Fire lookout · Franklin County, New York
St. Regis Mountain Fire Tower
Observer post from 1910, steel tower built 1918, staffed to 1990, closed and derelict, restored by Friends and DEC, reopened September 2016 with summer stewards.
- Standing
- Open to the public
- Verified
Visit & stay
Not rentable. As far as we know, this lookout cannot be booked for overnight stays.
Access
Open to the public. Reopened to the public on September 1, 2016 after restoration. The Friends group posts stewards on set days during the hiking season.
- Can you climb it?
- Unknown
- Road to the top?
- Unknown
- Trail
- Hiking trail. The main trailhead is on Keese Mills Road; a lakeside trailhead is about 2.3 miles from the summit. NHLR's 2015 visit report says the trail is well marked but wet in some areas.
- Staffing
- Staffed by volunteers
Facts
- Status
- Type
- Cab on a tower35-foot Aermotor LS-40 steel tower with a 7 x 7 ft metal cabThe design: Aermotor LS-40
- Built of
- SteelGoing by its design; no source says so in words.
- Built
- 1918
- Height
- 35 ft (10.7 m)
- Elevation
- 2,874 ft (876 m)
- Agency
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
- Land
- State land
- Location
- Franklin County, New York
- Coordinates
- 44.40842, −74.32936
- Registers
- This entry
- VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 8 Oct 2026.
- Firefinder id
us-ny-st-regis-mountain
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 3.9 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
- 1910 First staffedObserver first stationed on St. Regis Mountain in April 1910; no tower was needed at first. NHLR dates the lookout site to 1909.Sources: friendsofstregis.org, nhlr.org
- 1915 FireFire fanned by swift winds on May 31, 1915 destroyed 1,550 acres of state land.Source: friendsofstregis.org
- 1918 Built35-foot Aermotor LS40 steel tower erected by the state (Conservation Commission per the Friends history); still standing.Sources: nhlr.org, friendsofstregis.org, en.wikipedia.org
- 1925 EventA new observer's cabin was built at St. Regis in 1925.Source: nysffla.org
- No record between 1925 and 1990
- 1990 AbandonedAbandoned by DEC after closure; the tower began to deteriorate and the lower stairs were later removed.Source: friendsofstregis.org
- 1990 Last staffedStaffed continuously through 1990 and closed at the end of the 1990 fire season.Sources: nhlr.org, friendsofstregis.org
- 1995 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterDate registered May 1, 1995 per the NHLR detail page.Source: nhlr.org
- 2005 Listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesPlaced on the New York State Register and the National Register of Historic Places in March 2005 (Wikipedia gives March 15, 2005).Sources: friendsofstregis.org, en.wikipedia.org
- 2010 EventIn October 2010 the Adirondack Park Agency voted to classify the land beneath the St. Regis and Hurricane towers as historic, so the towers could stay and be restored.Source: friendsofstregis.org
- 2013 EventFriends of St. Regis Mountain Fire Tower officially organized in May 2013.Source: friendsofstregis.org
- 2014 EventDEC issued the final Unit Management Plan on November 7, 2014, allowing restoration to proceed.Source: friendsofstregis.org
- 2015 RestoredFriends, volunteers and the Student Conservation Association installed railings, stairs, landings, safety fencing and a new cab floor in September 2015.Source: friendsofstregis.org
- 2016 RestoredRestoration completed by the Friends and DEC; new roof flown up in July 2016; tower reopened to the public on September 1, 2016.Sources: nhlr.org, friendsofstregis.org
- 2018 RestoredReplacement of the 24 diagonal braces began: the new galvanized steel braces were flown to the summit on 31 October and the first set fitted on 4 November before weather stopped work.Source: friendsofstregis.org
- 2019 RestoredThe 24 new cross braces flown in during October 2018 were all fitted; the footings were repaired, the steel under the treated steps primed and the tower painted.Sources: nysffla.org, nysffla.org, nysffla.org
- 2020 RestoredVolunteers finished priming work on the St. Regis tower over two seasons, including cold-galvanizing drilled holes, and found corrosion in both areas (reported).Source: nysffla.org
- 2021 AlteredVolunteers carried interpretive panels up to the St. Regis tower on Sept 3, 2021 and installed them.Sources: nysffla.org, nysffla.org
- 2021 RestoredThrough summer 2021 volunteers repainted the St. Regis tower and made minor repairs to its fencing; full fence replacement remained a priority.Source: nysffla.org
- 2022 RestoredFriends of St. Regis completed their painting project on the tower in spring 2022, hauling paint to the summit.Sources: nysffla.org, nysffla.org
