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Fire lookout · Dutchess County, New York

Mount Beacon Fire Tower

Also known as Beacon Mountain

A 1931 Aermotor tower on South Beacon Mountain; retired from fire watch in the 1970s or 1980s, listed 2009, restored by volunteers and reopened to hikers June 2013.

Visit & stay

Not rentable. As far as we know, this lookout cannot be booked for overnight stays.

Access

Open to the public. Described as a hiking destination and reopened to hikers in 2013; the tower remains a DEC tower on City of Beacon land. Scenic Hudson's page is undated, so check current conditions before going.

Can you climb it?
Yes
Road to the top?
No, you have to hike
Trail
Strenuous hike, less than a mile from the North Mount Beacon summit, per Scenic Hudson.
Staffing
Unknown

Facts

Status
Standing
Type
Cab on a towerAermotor LS-40 steel tower, 60 ft, with a 7 x 7 ft metal cab and 72 stepsThe design: Aermotor LS-40
Built of
Steel
Built
1931
Height
60 ft (18.3 m)
Elevation
1,600 ft (488 m)
Agency
NY Dept. of Environmental Conservation
Land
Unknown
Location
Dutchess County, New York
Coordinates
41.48155, −73.94442
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 8 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-ny-mount-beacon

View from the cab

What you see from the cab: every ridge out to about 93 miles, the named peaks in sight, and other fire lookouts within view, worked out from terrain data in your browser.

Downloads about 3.3 MB of terrain data the first time.

Or see what it could see on the map: the ground in its line of sight.

History

Then and now

  1. 1922 EventObserver post listed as South Beacon Mtn. before any tower; the observer walked down a foot trail to a phone lineSource: nhlr.org
  2. 1931 BuiltAermotor LS-40 erected on the site of an earlier wooden towerSources: nhlr.org, historic-structures.com, beaconfiretower.weebly.com
  3. 1932 First staffedBegan supporting fire observation in the areaSource: historic-structures.com
  4. No record between 1932 and 1972
  5. 1972 Last staffedLast assigned fire ranger in 1972; taken out of active service at the end of the 1972 observation seasonSources: nhlr.org, historic-structures.com
  6. 1975 ClosedHistoric Structures says the tower was briefly back in service, then decommissioned permanently around 1975Source: historic-structures.com
  7. 1987 ClosedNHLR says the tower was decommissioned in 1987 (sources disagree with c. 1975)Source: nhlr.org
  8. No record between 1987 and 2003
  9. 2003 EventRestoration interest first initiated; a formal organizing meeting with NYSDEC, the City of Beacon and others took placeSources: nhlr.org, historic-structures.com
  10. 2005 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterRegistered on the National Historic Lookout Register December 16, 2005 as US 655Source: nhlr.org
  11. 2008 AlteredReplacement steps installed over the summer of 2008Source: nhlr.org
  12. 2008 EventFFLA restoration grant awarded for Mount Beacon tower restoration (hardware, paint and materials; committee chaired by David Rocco); total cost over $10,000 over 2-3 years.Sources: firelookout.org, firelookout.org
  13. 2008 RestoredRestoration work began in October 2008 with installation of new stair treads and landing platforms.Source: firelookout.org
  14. 2009 Listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesAdded to the National Register of Historic Places October 23, 2009 (ref. 09000862)Source: en.wikipedia.org
  15. 2013 RestoredRestoration completed with volunteers and the New York Army National Guard; tower reopened June 22, 2013 with a ceremonySources: nhlr.org, scenichudson.org
  16. 2018 RestoredVolunteers worked on the tower on July 14, removing chicken wire and graffiti.Source: nysffla.org
  17. 2021 Condition assessmentAn April 2021 FFLA visit found heavy graffiti on the Mount Beacon tower and recommended examining its footings.Source: nysffla.org
  18. 2021 RestoredGraffiti was removed from the tower and cab, the footings repaired (with concrete work) and the flagpole rope replaced.Sources: nysffla.org, nysffla.org, nysffla.org
  19. TodayStandingIt still stands, as far as our sources know.

Old maps of this spot

USGS topographic maps from the years a lookout stood may show it, often as a small symbol labelled “Lookout”. See the old topo maps around it on the Firefinder map, or find every scanned sheet of this spot on USGS TopoView (click the spot there to list them, with dates and downloads).

Story

Researched 8 Oct 2026, fact-checked.

The Mount Beacon fire tower stands on the summit of South Beacon Mountain in Beacon, New York.1 Before it existed, the site was an observer's post with no tower at all.2 The NHLR describes an observer who walked a quarter mile to a tree at the end of the phone line, then climbed it to dial out on a temporary telephone.2 In 1931 a steel tower was put up where a wooden one had stood. It is an Aermotor LS-40, 60 feet tall, with a 7-by-7-foot metal cab.2,3

Fire observation at the site ran from 1932 until the early 1970s, when aircraft took over that role.4 The last fire ranger was assigned there in 1972.2 The sources do not agree on when it was finally retired. The NHLR says the tower was decommissioned in 1987, while Historic Structures says it went back into service briefly and was retired for good around 1975.2,4 A local restoration group says the state used it for five decades.3

