Fire Towering to Fall Foliage

Fall means foliage, football, and seasonal foods. While the food and football are best enjoyed at ground level, leaf peeping often requires some elevation. There's the traditional method of getting a bird's eye view on autumn's changing colors - hiking up a high peak or to an elevated overlook. There is another way, however. Of course we're talking up scaling your nearest fire tower.

Fire towers, like other recreational and cultural venues that have been repurposed, once served a utilitarian end. They allowed observers stationed on the towers to spot forest fires before they spread. New York State began to phase out the use of fire towers for spotting forest fires in the 1980s, with the last 5 towers still in operation closed in 1990. As decommissioned towers and their associated observers' cabins began to deteriorate, many were dismantled or closed to the public as a safety precaution.

Volunteer groups formed across the state to save these historic structures, not only to preserve a piece of the state's heritage, but also because they provide visitors a relatively easy route to high-peak like vistas. According to the DEC, 32 fire towers across the state have already been restored, and several towers are currently under restoration through Volunteer Stewardship Agreements.

Restored fire towers in the Adirondack include: Mount Arab, Blue Mountain, Hadley Mountain, Goodnow Mountain, Kane Mountain, Azure Mountain, Vanderwhacker Mountain, Rondaxe (Bald) Mountain, Stillwater Mountain, Owl's Head Mountain, Poke-O-Moonshine Mountain, Mount Adams, and Snowy Mountain.

In the Catskills: Hunter Mountain, Mount Tremper, Red Hill, Balsam Lake Mountain, and Overlook Mountain. In addition, the fire tower on Mount Utsayantha just outside the Catskill Park (in Stamford) has also been restored.

In Grafton Lakes State Park, visitors can now climb the Dickinson Hill Fire Tower to take in panoramic views of the Adirondacks, Green Mountains and Taconic Range. The Friends of Grafton Lakes, who led the restoration effort, recently received a Park and Trail Partnership Program grant to install a series of kiosks along the route to the newly rehabilitated Dickinson Hill Fire Tower Historic Site to provide information about the tower to the general public. These kiosks will feature interpretive panels, with text and images, telling the story of the Dickinson Hill Fire Tower, and Helen Ellett, the first woman Fire Tower Observer in New York State, who staffed the Tower.

DEC provides a listing of towers in the Catskill and Adirondack Parks, as well as on other state property, including numerous towers in NY State Parks.

Some refer to tower hikes as "cheap views" - outstanding vistas with less hiking effort than required to hike to a mountain summit. They're great for family outings, or when you don't have time for a longer trail outing.

The Glens Falls-Saratoga Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) has even created the Fire Tower Challenge, a program similar to the 46er club that encourages climbing all the Adirondack fire towers.

DEC has provided some pointers for your fall "towering:"

  • Pack a lunch, drink and proper equipment and hike to a fire tower.
  • Plan to spend lots of time on the summit taking in the views.
  • Look for tower stewards, typically volunteers who restore and interpret fire towers. Stewards can provide information on a specific tower's history, and point out features in the distance.
  • Many fire towers are used to support communications and other electrical equipment, so please no touching.

Looking for a quick dose of the outdoors, and some great fall foliage. Try some towering this fall!

Check out the book Views from on High: Fire Tower Trails in the Adirondacks and Catskills for info on many fire towers in the Adirondacks and Catskills.

Enjoy the views from the Goodnow Mountain Fire Tower below.


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