The 115th Anniversary of Fire Towers in the Adirondacks and Catskill Preserves

The first fire towers in the Adirondacks and Catskills were wooden towers that were replaced with steel towers 10-15 years later. These towers provided early detection of fires, which greatly reduced the acres destroyed. Eventually the state had about 114 fire towers operating in 1960.

In 1970 the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) began relying on airplane surveillance for the detection of fires when it was hot, dry and windy. Between 1970 and 1974, 55 of the 100 staffed towers were closed with the saved funds used to offset the cost of aerial detection. By 1990 only four towers remained in the Adirondacks: St. Regis, Blue, Rondaxe/Bald, and Hadley mountains and only Red Hill in the Catskills. These were all finally closed in 1990.

Then in the 1990s and early 2000s there was a movement by local residents, tourists and hikers to save and restore the abandoned fire towers. People saw the historical importance of these structures that had helped preserve the forests. In addition, hikers loved to climb the towers and get a panoramic view of the surrounding forests. When a tower was reopened, they could see above the trees again.

Over the past 30 years, the Adirondack fire towers were restored by various groups: Friends groups, Forest Fire Lookout Association (FFLA), the Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH), and local Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) members in partnership with the NYSDEC.

The following Southern towers were restored: Blue Mountain (1994), Hadley Mountain (1996-98), Kane Mountain (2000), Snowy Mountain (2002), and Rondaxe/Bald Mountain (2002), Owls Head (2003), Spruce (2015), Stillwater (2016), Swede Mountain (2021), Makomis/Speculator (2022), and Buck Mountain (2023)

These Northern Adirondack towers were restored: Goodnow Mountain (1982), Mount Arab (1998), Tooley Pond Mountain tower moved to Cathedral Rock (2000), Poke-O-Moonshine Mountain (2001), Azure Mountain (2003), Vanderwhacker Mountain (2004), Lyon Mountain (2008), Mount Adams (2013), St. Regis (2016), and Hurricane Mountain (2017).

In the Catskills fire towers have been restored through the efforts of the Catskill Center for Conservation & Development in Arkville and local groups near the five towers in partnership with the NYSDEC. These towers in the Catskill Preserve have been restored: Hunter Mountain (1999), Overlook Mountain (1999), Balsam Lake Mountain (2000), Red Hill (2000), and Mount Tremper (2001).

The public is encouraged to celebrate the fire towers’ 115th Anniversary by visiting one or more of the restored towers to see the positive effect they have had in helping to preserve our beautiful Adirondack and Catskill forests.

To learn more about the history of the Adirondack and Catskill fire towers, read one or more of the following books: Adirondack Fire Towers: Their History and Lore, The Southern Districts; Adirondack Fire Towers: Their History and Lore the Northern Districts; and Fire Towers of the Catskills: Their History and Lore by Martin Podskoch https://martinpodskoch.com or Views From on High by Jack Freeman and Jim Schneider from ADK Mountain Club https://adk.org/product/views-from-on-high .