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Mount Adams - A High Peaks Treasure with a Fire Tower

Note: The cab of the Mt. Adams Fire Tower was heavily damaged by windstorms in mid-January. The fire tower is closed to public access until DEC can make repairs to the structure.

Mount Adams Cross the Hudson River on foot on a swinging iron suspension bridge with the river cascading beneath you as seen through the wide mesh crosswalk. Navigate Lake Jimmy on a floating rustic plank wood boardwalk. Climb a rugged 1800 vertical feet in 1.6 miles to an eighty seven year old Adirondack fire tower. Climb the newly renovated tower and feast your eyes on one of the most spectacular wilderness vistas east of the Mississippi River. You are in the heart of the high peaks wilderness, in the heart of Adirondack history. You are in the legendary Tahawus area.

If you ever had aspirations to be Indiana Jones, the hike to the Mount Adams fire tower might offer you everything you ever desired and perhaps more. Getting to the trailhead brings you into the heart of the southern portion of the high peaks to an area called the Upper Works. This is a drive into the history of the area. In the 1830s, the bustling communities of Adirondac and Tahawus were established and thriving. Enormous deposits of iron ore had been discovered in the area. Mills, furnaces and housing developed as the iron ore industry thrived until 1857 under the auspices of the McIntyre Iron Works. Logistical difficulties then proved too difficult to keep the industry afloat. In the 1940s, the iron ore which had a century ago been found to have a troublesome impurity (now known by the name of titanium) once again attracted investors. Titanium, found in ilmenite, was desired in the World War II effort for the fabrication of aircraft and for making white paint. The ore was mined until 1989 by National Lead Industries when operations were once again shut down and disbanded .

Getting to the trailhead is an unusual and wonderful drive. Exit the Northway at North Hudson at Exit 29 and drive towards Newcomb on Blue Ridge Road (Route 28). This is an inspiring tour with mountains and forest vistas greeting you at every turn. At approximately 18 miles turn onto Lower Works Road and then onto Upper Works Road. These roads were developed by the early McIntyre Iron Works and now provide a superb access for hikers as these roads penetrate deep into the high peaks wilderness. Just before arriving at the trailhead, off the road to the right is a huge abandoned stone blast furnace from the original McIntyre Iron Works business. Park the car at the trailhead with trails leading to Flowed Lands, Mount Adams and Mount Allen. Put on your Indiana Jones fedora, hoist your backpack on your shoulders, lace up your hiking boots and get ready for some adventuring on the 2.4 mile trail to the fire tower on Mount Adams.

Just after a few minutes on the trail you encounter the Hudson River and a relic from the past, a swinging iron suspension bridge that is supported only on each side of the river. Each step you take makes the bridge sway and roll with your body weight from side to side. There is also the accompaniment of the creaking and groaning that swaying metal bridges make. You are walking on large iron meshwork so you can look right down and see the Hudson River right under you. In my case, carrying my 12 pound poodle hiking buddy Biscuit adds just that little extra edge of adrenaline excitement to the river crossing. Once past the Hudson River a level walk takes you to Lake Jimmy. There is a wonderfully constructed long wood plank bridge to walk on to shortcut right across the lake. Looking off the footbridge offers close up views of aquatic life and a profusion of lily pads. Now that you have experienced two different types of water crossings in less than a mile you a ready to find and climb the trail to the Mount Adams fire tower. After less than 10 minutes of walking and passing a long abandoned wood shack there is a cairn on the left at .8 miles which signifies the start of the fire tower trail. At first the trail ascends gradually however the grade becomes steeper and steeper as there is 1800 feet of elevation to be gained in 1.6 miles. After taking breathers and scrambling ever upward the tower is reached. The summit itself is shrouded in trees and there are no views from the summit itself. The steps on the tower beckon to you and as you climb the stairs and get above tree line the vistas are absolutely spectacular.

Once in the tower cab you can see that you are in the midst of the spectacular high peaks “wilderness.” Colden, Marcy, Redfield, Cliff, Calamity, Algonquin, Marshall, Allen, Iroquois and the Santanonis are all there for your eyes to feast upon. Some of the mountains seem so close it feels as if you can almost touch them. On the day I was there, there were clouds swirling in the valleys between the peaks which gave the scene an ethereal look. One hundred eighty degrees directly behind the view of high peaks is an altered level landscape, showing the remains of the defunct mining site, complete with large piles of gravel and tailings.

Not too long ago these views from the tower could have been lost forever. The Mount Adams fire tower is in a wilderness area and is considered a “non conforming structure.” Rules and regulations required the tower be removed. There was a huge outcry from the hiking community and a compromise negotiation was tendered to allow the tower to stay. The Open Space Institute, a New York based nonprofit land conservation organization purchased the 10,100 acre Tahawaus property from Texas based National Lead Industries. The Open Space Institute will continue to maintain the half-acre footprint of the fire tower while transferring the remainder of the lands to New York State as wilderness area. The tower had been abandoned from use in 1972 so for over 30 years it had been left to slowly disintegrate in the harshness of the Adirondack climate conditions. Recent guidebooks warned that the trail was not worth climbing due to the lack of safety in attempting to climb the tower. It had fallen into serious disrepair. With the revitalization of interest in the tower with the Open Space Institute stepping to the plate, AmeriCorps volunteers visited the trail and tower this spring. They cleared the trail, marked it and most importantly renovated the tower to beautiful condition. I hiked the Mount Adams fire tower trail on July 2, 2004 and can vouch that the trail work and renovations on the tower structure are magnificent. It is now truly a first class hiking destination. Visit the tower and feel its power.

NOTE: For a brief description of the trail, please see ADIRONDACK TRAILS - High Peaks Region 13th Edition, p 231

Dr. Stuart Delman