Long Lake, NY – The Town of Long Lake in collaboration with Hamilton County, NY is excited to announce the opening of the Buck Mountain Fire Tower located in Long Lake, NY. This 1.2 mile (one- way) hike with 500 feet in elevation gain is located on South Sabattis Circle Road off NYS Route 30, eight miles north of the Long Lake Town center. There will be a ribbon cutting on Friday, September 15, 2023 at 1pm at the Buck Mountain Fire Tower Trail Parking Lot located on South Sabattis Road.
From the GFS Chapter of the ADK Mountain Club Fire Tower Committee:
Here are the dates for fire tower closures for the hunting season, all dates are inclusive. Please respect these trail closures and private property. Climbs during these closure periods will not count towards the fire tower challenge.
*Swede Mountain Fire Tower trail will be closed from September 10th thru December 16th
*Stillwater Mountain Fire Tower trail will be closed October 11th thru December 20th
*Spruce Mountain Fire Tower Trail will be closed October 22nd thru December 4th
Photo courtesy of Friends of Stillwater Fire Tower
The 9th Annual Fire Tower Lighting event is scheduled for Saturday, September 3 from 9 to 9:30 p.m. and will include several fire towers in the Adirondacks and Catskills. On the evening of the event, volunteers will light fire tower cabs with high-powered lights, and invite people to visit locations where they could look up, see the light on the horizon, and pay homage to fire observers who would stand watch in the towers, protecting the community and surrounding forest.
Established in 2014, this statewide event is the brain child of Doug Hamilton of the Red Hill Fire Tower Committee, and is meant to showcase the history of fire towers around the state. They were erected in the early 20th century, as fires ravaged hundreds of thousands of square miles of wild forest.
Marty Podskoch will give a PowerPoint and storytelling presentation on his book, Adirondack Fire Towers: Their History and Lore, The Northern District, on Thursday, August 18th at 7 PM at the Adirondack History Museum in Elizabethtown. The book contains information and photographs about the fire towers in the northern part of the Adirondack Park that include St. Lawrence, Franklin, Clinton, and Essex counties.
For nearly a century, observers watched the forests of New York State–including the Catskill and Adirondack forest preserves– from more than 100 fire towers perched atop the highest peaks, searching for the dangerous, telltale signs of forest fires. The Catskills Fire Tower Challenge encourages experienced hikers to visit the region’s remaining five historic fire towers, as well as a new sixth fire tower that was opened at the Catskills Visitor Center in the fall of 2019.
My first day at Paul Smith’s College Visitor Interpretive Center (VIC) back in June I sat on a couch in front of the bird feeders eating lunch. As I ate and watched the birds I noticed something else out of the corner of my eye. I saw a tiny spec peeking out over St. Regis Mountain’s bare top. It was the St. Regis Mountain Fire Tower, the longest active fire station in the Adirondacks.
Friends of Hurricane will be participating again this year in the annual lighting of the fire towers. This will be the 8th Annual Lighting of the Fire Towers which will include towers in the Adirondacks and the Catskills.
A lantern will light the 102 year old Hurricane tower on Saturday, September 4th from 9 pm until 9:30 pm.
People are invited to hike up and see the lighting at close range or view it from vantage points in Keene, Elizabethtown and areas to the east and near Lake Champlain. The tower is also visible from multiple surrounding smaller peaks.
The event is meant to showcase the history of fire towers around the state. They were erected early in the early 20th century, as fires ravaged hundreds of thousands of square miles of wild forest.
Anyone who is interested in helping with the lighting or has any questions about the lighting can contact Mary Jean Bland at mjbland@aol.com
Photo by Mike Lynch/Adirondack Explorer
I revisited Poke-O-Moonshine Mountain last spring, making it at least four ascents I have done of it, thus far, from both the north and south trails. The views of the Lake Champlain region from the summit never fail. Poke-O-Moonshine, located in the Town of Chesterfield in Essex County, just 3/4-mi north of the Town of Lewis
boundary, is a peak on the Fire Tower Challenge and whose east-facing cliffs are popular with rock-climbers.
This write-up is more of a historical “brief” on this peak, as there is a bit more history surrounding it than provided here. For those interested in the history of Poke-O-Moonshine in regards to fire observation and its tower, see Martin Podskoch’s book “Adirondack Fire Towers: Their History and Lore, The Northern Districts” (2003).
Labor Day weekend offers a perfect socially distanced outdoor activity – the annual nighttime lighting of Hurricane Fire Tower.
People are invited to hike up and see the lighting at close range, or view it from afar.
A lantern beacon will shine out from the 101-year-old tower at 9 pm on Saturday, Sept. 5, and can be spotted for miles around.
Hurricane Mountain – visible from many spots in Keene and Elizabethtown, to Lake Champlain and Vermont, as well as surrounding smaller peaks – was a key survey peak for legendary Adirondack surveyor Verplanck Colvin.
Almost 30 years ago, Dana Carvey’s character, “Grumpy Old Man,” was a popular recurring feature of Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update.
He’d offer an assessment of current times compared to the so-called “good old days,” highlighting some barbaric practices of the past (exaggerated to great comedic effect) with the closing line, “And we liked it!”
I was reminded of that concept while perusing some shocking guidelines suggested in the early 1900s regarding the enjoyment of a safe Christmas season. Regional newspapers carried a list of suggestions for an enhanced experience … and I liked it! » Continue Reading.
Located in the 17,123-acre Horseshoe Lake Wild Forest is the popular Mount Arab Fire Tower. The Wild Forest also provides easy access to Tupper Lake and Horseshoe Lake for fishing and boating.
The Mount Arab Trail ascends 700 feet to the Mount Arab fire tower and observer’s cabin on the summit of Mount Arab and is 1 mile long, with the first 0.7 miles located on the Conifer Emporium Conservation Easement and the rest on the Wild Forest. » Continue Reading.
A historic exhibit marking the 100th Anniversary of the Hurricane Mountain Fire Tower is set to open on Thursday, August 8th, at the Adirondack History Museum.
Festivities begin at 5 pm with a reception featuring a local Hurricane brew from Ledge Hill Brewery, and tours of the new exhibit. » Continue Reading.
In preparation for the centennial of Stillwater Fire Tower, the tower’s friends group is searching for Stillwater Fire Tower Observers, Forest Rangers, and their relatives.
The centennial commemoration will be on Saturday August 24, 2019 beginning at 10 am at the tower. At noon a question and answer session will be held at the trailhead parking area on Big Moose Road. » Continue Reading.
Kane Mountain, located in the Shaker Mountain Wild Forest can be ascended via two routes which can be used to make a loop hike. A fire tower is located on the 2,060-foot summit.
Kane Mountain East Trail is the most direct route, ascending 560 feet and 0.8 mile from the Kane Mountain Trailhead Parking Area to the summit. » Continue Reading.
Bald Mountain (2,350 Feet) is located in the 16,028-acre Fulton Chain Wild Forest, which includes about 20 miles of marked foot trails.
This very popular short hike leads to a long ridge with views and the Rondaxe Fire Tower, which has been restored and can be climbed. » Continue Reading.
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