Blue Mountain Fire Tower
US 109, NY 8
Lookout Details
| Registry Numbers | US 109, NY 8 (view other lookouts in United States, New York) |
| Date Registered | July 6, 1995 |
| Location | Hamilton County, New York |
| Coordinates |
N 43° 52.326' W 074° 24.078' (view using Google Maps) N 43° 52' 20" W 074° 24' 05" N 43.872100° W 074.401300° |
| Elevation | 3,759 ft (1,146 m) |
| Administered by | NY Dept. of Environmental Conservation |
| Cooperators | N.Y. Dept. of Environmental Conservation & New York Chapter, Forest Fire Lookout Association |
Description
Blue Mountain Fire Tower may be best known and most visited fire tower in the Adirondacks. The site was used as a station in the land survey of 1870 and a wooden tower was built there in 1911. The present 35’ Aermotor LS-40 tower with 7’ x 7’ steel cab was constructed by NYSDEC in 1917 and remained active until 1990. The tower was rehabilitated in 1994 and staffed by volunteers of the Blue Mountain Fire Tower Committee.
Map
Change Basemap
Photos
1910s (P. Hartmann collection-courtesy Bill Starr)
1998 (Bill Starr photo)
Visit Reports
January 3, 2018: Laurie Rankin
Condition |
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| Needs paint? | Not Applicable |
| Shutters OK? | Not Applicable |
| Condition of wood OK? | Not Applicable |
| Stairs OK? | Not Applicable |
| Glass intact? | Not Applicable |
| Good condition? | No |
| Comments: | The fire tower was encased in rime ice on the date of this visit so it was difficult to determine condition. However, the NYSDEC does have plans to repaint and redeck the fire tower in 2018. In the Fall of 2017 all of the communications equipment and the building that was under the fire tower was removed and the tower was returned to its historical appearance by the NYSDEC. |
Electronics and Enroachments |
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| Are electronic sites enroaching on tower? | No |
| Comments: | All have been removed. |
Access and Signs |
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| NHLR sign posted? | No |
| Directions to tower signed? | Yes |
| Comments? | Well marked, large parking area and well marked trail.In winter the trailhead is not plowed, but the shoulder of the highway is. |
Staffing |
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| Staffed? |
Yes
In an agreement between the Town and the NYSDEC, a summit steward is hired each summer to staff the tower, provide historical information and hiker education.
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Opportunities for Volunteer Support |
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| Volunteers staffing opportunities? | Yes |
| Volunteer maintenance opportunities? |
Yes
Volunteers could supplement the work done by the paid summit steward in greeting visitors and in routine maintenance tasks.
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Photos |
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