A couple rents its 40-foot-tall fire tower on Airbnb for over $260 a night over 1,600 are on the waitlist for the property's 65 spots
- A couple built a 40-foot-tall Airbnb inspired by the US Forest Service's fire-lookout towers.
- Located in remote Oregon, the 388-square-foot rental sleeps four and has a full kitchen.
Drive along a one-lane gravel road deep in Oregon's Umpqua National Forest, and you'll find Summit Prairie, a secluded 40-foot fire-lookout tower with three beds, a pee pot, and limited cell service. Over 1,600 people are on the waitlist to spend the night there.
Dabney Tompkins and Alan Colley built the tower in 2009 as a reprieve from city life in Portland. "Some people want to have a ski condo. Some people want a beach cottage for a second home. But we said, 'Let's do a fire lookout.'" Tompkins told Business Insider.
Years later, the couple started renting Summit Prairie on Airbnb, staying nearby on the 160-acre property so they could serve as high-touch hosts. Now, they have a list of regulars and more demand than the property can accommodate.
The US Forest Service manages rentals of repurposed fire lookouts, but these historic properties are hard to come by.
While on a ferry ride through British Columbia more than 20 years ago, Tompkins and Colley stumbled on a book about renting towers that once operated as fully staffed lookouts or remote ranger stations. "We particularly liked the picture on the front cover," Colley said.
The couple attempted to book a stay at the first lookout that caught their eye, but they were out of luck — it was booked through the next year.
They managed to secure a last-minute overnight at a different fire-lookout tower, prompting the Portland-based pair to spend the next several years renting similar properties from the US Forest Service.
In 2004, demand for fire-lookout rentals was so strong that Tompkins and Colley decided to build a tower of their own.
After searching for suitable land, the couple settled on 160 acres of wilderness in Umpqua National Forest, about 10 miles outside Tiller, Oregon.
The couple modeled the property after fire-lookout towers the Forest Sevice built in the early 1900s, but constructing it provided logistical challenges, especially since Colley is afraid of heights.
The couple hired skilled craftsmen to develop the 40-foot tower, which is only accessible via four flights of stairs.
The team, which included experts from the Forest Service, completed the project in 2009. For the first several years, the lookout served as a getaway for the couple. But Tompkins said that "the weekends were getting longer and longer."
In 2014, the couple decided to quit their jobs and move to the property full-time with plans to live there for one year. "One year turned into nine years," Tompkins said.
The pair eventually listed the tower on Airbnb, where it now goes for about $260 a night.
As their stay on the sprawling property became more permanent, the couple decided to construct two additional buildings so that they could live on-site while renting out the lookout from April through November each year.
Despite their lack of construction experience, the duo decided to build the cabins themselves with the help of YouTube tutorials.
"When you're undertaking something, it's best not to know how difficult it may be," Tompkins told BI. "Because if you did know how difficult it is, you'd never try it."
Summit Prairie has expansive mountain views, a full kitchen, an exterior shower on the deck, and a wood-fired hot tub.
Despite its many amenities, the remote lookout doesn't offer internet access, and some cellphone carriers don't offer service near the property.
The pair encourages their visitors to relax, read, play a game, write, meditate, daydream in hammocks, and soak in the wood-fired, spring-fed hot tub.
The property sleeps four, with two twin-size beds on the 324-square-foot main floor.
The beds are right by windows that look out to the forest and mountains.
There's also a queen-size bed in the 64-square-foot cupola.
Large groups can bring sleeping bags or tents, but parties larger than four have to pay an additional $10 for each extra person.
Summit Prairie guests have to walk about 100 feet from the tower to use the bathroom.
There's also a pee pot in the cupola and a pee funnel on the side of the tower.
Inside the bathroom, there's a pit toilet.
A solar-powered pump delivers water from a collection tank near the tower.
Tompkins and Colley have forged meaningful relationships with many of their Airbnb guests.
The pair considers themselves to be hands-on Airbnb hosts. For years, they've strived to meet every guest personally. "Every guest is a potential new friend," Colley said.
Their hospitality has resulted in a loyal group of guests who return to the property year after year.
"We've watched people get engaged there. We've watched them get married there. We've watched them bring their kids there. We've watched their kids grow up," Tompkins said, adding, "Those are my favorite memories."
This story was originally published on August 2, 2023, and most recently updated on August 13, 2024.
Colley and Tompkins no longer live at Summit Prairie, but the property's popularity has continued to grow. And snagging a stay at this coveted listing is no small feat.
Bookings for Summit Prairie sell out within minutes. Tompkins and Colley attribute their success to "dumb luck," but with a growing waiting list of over 1,600 names for the season's 65 reservation slots a season, the couple has clearly created a one-of-a-kind experience.
"I love this land, and I think this land loves us," Colley said. "It's taught us a different way of living."
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