After the state surplused the tower, no buyer came forward, so it stayed a DEC tower on City of Beacon land.2 Afterward, hikers could climb its 72 stairs.2 In 2003 interest in restoring it was first raised, and a formal organizing meeting with NYSDEC and the City of Beacon took place that year.4,2 The tower joined the National Historic Lookout Register in 2005, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 23, 2009.2,1

Replacement steps were installed in the summer of 2008.2 Later, the cross bracing, cabin walls, handrails and paint were finished with help from core volunteers, the Hudson Valley Four Wheeler Association and the New York Army National Guard.2 The tower reopened with a ceremony on June 22, 2013.2

Today Scenic Hudson presents the 1931 tower as restored and describes the climb as a strenuous hike, less than a mile from the North Mount Beacon summit.5 The restoration work is listed as completed.4 Check conditions before you go.

  1. Mt. Beacon Fire Observation Tower, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mt._Beacon_Fire_Observation_Tower (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  2. Mount Beacon Fire Tower, National Historic Lookout Register, http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/ny/mount-beacon-fire-tower/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  3. History, Mount Beacon Fire Tower restoration site, https://beaconfiretower.weebly.com/history.html (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  4. Mt. Beacon Fire Observation Tower, Beacon New York, Historic Structures, https://www.historic-structures.com/ny/beacon/mt-beacon-fire-observation-tower/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  5. South Mount Beacon Fire Tower, Scenic Hudson, https://www.scenichudson.org/experience/south-mount-beacon-fire-tower/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩

Photos

Photo of Mount Beacon Fire Tower
Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Photo of Mount Beacon Fire Tower, 1974
(1974)Photo: Bob Eckler (courtesy Bill Starr), via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
1974 Cabin
1974 Cabin (1974)Photo: Bob Eckler (courtesy Bill Starr), via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Aerial view summer 2008
Aerial view summer 2008 (2008)Photo: David Rocco, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
New York City skyline Oct. 2008
New York City skyline Oct. 2008 (2008)Photo: David Rocco, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
August 16, 2013 by David Rocco. Beacon-Newburgh Bridge and Catskills Mountains in background.
August 16, 2013 by David Rocco. Beacon-Newburgh Bridge and Catskills Mountains in background (2013)Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
August 16, 2013 by David Rocco. Newburgh waterfront in background.
August 16, 2013 by David Rocco. Newburgh waterfront in background (2013)Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
August 16, 2013 by David Rocco. Storm King Mountain is to the right.
August 16, 2013 by David Rocco. Storm King Mountain is to the right (2013)Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Stereo view from cab
Stereo view from cabPhoto: Ed Engelman, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Stereo view from base
Stereo view from basePhoto: Ed Engelman, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Photo of Mount Beacon Fire Tower
Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Photo of Mount Beacon Fire Tower
Photo: Percolini, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Photos keep their own rights and are shown with credit. Is one of these yours? You can ask for a different credit or for removal.

Sources

  1. National Historic Lookout Register (NHLR) Gave us: name, location, county, elevation, register numbers, agency, dates, photos, links National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved (American Resources, Inc.); facts extracted only, no prose copied. · retrieved 4 Oct 2026
  2. Forest Fire Lookout Association (FFLA) - US lookout lists Gave us: type, status, register numbers, links Forest Fire Lookout Association (firelookout.org) · No licence stated; facts extracted only, no prose copied. · retrieved 8 Oct 2026
  3. FOREST LOOKOUTS -- eastern US (easternuslookouts.weebly.com) Gave us: height, links easternuslookouts.weebly.com · No licence stated; facts only (county, coordinates where the page's own map widget gives them, status, height, design hints, register links). The site's own historical quotes, newspaper citations and narrative are not reproduced. · retrieved 8 Oct 2026
  4. Forest Fire Lookout Association, New York State Chapter Gave us: dates, links Forest Fire Lookout Association, New York State Chapter (nysffla.org) · No licence stated; facts only (dates, names, the kind of work done). Every note is our own wording and every event links to the chapter newsletter it comes from. Positions are copied from the NHLR and FFLA records (the chapter publishes none). · retrieved 8 Oct 2026
  5. Forest Fire Lookout Association chapter reports Gave us: dates, links Forest Fire Lookout Association, chapter and restoration-grant reports (firelookout.org) · No licence stated; facts only (dates, names, the kind of work done). Every note is our own wording and every event links to the FFLA report it comes from. Positions are copied from the NHLR, FFLOS and FFLA records. · retrieved 8 Oct 2026
  6. Wikidata -- US fire lookout towers (Q748998 and subclasses) Gave us: register numbers, photos, links Wikidata · CC0 1.0 (Wikidata). Images keep their own Commons licence/credit. · retrieved 4 Oct 2026
  7. OpenStreetMap -- fire lookout structures Gave us: what it is built of, register numbers, access, links © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL 1.0. (c) OpenStreetMap contributors. · retrieved 4 Oct 2026
  8. Firefinder research Gave us: summary, design, height, status, agency, access, visiting details, dates, links, fact-check Firefinder research (sources cited in the story footnotes) · Our own research notes; each fact cites its source in the lookout's story

More about this lookout elsewhere

Firefinder takes facts (places, dates, numbers) from these sources and writes its own words. See all sources and licences.