting out on any of the Crane Mountain trails. There are three day-hike trails that lead to the summit of Crane Mountain. The Crane Mountain National Recreation Trail reaches the summit from the north and the south while the Crane Mountain Summit Trail comes up the east slope of the mountain. Crane Mountain National Recreation Trail is long, running from the California border in the south to the point where it links up with the Fremont National Recreation Trail northeast of Lakeview. The trail is rated moderate to difficult, covering terrain that is both steep and rugged. In addition, the higher elevations near the summit of Crane Mountain normally have snow until July. As a result, the trail is lightly used. The Summit Trail begins at a parking area near the junction of forest roads 4011 and 012, east of the summit.Lorain, Douglas, "Crane Mountain", ''100 Classic Hikes in Oregon: Oregon Coast, Columbia Gorge, Cascades, Eastern Oregon, Wallowas'', The Mountaineers Books, Seattle, Washington, 2011, pp. 231–232. From the old lookout site near the summit of Crane Mountain, visitors have an excellent view of the Goose Lake Valley to the west as well as a number of Warner range peaks to the north and south. From the lookout station view point, visitors can see as far south as

Mount Shasta Mount Shasta ( Shasta: ''Waka-nunee-Tuki-wuki''; Karuk: ''Úytaahkoo'') is a potentially active volcano at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California. At an elevation of , it is the second-highest peak in the Cascades ...

and as far west as

Mount McLoughlin Mount McLoughlin is a dormant steep-sided stratovolcano, or composite volcano, in the Cascade Range of southern Oregon and within the United States Sky Lakes Wilderness. It is one of the volcanic peaks in the Cascade Volcanic Arc, within the Hi ...

as well as

Drake Peak Drake Peak is an summit of the Warner Mountains in Lake County, Oregon in the United States. It is located in the Fremont National Forest. The mountain is named in honor of Lieutenant Colonel John M. Drake, a Union Army officer who served in bo ...

and

Hart Mountain Hart Mountain is a fault-block mountain, in Lake County, Oregon, U.S. It lies about to the east of Lakeview. It is sometimes confused with a mountain range, but is more properly described as a mountain. The two highest peaks are Warner Peak a ...

to the north and northeast.

Access

While Crane Mountain is only southeast of Lakeview, access to the mountain's trail system requires a drive to reach the trailhead for the summit hike. Much of that trip is on gravel roads. From Lakeview, head north on

U.S. Route 395 U.S. Route 395 (US 395) is a U.S. Route in the western United States. The southern terminus of the route is in the Mojave Desert at Interstate 15 near Hesperia. The northern terminus is at the Canada–US border near Laurier, where the road ...

for , then take the exit onto

Oregon Route 140 Oregon Route 140 (OR 140) is a state highway in southern Oregon, United States. It is the longest state highway in Oregon, running from the community of White City, Oregon (just north of Medford), through Klamath Falls and on to Lakeview. It ...

. Follow Route 140 for , past Warner Canyon Ski Area. Turn right onto Forest Road 3615, heading south. After , turn west on Old Highway 140. Continue along the old highway for , then turn south on Forest Road 3915 when the old highway ends. Follow Road 3915 for approximately and then turn right on Forest Road 4011. After turn onto Forest Road 012, where there is a parking area from the turnoff. The Crane Mountain Summit Trail begins there. If one continues on Road 4011 past the Road 012 junction, the road leads to the top of Crane Mountain. However, the road is extremely steep and rough.

References

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External links

Fremont-Winema National Forest

Crane Mountain National Recreation Trail
Lake County, Oregon Mountains of Oregon Landmarks in Oregon Fremont–Winema National Forest Mountains of Lake County, Oregon

Geography and geology

Climate

Environment and ecology

History

Recreation

Access

See also

References

External links