New York State features a network of fire towers, each with a unique history and stunning views. Built in the early 20th century to combat forest fires, these towers served as lookout points for rangers. Today, they are popular hiking destinations offering historical significance and breathtaking landscapes.
We have created a comprehensive list of all the fire towers in New York. I haven’t visited all of these fire towers… yet. I am working my way through this list (hopefully, just like you!)
Many of these towers are part of regional fire tower challenges.
Allegany Region
Built: 1926
Height: 60 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 1/4 mile
Note Worthy: This is the last surviving Fire Tower of Allegany State Park’s original 5 Fire Towers.
Finger Lakes Region
Built: 1941
Height: 68 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: In the Winter, you must walk from the parking lot, which is less than a 1/4 mile. In Summer, you can pull right up.
Note Worthy: Visitors can climb during the summer when the tower is open.
Central Region
Built: 1934
Height: 59 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: No hike required
Note Worthy: This fire tower recently underwent rehabilitation and opened to the public in 2021.
Padlock Fire Tower- (NYS Fairgrounds)
Note Worthy: This fire tower is now part of the permanent DEC exhibit at the New York State Fairgrounds. Previously, it stood on Blackman Hill in Potato Hill State Forest, located 12 miles southeast of Ithaca.
Adirondack Region
Built: 1918 – Restored in 2002
Height: 35 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 1.9 miles round trip
Note Worthy: The current tower was not the first on-site. The original structure was a wood fire observation station constructed in 1914
Built: Replaced a wooden tower in 1917
Height: 47 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 0.3 mile hike
Note Worthy: This is the easiest fire tower hike in the Adirondacks.
Built: The original wooden tower was built in 1911, replaced with the current one in 1917, and rehabilitated in 1994.
Height: 35 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 2.2 miles with a 1,550-foot elevation gain
Built: 1919
Height: 47 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 2.2-mile round trip, accessible via the Latham Trail starting from the NYS Ranger School. This trail is considered one of the easier fire tower hikes, featuring only a 200-foot elevation gain.
Note Worthy: The tower was relocated from Tooly Pond Mountain to Cathedral Rock in the mid-1900s.
Built: 1924
Height: 60 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 0.3 miles – Very easy hike.
Note Worthy: This fire tower was moved from Luther Forest in Stillwater to Camp Saratoga.
Built: 1922
Height: 60 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 1.9 Miles with a 1075 elevation gain
Note Worthy: There is a fire watcher’s cabin near the base of the tower, which has been converted into a mini-museum.
Built: 1917
Height: 40 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 3.2 Miles round trip
Note Worthy: The fire tower was restored in 1995
Built: 1919
Height: 35 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 5.2 Miles round trip
Note Worthy: The Hurricane Mountain Fire Observation Station, including the tower, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
Built: 1925
Height: 60 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 0.6 miles with an elevation gain of 560 feet.
Note Worthy: The fire tower was restored in 2003.
Built: The original tower was built in 1912, and replaced in 1917
Height: 35 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 2.8 miles
Note Worthy: The fire tower was abandoned in 1971 and is no longer open to the public. The stairs have been removed to keep people from climbing it.
Built: 1917
Height: 35 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 3.5 miles
Google Map Link
Built: 1917
Height: 47 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 2.6 Miles
Note Worthy: The trailhead has interpretive signs for buildings in the old mining town of Adirondac.
Built: The original wooden tower was built in 1911 and was replaced by the current tower in 1918
Height: 35 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 1 mile with a 760-foot elevation gain.
Note Worthy: The old fire tower observer’s cabin is now a museum operated by the Friends of Mount Arab.
Built: 1919
Height: 35 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: Depending on what trail you take, it can be anywhere from 2.8 to 3.1 Miles.
Built: The original wooden tower was constructed in 1918, and then replaced by the current tower in 1924
Height: 60 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 1.6 miles
Note Worthy: This tower is in need of renovation. Visitors can climb the tower, but the top is not currently open.
Built: 1917
Height: 40 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 1.2 miles
Note Worthy: The summit provides stunning views of Whiteface Mountain to the west, the High Peaks to the south, and Lake Champlain along with the Green Mountains to the east.
Built: The original wooden tower was built in 1912 and replaced by the current tower in 1917.
Height: 35 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 1 mile
Note Worthy: The fire tower on Bald Mountain-Rondaxe was retired in 1990. It reopened in 2005 for hikers, thanks to the Friends of Bald Mountain, who continue to maintain it.
Built: 1928 and manned until 1988
Height: 73 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 1.2 miles
Note Worthy: The tower was refurbished in 2015
Built: 1910
Height: 35 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 3.3 miles
Note Worthy: This is one of the oldest of New York’s fire towers
Built: 1919
Height: 47 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: Less than 1 mile – considered very easy
Note Worthy: The Stillwater Fire Tower was reconstructed in 2016.
Vanderwhacker Mountain Fire Tower
Built: 1918
Height: 35 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 2.7 miles
Note Worthy: The fire tower is listed as a National Historic Landmark
Built: 1916
Height: 70 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 1.7 miles
Note Worthy: This is one of the first ten towers purchased by the State Commission to protect the Adirondack Forest Preserve from forest fires.
Built: 1919
Height: 22 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: No hike required
Note Worthy: The fire tower was moved to the Adirondack Experience in 1972.
Catskill Region
Built: 1928
Height: 60 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 1.6 miles with an elevation change of 354 feet.
Note Worthy: This tower was originally located in the Berkshires and moved to Beebe Hill in 1963
Built: 1924
Height: 60 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 1.5 miles with 400-foot elevation gain. It is considered an easy hike.
Note Worthy: This fire tower is located within Grafton Lakes State Park.
Built: 1902 was replaced by the current tower in 1917
Height: 60 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: You can hike 7 miles or take the Skyride to the top of the mountain. From there, the trail is only 2 miles.
Note Worthy: On a clear day, you can see the Berkshires in Massachusetts and Vermont’s Green Mountains from the tower.
Built: 1934
Height: 60 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 1.1 miles
Note Worthy: Unfortunately, the fire tower can’t be climbed.
Balsam Lake Mountain Fire Tower
Built: 1919
Height: 47 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 3.5 miles
Note Worthy: The fire tower was closed in 1988 and reopened by the Catskill Fire Tower Project and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in 2000.
Built: 1928
Height: 60 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 1.9 miles
Note Worthy: This tower is located in Harriman State Park.
Built: 1931
Height: 60 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 3.8 miles
Note Worthy: This tower is located in Hudson Highland State Preserve.
Built: 1917
Height: 47 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 6.1 miles
Built: 1940
Height: 82 Feet (and 6 inches)
Distance from Trailhead: 1.3 miles
Built: 1950
Height: 60 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 2.5
Note Worthy: This is the latest fire tower in the region.
Built: 1921
Height: 60 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 1.8 miles
Built: 1950
Height: 80 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 2 miles
Note Worthy: The tower was reconstructed in 2024.
Built: 1922
Height: 60 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 3.1 miles
Note Worthy: This fire tower is located in Sterling Forest State Park.
Built: 1933
Height: 90 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 0.9 miles
Note Worthy: This is the tallest fire tower in New York.
Built: 1945
Height: 80 Feet
Distance from Trailhead: 0.8 miles
Note Worthy: Located at the Catskills Visitor Center, it is an opportunity for visitors to experience a fire tower in the Catskills, especially for people who are unable to hike much.
How many of these fire towers have you visited? Which one was your favorite? Let me know in the comments.