Find Nearby Peaks

This peak is not in the book. Published June 2019

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Duck Creek Point is located at the South End of the Yellowjacket Mountains Subrange of the Salmon River Mountains. The old lookout was still standing in 2010. USGS Duck Creek Point

Bing Young writes: Duck Creek Point is in the Yellowjacket Mountains near the South End of the Forest. It is one of the high lookout points at 9,130 feet. Wayne O’Connor of Salmon remembers that the present building atop Duck Creek Point was built in 1935. Although the present building is reportedly “leaning,” there has been no action taken to destroy the lookout. The picture of the Duck Creek building indicates it is an interesting old lookout. It is made entirely of wood with its basement of squared-off log construction.

The 1975 Forest Inventory of Buildings located on the Forest says that “If it weren’t for the fact that the building is effectively guy-wired from all 4 corners, it might not still be standing.“ Finally, the report says, “Recommend that this building be burned. It is an extreme safety hazard to anyone going inside or up the stairs. There is nothing left of value with the possible exception of the lightning rod protective device and it is probably not worth the time and effort needed to salvage it.” Duck Creek was possibly used as a lookout a few years was constructed, as a 1932 fire plan has smoke chasers stationed there.

The question whether or not to use Duck Creek was debated extensively. Red Rock got the lookout first, saw exclusive Salmon country, and was located on a road. But the Challis National Forest preferred Duck Creek because it saw essentially the same country as Red Rock plus a lot of important country in the Challis National Forest. Though the lookout was finally built on Duck Creek, it fell into disuse before many of the Depression-era lookouts, and its neighbor, Red Rock.

Duck Creek Point is most easily reached by traveling up Porphyry Creek from the old townsite of Forney, passing through Red Rock Peak to the end of the road and hiking the rest of the ridge along a trail. The road was never finished to Duck Creek Point. —Salmon National Forest Fire Lookouts by Bing Young 1982, Pages 19-20.