On August 30th, 2025 my friend Harry and I hiked up Mount Burke in Kananaskis Country to explore one of Alberta’s most fascinating relics — the abandoned Cameron fire lookout.

This video captures the full journey: from the forested switchbacks to the exposed summit, where the wind howls and history lingers. Built in 1929 by the Alberta Forest Service, the Cameron lookout was once the highest fire lookout in Canada, perched at over 2,500 meters. It operated until 1953, when newer stations on Raspberry Ridge and Hailstone Butte took over. Today, it stands empty — a weathered sentinel clinging to the edge of the mountain, still grounded by a steel cable that runs down to the treeline. That cable wasn’t just for stability — it was meant to protect the lookout from lightning strikes by grounding it in moist earth.

There’s even a wild story about one ranger who fled the mountain in just boots and long underwear after lightning blew up his bed during a storm. Alberta weather doesn’t mess around.

My previous posting went into more detail about the history of the lookout.

More about Alberta’s lonely lookouts.