Mt. Beacon Fire Tower

11/29/2023

It’s not necessary to check in 10 times in a row. Once is enough

03/18/2023

Its that time of the year again when we have to do some spring cleaning on the Mt. Beacon Fire Tower particularly the graffiti problem that has been ongoing since the Mt. Beacon Fire Tower was renovated ten years ago. Why people feel its their God giving right to deface the Mt Beacon Fire Tower with their names and life stories is beyond my understanding. I don't care if Bansky himself left a tag on the fire tower, this has got to stop. Perhaps the best way to solve this issue is to reach out to the artist's community in the Beacon area and see if they have any ideas on how to fix this problem. It would hard to believe that someone would be so thoughtless to mark up someone's art work. Then again, nothing surprises me about what takes place at the fire tower. Aside from the graffiti problem, some morons are using the fire tower for target practice. Thankfully nobody has been injured or killed hiking up Mt. Beacon by stray bullets.

07/31/2022

Happy World Ranger Day!

World Ranger Day is celebrated across the world on July 31 every year to appreciate the contributions of the Forest Rangers

04/01/2022

Share the trails. What ever your mode of transportation is

07/03/2021

Thanks to my friends from the Hudson Valley Four Wheeler's Association (HVFWA) for assisting the Friends of the Mt. Beacon Eight (MB-8) in changing the flags at the 1935 crash site memorial. Since there is no way to negotiate vehicles up to this crash site, members of the HVFWA hiked with me to get to this crash site. My relationship with the HVFWA goes back over ten years now. They are mainly responsible for helping the Mt. Beacon Fire Tower Restoration Committee (MBFTRC) preserve and restore the historic Mt. Beacon Fire Tower. They stepped up again this year to help the MBFTRC spruce up the tower in time for the fire tower's 90th anniversary. The HVFWA has pledged to continue to support the MBFTRC's efforts to maintain the fire tower, but also committed themselves to taking a bigger role in the Mt. Beacon Eight project as well. This couldn't have come at a better time for both me and and both organizations. The MBFTC has been experiencing difficulty in recruiting volunteers to take on projects on the fire tower. The ongoing graffiti problem has been plaguing the fire tower since we renovated the fire tower back in 2013. Lets face it, the fire tower also takes a lot of abuse sitting atop the south peak of Mt. Beacon dealing with all types of weather conditions. Since it is now been around for ninety years, lets try to keep it around for another ninety! The MB-8 organization which was a small group of individuals to begin with is also having a hard time recruiting volunteers to change the flags on an annual basis and keep an eye out on each memorial crash site. To add to the mix, on a personal level, it has become increasingly more difficult for me to hike to either MB - 8 memorial crash sites or even the fire tower despite being driven to to the tower by my friends at the HVFWA. Its time for new people to step up as well and help out if you believe either one of these projects are worth preserving. Just so you know, the HVFWA is a 501 C 3 not for profit organization whose members range in age from the late teens to the mid sixties. They come from all backgrounds. Lawyers, police officers, even a retired diesel train engine mechanic and a variety of other occupations. They are responsible jeep owners who ride their vehicles on properties where they had attained permission to do so. They also give back to the community as well. They recently organized a fundraiser drive to raise money for Wounded Veterans. Amazingly, they raised five thousand dollars which they used to purchase wheel chairs for the Wounded Veterans. If you know of any organization in the Hudson Valley that might need their help, let them know by logging onto their website. In closing, I want to wish everyone a safe and Happy July 4th weekend. Lets all get back to our normal routines and enjoy ourselves again.

06/09/2021

In preparation for the upcoming 90th anniversary of the construction of the Mt. Beacon Fire Tower, I would like to thank members of the Mt Beacon Fire Tower Committee and the Hudson Valley Four Wheelers Association for volunteering their time and talents to start cleaning up the horrendous graffiti problem that exists on the MB Fire Tower. They also did much needed repairs to the fire tower footings and even replaced the rope on the flag pole allowing Old Glory to fly again over the south peak of Mt. Beacon. Thanks are also in order to Beacon's Brett's True Value Hardware for donating the material that was needed for this project. Future work on the fire tower will take place sometime over the next few weeks.

11/02/2020

Lets hear for the Mt. Beacon Fire Tower including! Remember, July 2021 will be the 90th anniversary of the construction of the Mt Beacon Fire Tower.

With treks ranging from beginner to pro, these upstate New York trails lead to fire towers that offer vistas of the Valley unlike any you’ve seen before.

09/21/2019

No problem with the north and south peaks of Mt Beacon, but it appears Sugarloaf Mt has now been burning for 24 hours.

06/03/2019

Not sure if everyone will see my post regarding my response to the ever growing graffiti problem on the mountaintop or the fire tower itself. My post was in response to the recent growing graffiti problem. Whether or not it is the area residents or visitors for out of the area, or a combination of both, I don't care who you are, this behavior has to stop.

Love the dogs! Glad they are enjoying Mt. Beacon and more importantly, getting in shape. However, I am not too thrilled with the spray painting. I wish people would just leave their magic markers and spray paint cans home. Just so you know, you are defacing public property which is a crime. NY State Parks owns the land/rock under the fire tower and the NY State DEC owns the fire tower. The Mt. Beacon Fire Tower Restoration Committee considers this type of action as visual pollution. As project manager of the Mt. Beacon Fire Tower Restoration project, we don not appreciate this disgraceful need to so-called TAG the rock below the tower or on the tower itself. We spent many hours renovating this tower for all to use. If you are caught defacing our mountaintop and our beloved fire tower by one of the MBFTRC members, we will call the authorities have you arrested on the spot. This behavior has to stop. It is truly embarrassing that when I visit other fire towers in the Catskills or the Adirondacks, there isn't one sign of graffiti anywhere on the property, observer's cabin and the tower itself. Just so you know, I'll goal was to rebuild the observers tower that once stood to the east of the fire tower,but with the element of people who visit the MBFT, the committee decided that we couldn't take a risk on wasting money for the cabin knowing full well, the cabin would be subjected to graffiti and possibly, destruction by way of arson. Happy hiking!