NH firetowers

[rondak46]

Many maps I look at indicate that there are fire towers on several peaks, such as Garfield and Carrigan. Are these still there? Andmore generally, are the topos correct or have sevaral or many of the towers been removed.

Mike

 

[Mohamed Ellozy]

No fire tower on Garfield (just the remains of its base), tower on Carrigain is still there.

Many fire towers have been romved, the topos are rather slow in recording changes. They still show the Osseo Trail leaving the Kanc. According to Steve Smith and Mike Dickerman's The 4000-Footers of the White Mountains that trail was relocated in 1983.

The White Mountain Guide is probably your best source for discovering whether a given mountain still has a fire tower or not.

 

[rondak46]

Thanks Mohamed....

Many fire towers have been romved

This answers my question.

Mike

 

[maineguy]

The steel frame supporting structure of the tower on Carrigain still remains, but the enclosure which sat atop it was removed sometime in the early to mid 70s. It was a wonderful place to spend the night and you could drink the well water unfiltered.

The tower atop Osceola was almost identical to the one on Carrigain and was also removed sometime in the 70s.

Never saw the tower on Garfield

The last remaining firetower in the WMNF is on N. Kearsarge.

http://www.firetower.org/listings/us023.html

 

[David Metsky]

As far as I know, there never was a firetower on Garfield. The lookout station was built right on the rock, that's why those foundations are there.

Based on the footings, I assume there was one on Carter Dome. Smarts (on the AT south of Cube) still has a tower, but it's not in use. Magalloway in northern NH still has an active tower.

NH Fire Towers

-dave-

 

[Mark]

Did people live in these towers or just climb up when they were actively looking for fires? They must have been exciting places during lightning storms!

 

[peakbagger]

There is a very fine fire tower on Bemis in the WMNF, unfortunately it is laying on its side!. Looks like it was built just a few years before they tipped it over.

 

[dug]

Mark, I believe they were manned. I think in the case of Carrigain, for example, where the well is the Ranger would actually live/camp, but would spend his days in the tower.

The trails to these for many were roads that a 4x4 could access. In places along the Garfield Trail, for example, you can still see the old wire used for their DSL. No, wait, that's a joke. But there is an old phone wire or something.....

 

[MichaelJ]

It was a wonderful place to spend the night and you could drink the well water unfiltered.

Don't drink without filtering from the Carrigain summit well. In fact, I recommend not pulling water from there at all.

That well has regrettably been used for other purposes.

 

[maineguy]

"But there is an old phone wire or something."

On sections of the Desolation Trail up Carrigain the phone wire is visible.

And yes, don't drink the water from the Carrigain well. We drank from it back in the 60s, I wouldn't try that today.

 

[ken]

>>Many maps I look at indicate that there are fire towers on several peaks, such as Garfield and Carrigan. Are these still there? Andmore generally, are the topos correct or have sevaral or many of the towers been removed.<<

check out this new hampshire site
http://www.nhdfl.org/fire_towers/fp_firetowers.htm

 

[Peter Miller]

In the southern Whites, both Stinson and Carr had firetowers. I believe Stinson's was removed in the 70's or 80's. It had become a teenage party hangout. The road that was used to access it is still a fine route to the summit. I believe AMC's White Mtn Guide refers to it. It is used by snowmobiles in winter.

The foundation of the Carr tower is impressive. The road once used to access it is the western approach to the summit, which the WMG lists as abandoned, but which was being privately maintained the last time I hiked it.

The tower on Red Hill in the Lakes Region is in active use. One of the ironies is that Red Hill was the repeated target of an arsonist some years back. That arsonist also regularly torched Rattlesnake Mtn in Rumney, just north of Route 25. The fire scars on both are still quite visible. The arsonist was eventually caught.

The tower on Cardigan is a beautiful structure.

 

[rondak46]

interesting note...

......The tower on Red Hill in the Lakes Region....

Looks like the Catskills and the whites have sister fire towers. Red Hill in the Cats is one of five Towers there.

Mike

 

[Papa Bear]

I just woke upto this thread and realized I hiked to three towers in southern NH last October (also Acutsney in vermont had one), one was manned (although the guy said it was his last day of the season - Oct. 12). They all had microwave dishes which would indicate they are active.

Here they are with pictures:

Cardigan (locked but in use): Cardigan Tower
Kearsarge (open, ranger on duty): Kearsarge tower
Belknap. Locked but in use (I think): Belknap tower

Here's an interesting point. These peaks were all on the "50 finest" list that I'm chasing. These high prominence peaks are exactly those that attracted fire towers since they stood (stand) out above the suroundings.

Pb

 

[stopher]

Belknap is still in use. Last I heard, Hal Graham was manning it. There's also a fire tower (no longer operating but maintained by Tamworth Conservation Commission) about ten miles northeast of Red Hill. It was where the picture of Tim Seaver's first "mystery mountain" was taken from.

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

Croydon Peak, high point of Sullivan County, also has an active fire tower, but it costs money and special permission to visit, as it lies inside a huge private hunting reserve.

 

[RoySwkr]

The steel frame supporting structure of the tower on Carrigain still remains, but the enclosure which sat atop it was removed sometime in the early to mid 70s.

They also redid the stairs from the original, which OSHA considered too steep to remain - {as Dave Barry says, this is not a joke}

Did people live in these towers or just climb up when they were actively looking for fires? They must have been exciting places during lightning storms!

In the Western US, people actually lived at the top of the towers, and since most fires were caused by lightning they stayed on duty during storms, sitting on a wooden stool with phone insulators screwed to the legs. That is why the tower cabs were roughly 14'x14'.

In NH and ME, they usually worked the towers in fair weather only and lived in a cabin near the highest spring, so the cab is often 7'x7'. Sometimes there is a storm shelter near the summit in case the tower needs to be vacated.

There are lots of abandoned standing towers in ME and a few in NH, and even nutty hobbyists who climb them.

 

[maineguy]

"They also redid the stairs from the original, which OSHA considered too steep to remain - {as Dave Barry says, this is not a joke} "

The next upgrade/repair will probably require a wheelchair ramp.

 

[BrentD22]

Mass. Fire Tower

There is a great Fire Tower on Nobscot Hill. You can't access it legally, but there is a hole in the fence. No one ever gets mad if you up in it. I think you can go up into the tower when they are working on the communication equipment that is mounted on it.

The tower is in Sudbury, Mass Nobscot Hill. You can see Boston, Wachusett Mountain and on a clear day to Mt. Monadnok. The area around the fire tower has some great low land hiking. See this link Fire Tower/Tipping Rock and 2nd link

The AMC also has some info here AMC Link

also
Forest Fire Ass. Web Addy

 

[MichaelJ]

(OT - not actually in NH)

When I was a kid we used to go up Tower Road out in Ludlow (western MA) and hike up to the fire tower. At the time, there was no fence and you could walk up the stairs and take in the view. It was one of the larger tower, and the stairway up was "normal" in size and shape.

It's still visible from the Turnpike, but I don't know how access is now.