Fire Towers

[HaloGirl]

Nice photos. Eerie hotel.

[backpacker]

Red Hill Fire Tower
located near the town of Sundown (no town just a few houses). You can read more about it here

The tower


The Cabin


The views

[backpacker]

Thank You Matt and Angel

[backpacker]

Goodnow Tower
Near the town of Newcomb, this tower is on private land owned by the College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse. The trail is a self guided nature walk with interpretive pamphlets available at the trailhead (empty when I was their). The trail has been rerouted to make it a gentler climb but adding .4 miles to the length. Roundtrip distance is 3.8 miles with an elevation change of 1040 feet. It’s open from sunrise to sunset, this tower offers great views of the high peaks but off in the distance, bring a map of the high peaks to figure out the peaks. You can also see Vanderwhacker tower from here with the aid of a good zoom lens or binoculars. The tower was built in 1922 and fully restored, the observation deck is open for viewing.

I belive this was a storage building for the rangers.


Goodnow Tower


The map showing the surrounding ranges


Vanderwhacker Mountain,
sorry for the hazy shot


Vanderwhacker Tower shot at 500mm
no CP filter to cut the haze


The view towards the high peaks


A local resident of the rocks

in all my trips to the dacks this was the first snake we ever saw.

another first, we've never seen pine cones this color

[backpacker]

Wakely Fire tower is the second tallest tower in the forest preserve. It sits atop Wakely Mountain which is only 256 feet short of being a 4000 foot peak (46 peaks 4000 plus). In the last 1.1 miles you will gain 1194 feet. From the cab you have a 360 degree view and can see Blue Mt. and Snowy Mt. towers. The ranger cabin is the best I’ve seen thus far, the inside has been redone and the cabin was unlocked when I was their. Trees around the helipad are being cleared out, (I hope to restore it). WARNING keep your head low when climbing the steel angle iron hurts.


The Helipad


Wakely Tower


The Cabin


Inside the cabin


The West Canada Wilderness


The high peaks with the helipad in lower corner

[backpacker]

Snowy Mt. is a pleasure to climb and a great workout for the high peaks. It only lacks 101 feet from being a 4000 foot peak. The elevation gain is 2106 feet, which compares to most 46er peaks. The tower has been restored many times and you have a 360 view from the cab. Most of Indian Lake can be seen as well as Wakely Mt. and Blue Mt. fire towers. The last half to three quarter miles is the hardest but the views are well worth the effort. To my knowledge their has never been a cabin up here.

Snowy Tower


Looking north east from the ground, Rt 30 is seen


the south end of Indian Lake


The high peaks (not a good picture had the iso to high)


Love the 500mm lens, (shot from the tower)


more of the high peaks different view

[cbobcat49]

The wood paneling inside that cabin looks like its in awesome condition for being such an old place.

[hobkyl]

Great photos. Nice to see the colors, I was hoping that they were at that point-and not just patchy. If all goes well I will be venturing into Keene Valley this weekend. With plans to hike either Sawteeth or Colvin and Blake.