The amenities are scarce, but an overnight in the Morton Peak Lookout, in California's San Bernardino National Forest, is a once-in-a-lifetime experience of stunning views for dozens of miles, interesting people and the thrill of stargazing from a bed in a 30-foot fire tower at the very top of a mountain.

While there's no water, no electricity, no showers and no campfires, the tower atop the 4,630-foot peak offers crisp air, surprises and a chance to understand the incredible value of fire lookouts, very few of which are open for overnight stays.

It also means meeting the volunteers who staff the network of seven fire lookouts during the day, searching for puffs of smoke that signal the start of devastating wildfires.

"The towers and the volunteers catch the fires early and they can pinpoint where the smoke is so we don't waste precious minutes looking for them," said John Miller, a U.S. Forest Service spokesman. "We had lightning today, for example, and that kept our volunteers really busy. "

"They are also the frontline with the public, the human face of the Forest Service operations," Miller added.

Morton Peak is one of the lower towers in the mountains — the only one open to the public. Two neighboring towers, on Strawberry Peak and Butler Peak, can be seen in the far distance

By day, the lookout is a friendly place. The volunteer spotters serve as hosts to the hikers and mountain bikers stopping by to rest at the picnic table beneath the tower. People on dirt bikes may buzz through, and there's plenty of radio chatter among the lookout volunteers.

Overnight guests must pick up the gate keys by 3 pm, so they will meet the afternoon shift volunteer. Volunteers not only provide useful advice and point out trails, but they are willing to teach guests how to either flush out or avoid the tarantulas that live in holes in the ground marked by webs stretched across the entrances.

"There's never a dull day up here," said Tony Wetmore, a firefighter and the head of the volunteer team for the Strawberry Peak fire tower to the north who sometimes staffs Morton Peak. "Between the radio, the guests and the list of things to do during a shift, there's no time to be bored."

Hikers and mountain bikers appear on a half-dozen trails that cross the peak, including the Santa Ana River Trail and a trail that runs along the spine of the ridge to the north.

Volunteers leave at around 5 p.m. and magnificent sunsets — enhanced by smog, unfortunately — ensue.

Even with the sunset's rainbow still striping the western sky, the eastern sky fills up with more stars than you can see from the city.

After dark, the lookout offers the promise of solitude, good stargazing, and the use of one of the cleanest and most scenicly located outhouses in the U.S.

To the west, the views go 50 miles to the lights of Los Angeles on a clear night. City lights twinkle far below. To the east, the uninhabited San Bernardino Mountains stand silent in a darkened sky — the perfect backdrop for stargazing.

The original Morton Peak Lookout was built in 1934, according to volunteer coordinator George Morey. It burned in a 1959 fire, and the Forest Service rebuilt the tower in 1961. Because of spotty funding and the advent of fire spotting from airplanes and satellites, the tower service was shut down in the 1970s and it soon became a hideaway for vandals.

"The first time I saw it was in 1995 it was riddled with bullet holes, the steps were busted and it had a huge hole in the floor from somebody starting a fire inside," Morey said.

Morey and other volunteers rounded up construction materials and hauled them up the narrow mountain road to repair and rebuild. The tower reopened as a visitor center, but was pressed back into service as a fire lookout.

Every step of the stay is an adventure. After picking up the gate keys, guests drive seven miles on narrow, deeply rutted, rocky road that clings to the side of the mountain. The drive demands a high-clearance truck, or SUV, and steady nerves.

The tower room is 14 feet by 14 feet and up a steep, open staircase. Windows on all sides look onto Yucaipa and Redlands to the south and west, the Mill Creek valley where California Highway 38 runs alongside Mill Creek to the east, and higher mountains to the north and east. And there's a yard-wide balcony all around the tower with a sturdy railing. The single room tower has plenty of pillows and a very comfortable trundle bed that pulls out to a generous double, but guests should bring their own bed roll or sleeping bag.

Visitors — human and animal — sometimes come through at night, whether it's a lone hiker looking for a spot to watch a meteor shower, or dirt and mountain bikers who slip past the locked gate. People in the tower can bolt a gate across the top of the stairs, so it's safe and secure no matter what happens on the ground 30 feet below.

The morning sun is an aggressive invader on the mountain, tearing over the peaks to the east and making sleep impossible. It's a great time to get out on the trails and see what wildlife was there the night before, whether it's snake wriggles or fox scat.

Trails on the north and south side of the Morton Canyon end with views of the Seven Oaks Reservoir and Dam that catch the Santa Ana River at the Southwestern edge of the national forest.

The morning-shift volunteers arrive by 9 a.m., and they're just as friendly and knowledgeable as the afternoon shift. They don't mind at all if you stay and visit — or you can take it as checkout time.

IF YOU GO

Reservations for Morton Peak Lookout are made through www.bigbear.com or by phone at 800-424-4232.

Current rates are $85 a night on weekends and $75 a night on weekdays. Sleeps up to four people.

Pick up keys at the Mill Creek Ranger Station off Highway 38, east of Mentone. Overnight guests will need a high clearance truck or SUV to get to the tower. No water, no electricity, no campfires allowed.

Marty Graham is a freelance travel writer. To find out more about Marty Graham and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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