Sequoia National Forest Road 13S04 to Buck Rock Lookout

[Max Rockatansky]

Sequoia National Forest Road 13S04 (Buck Rock Road) is an approximately 4.49-mile-high clearance dirt corridor.  Buck Rock Road begins at Forest Road 14S11 (Horse Corral Road) in Tulare County and terminates to the north in Fresno County at Forest Road 14S02 (Burton Road).  Buck Road is the point of access to the famous Buck Rock Lookout which is located at an elevation of 8,502 feet above sea level.

Buck Rock Lookout has been in use as a fire observation platform since the creation of Sequoia National Forest in 1908.  Originally the fire lookout was a simple platform which was accessible via a series of ladders and ropes.  The current live-in cabin atop Buck Rock is a 4-A design which was constructed circa 1921-1922 and began service during the 1923 fire season. 

In 1942 the 172-step staircase to Buck Rock Lookout was constructed to replace the previous ladder and rope system.   The lookout was used by the Army during World War II as part of the Aircraft Warning Service.  Ultimately Buck Rock survived the shuttering of most of the Forest Service fire lookouts during the 1980s and has remained in service.  Buck Rock Lookout was added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1998, and the 4-A live-in cabin is one of three known to still exist. 

https://www.gribblenation.org/2026/07/sequoia-national-forest-road-13s04-to.html?m=1