| Ruidoso Lookout Tower | |
| Designated Other1: | New Mexico |
| Designated Other1 Date: | March 4, 1988 |
| Designated Other1 Number: | 1447 |
| Designated Other1 Num Position: | bottom |
| Location: | Lincoln National Forest, Ruidoso, New Mexico |
| Coordinates: | 33.3317°N -105.6619°W |
| Area: | less than one acre |
| Added: | January 27, 1988 |
| Refnum: | 87002485 |
| Mpsub: | National Forest Fire Lookouts in the Southwestern Region TR |
Ruidoso Lookout Tower was completed in 1940 by the U.S. Forest Service to serve as a fire lookout tower within Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico, United States.
It remains in active use for the detection of urban/suburban fires in the town of Ruidoso, which has grown over the years to surround the tower. The structure is a Aermotor tower with metal catwalks and is topped with a 14feetby14feetft (byft) wooden cab.[1]
The structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as well as the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties.[2]
The first detonation of a nuclear device by the Manhattan Project at Trinity Site was observed by Herbert Lee Traylor,[3] the forest ranger on duty at the Ruidoso Lookout tower at the time of the explosion.