Hiker documents severe wind damage to historic structure atop Brian Head Peak

CEDAR CITY — The decades-old stone building atop Brian Head Peak has had its roof ripped off by recent winds.

Wind-damaged observation building atop Brian Head Peak, Nov. 20, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Brittany Feller, St. George News / Cedar City News

Brittany Feller, who is an avid ultramarathon runner, documented the damage with her cellphone camera when she visited the summit of the 11,312-foot mountain on Sunday.

Feller said she had made the hike as part of her running group’s “No Rest November” challenge to log at least 10 kilometers every day of the month. She said she accessed the summit by hiking up Rick’s Ridge in deep, thick snow along the spine of the mountain.

“It was very snowy, as we have received over six feet of snow in the last two months,” she told Cedar City News, adding that there were no snowmobile or human tracks up the mountain, only deer and mountain lion tracks.

“When I summited, I was very taken aback,” Feller said, calling it “quite a sad sight to see.”

“At first I couldn’t figure out what was wrong, and then I quickly put together that the roof had blown off,” she said.

Feller then described the extent of the damage she saw and photographed. The video she took can be watched in the player above.

“Upon inspection, it appeared a south wind had taken the roof and the support beams and flung them hundreds of feet away,” she said. “There was stone scattered at the base from part of the structure crumbling with it. The wood debris was scattered off to the north of the house. I found what appeared to be pieces of the roof as well as the support beams.”

The historic structure atop Brian Head Peak, before it was heavily damaged in November 2022. Courtesy photo taken Aug. 23, 2017 by Mike Saemisch, St. George News / Cedar City News

Feller said she didn’t dare go all the way over the edge of the summit to look and see if there was more debris down below, as she did not feel safe standing on the snow-covered rocks at the edge.

“I documented the destruction the best I could and then notified the town,” she added.

Feller then shared the photos and video with local photographer Mike Saemisch, who posted them on the “Life of Brian Head, Utah” Facebook page he manages.

Saemisch said based on the evidence he has been able to gather, the damage appears to have happened sometime between Nov. 7 and Nov. 15.

Falling within that range is the night of Nov. 8-9, which saw a fierce snowstorm hit the area with wind gusts measuring at more than 80 mph. Feller said she believes the damage to the structure on Brian Head Peak probably occurred during that night’s storm and that she was likely the first person to visit the summit in person since then.

Wind-damaged observation building atop Brian Head Peak, Nov. 20, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Brittany Feller, St. George News / Cedar City News

Commonly called the “Peak House,” the structure and its site are also known by other names, including “Brian Head Lookout,” “Brian Head Overlook” or “Brian Head Peak Observation.” The building sits atop the highest point of the Cedar City Ranger District on the Dixie National Forest, according to a U.S. Forest Service webpage, which notes that the structure and the primitive road leading up to it were built in 1934-35 by the Civilian Conservation Corps Camp F-16, stationed at Duck Creek. The observation building was renovated extensively in the 1990s by Sierra Club volunteers, the USFS website adds.

Sierra Hellstrom, public affairs specialist for the U.S. Forest Service, told Cedar City News on Tuesday that officials with the Cedar City Ranger District on the Dixie National Forest have been informed of the “unfortunate” damage to the historic overlook building.

“This structure has sufficient meaning to both the local history and the history of the Dixie National Forest,” Hellstrom said, adding, “The Forest Service is currently working on a plan to address the reconstruction of the roof. Because it is historic, this will take a concerted effort and consultation with the State Historic Preservation Office.”

Cedar City District Ranger Veronica Magnuson said that once the green light has been given by the SHPO, “We will move forward with rebuilding the roof in kind.”

Magnuson also talked about the Forest Service’s “Passport in Time” historic preservation program.

“This is a mutual effort with local agencies, partnerships, and the help of the public and local volunteers,” she said. “Part of our plan is to use this program to gather folks that have the passion and skills to help rebuild. I look forward to working together with our local community to restore this landmark.”

Brian Head Town Manager Bret Howser said he has been in touch with Forest Service officials since he notified them of the damage after it was reported on Sunday.

Wind-damaged observation building atop Brian Head Peak, Nov. 20, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Brittany Feller, St. George News / Cedar City News

Howser said that while he does remember there being heavy winds during the night of that recent storm, the weather didn’t strike him as extraordinary at the time.

“We get heavy wind events up here all the time, and it just didn’t seem historic to me,” he said.

However, Howser did note that the recent wind events appear to have broken off or toppled a number of standing trees in Parowan Canyon that were burned in the Brian Head Fire during the summer of 2017.

“One thing I have noticed, just from driving up and down the canyon, is that a lot of the trees that burned in the fire just snapped off halfway up in those winds, whenever that was a few weeks ago,” Howser said.

Although stunned and saddened by the damage she saw atop the peak on Sunday, Feller said she’s hopeful that the structure can be repaired.

“That house is a big part of Brian Head and it was shocking to find it that way,” Feller said. “It made me sad that something that had stood for so long finally gave in to the elements. My hope is that restoration will occur.”

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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