Wakely Mountain is one of the tallest standing Fire Towers and is also home to a helicopter pad, a notable and uncommon feature. This one is a bit longer and a bit taller than your average tower.
Poke-O-Moonshine Mountain…Off the Beaten Path… Poke-O-Moonshine Mountain – 2,748′ Poke-O-Moonshine is another sweet one, a great open peak with a solid tower and a light and easy trail. This one is incredibly mild and goes pretty quick, about 4.5 miles. The views here are spectacular and the traversable area on the peak winds around the edges for more views and interesting things to see. I would easily classify this Fire Tower as one of the best, alongside Hurricane and handful of others. The trail up to the tower goes out and takes a deep right hook, which means your views are pointing towards the roads you came in on and the lake you drove by (very cool to see sometimes.) On the right side of the peak there was a sharp cliff were hooks and set loops for what appears to be mountain climbing, which was very cool to see, and not as common as you might think. This trail is also one of those ones that has some odd old relics scattered around from the good old days, including a decrepit lean-to and the remains of some foundation and chimney bricks. There is a lot going on here and this climb is one that warrants repeat visits. We only ran into 1 other person on this climb, the lot was completely empty. The trail was pretty solid over all and in surprisingly good shape. Poke-O-Moonshine Mountain Excerpt: *this excerpt was salvaged from the now defunct www.nysforestrangers.com, thanks to the Way Back Machine, written by Captain Paul T Hartmann (ret.)* LOCATION: 7 miles south of Keeseville and west of I-87. STATUS: Restored and open to the public. The first structure on Poke-O-Moonshine was a wooden tower erected by the Conservation Commission in 1912. In 1917 the wood tower replaced with
Owl’s Head Mountain…A Short Venture… Owl’s Head Mountain – 2,748′ Owl’s Head Mountain is another smaller climb and quite enjoyable in the winter. It’s somewhere around the middle in terms of difficulty with the Fire Towers, making this a great one for short day. We woke up late, got plenty of time on the peak by ourselves and went to the brew house right after. This one is a bit on the longer side for a Fire Tower, but it’s a fairly smooth up and down. We did this one in the winter and I would strongly recommend it as a nice winter snowshoe day, the more mild Fire Towers like this one are ideal for winter days, particularly if you’re new to snowshoeing. From the peak you can see far off peaks and nearby lakes. The nearby dinner is very fun and makes a good breakfast burrito. When we did this climb in the winter of 2022, the cabin was closed. Owl’s Head Mountain Excerpt: *this excerpt was salvaged from the now defunct www.nysforestrangers.com, thanks to the Way Back Machine, written by Captain Paul T Hartmann (ret.)* LOCATION: 4 miles southwest of the Village of Long Lake. STATUS: Restoration is under way. The first structure on Owls Head was a wooden tower erected by the Conservation Commission in September 1911. In 1919 it was replace with a 35′ standard Aermotor LS40 tower. With the advent of aerial detection, this tower was closed at the end of the 1970 season.The tower still remains, is being restored and is open to the public. It was added to the National Historic Lookout Register in 2006. Owls Head is one of the mountains included in the Fire Tower Challenge sponsored by the Glens Falls-Saratoga Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK). “To
Kane Mountain…A Short Venture… Kane Mountain – 2,180′ Kane is another one of the very short and very sweet Fire Towers, best paired with another nearby tower or just perfect for a great sunrise hike. This peak also has a small observation cabin, all boarded up as they usually are. The peak here is pretty narrow and VERY wooded, you’re going to need to be at the top of the tower to get the views here. We grabbed sunrise on this one and it was quite the treat, a task made easy by the relatively short climb. We do this often with Fire Towers that have shorter trails, and it’s really quite enjoyable. I get the impression that this one doesn’t draw a crowd very often which makes it ideal in a certain kind of way. Plenty of parking here, no problems at all. There’s an awesome lake near the parking lot here that is very serene and pretty. Kane Mountain Excerpt: *this excerpt was salvaged from the now defunct www.nysforestrangers.com, thanks to the Way Back Machine, written by Captain Paul T Hartmann (ret.)* LOCATION: 3 Miles north of the Village of Caroga Lake. STATUS: Remains and has been restored by the Canada Lakes Protective Assn. The structure on is a 60′ Aermotor LS40 tower constructed by the Conservation Commission in 1925. This tower ceased operation at the end of the 1988 season. The tower was officially closed in early 1989 when the Department of Environmental Conservation determined that towers were no longer effective and decided to phase them out of service. The tower had been restored and is maintained by the Canada Lakes Protective Assn. and is open to the public. Kane Mt. now appears on the National Historic Lookout Register and the National Register of Historic Places being
Hadley Mountain…Open and Inviting… Hadley Mountain – 2,680′ Hadley has a much larger and flatter peak than the typical Adirondack peak, but the views here are fairly open and great, although you will have to walk around a little to find them. Next time I do this one I’ll bring up a picnic and hang out for a little while. This climb is another short one that would be great to does a pair with another or just a nice morning. We did this one with in conjunction with another, smaller tower which was a lot of fun and made for a pretty great day. This peak is large and wide open, lots of space. There’s another one of those cabins up here on this one. Hadley Mountain Excerpt: *this excerpt was salvaged from the now defunct www.nysforestrangers.com, thanks to the Way Back Machine, written by Captain Paul T Hartmann (ret.)* LOCATION: 8 miles northwest of the Village of Lake Luzerne. STATUS: Remains and has been restored by the Friends of Hadley Mt. Plans for a tower on Hadley Mt were made in 1916 when satisfactory arrangements could not be made for the continuance of Ohmer Mt. Hadley is 4 3/4 miles northeast of Ohmer Mt. The Conservation Commission purchased in 1916 and installed in 1917, a 50′ Aermotor LL25 tower. It was of a lightweight design and had no stairs but only a ladder up the exterior for the purpose of ingress and egress. Wooden steps were added within the structure to ease access for both the Observer and the general public. A self-supporting staircase was developed by Aermotor, for installation in the towers purchased in 1916. This staircase amounted to a tower within a tower and was anchored to the original tower. These were purchased to replace the
Goodnow Mountain…Short and Sweet… Goodnow Mountain – 2,748′ Many Fire Towers in the ADK are short, casual climbs. In fact, most trails and climbs in general can be quite leisurely, with the mammoth High Peaks being the outliers. Goodnow is one of these shorter casual climbs that’s quite enjoyable and accessible to most people. Sometimes when we go for these climbs we’ll do a few in a single day, although this one was a solo trip. It’s worth noting that Owls Head is close by and could make a good pairing. The trail here is pretty solid and well kept, and there’s also an old observation house on it. these seem to mostly unused these days, generally locked and bared up, but this one was opened when we got up there (an interesting site). As we often do, we chose to do this climb as a sunrise hike and it did not disappoint. This practice is recommended on these shorter hikes. This peak is fairly thick with wood and rock, you’ll need to go a ways up the tower to get good views. The views of to the left of the nearby lake are fantastic, but very limited. Goodnow Mountain Excerpt: *this excerpt was salvaged from the now defunct www.nysforestrangers.com, thanks to the Way Back Machine, written by Captain Paul T Hartmann (ret.)* LOCATION: South of Rt. 28N 2 miles west of Newcomb. STATUS: Restored and is open to the public. Goodnow Mt. was chosen as an ideal site for an observation station in the town of Newcomb, Essex county, in 1921. A steel tower had been secured through extensive cooperation of landowners and lumbermen operating in the area in hopes to have it operational in 1922. The structure on Goodnow Mt is a 60′ Aermotor LS40 tower erected by