- 2023 AlteredA board member of the Friends of St. Regis mounted a bracket on the tower so a US flag can be flown on steward days.Source: nysffla.org
- 2024 AlteredTwo more panoramic view panels, west and north, were mounted in the cab, the third and fourth.Sources: nysffla.org, nysffla.org, nysffla.org
- 2024 RestoredReplacement of the stair and landing safety fencing began on 15 June.Source: friendsofstregis.org
- 2025 AlteredFriends repaired the old fence on Sept. 10 and installed one short section of new safety fence, with full replacement continuing into 2026.Source: nysffla.org
- 2025 RestoredFence replacement continued: in September most of the new fence sections were cut for fitting in 2026.Source: friendsofstregis.org
- 2026 RestoredNew safety fence was fitted: all stair flights were done by mid-September and the landings were under way.Source: friendsofstregis.org
- 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 (opens another site) (click the spot there to list them, with dates and downloads).
Story
Researched 8 Oct 2026, fact-checked.
St. Regis Mountain Fire Tower stands on St. Regis Mountain in the Adirondack Forest Preserve, in Franklin County, New York.1 An observer was posted on the mountain in April 1910. No tower was needed, because fires and erosion had left the summit open to view.2 The National Historic Lookout Register dates the lookout site to 1909, a year earlier.1 The tower itself went up in 1918, when the state put up a 35-foot Aermotor LS40 steel tower that still stands.1,2
George F. Brown was the first observer.2 During his first year, Brown logged 55 fires, and a few of them were dangerous.2 On May 31, 1915, a small fire, probably started by fishermen, was pushed along by fast winds and destroyed 1,550 acres of state land.2 Staffing ran without a break from April 1910 through 1990, which the Friends group says makes it the longest operating fire tower in the Adirondacks and in New York State.2 In 1990 the state closed the last operating fire towers in New York, St. Regis among them.2
After that the tower deteriorated.2 The lower stairs were removed to keep the public off it, and it stayed closed for many years.2,3 It was listed on the state and national registers in March 2005, and the Friends group was organized in May 2013.2,4 A DEC management plan issued on November 7, 2014 allowed restoration to proceed.2 Friends members, volunteers and the Student Conservation Association installed railings, stairs and new cab flooring in 2015, and a new roof followed in 2016.2 The tower reopened to the public on September 1, 2016.2,1
Today the Friends group puts seasonal stewards on the tower.5 Its June 2026 update says two stewards are at the tower this hiking season, one from Friday through Sunday and one on Mondays and Tuesdays.5 A 2018 visit report found the tower in excellent condition, with the trail and parking area well signed.1 The Adirondack Explorer puts the summit about 2.3 miles from a lakeside trailhead.3 A DEC web page still describes the tower as being restored so it can open, which does not match the 2016 reopening.6
- St. Regis Mountain Fire Tower, National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org), http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/ny/st-regis-mountain-fire-tower/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
- History of the Tower, Observers and Friends Group, Friends of St. Regis Mountain Fire Tower, http://www.friendsofstregis.org/history-of-the-tower-observers-and-friends-group/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
- Newly Restored Fire Tower on St. Regis Mountain, Adirondack Almanack (Adirondack Explorer), https://www.adirondackexplorer.org/adirondacks-almanack/newly-restored-fire-tower-st-regis-mountain/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
- St. Regis Mountain Fire Observation Station, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Regis_Mountain_Fire_Observation_Station (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
- Friends of St. Regis Mountain Fire Tower, home page, http://www.friendsofstregis.org (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
- Fire Towers, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/hiking/fire-towers (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
Photos
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Sources
- National Historic Lookout Register (NHLR) (opens another site) 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
- Forest Fire Lookout Association (FFLA) - US lookout lists (opens another site) 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
- Map and Coordinates List for NYS DEC Firetowers (Andy Arthur) (opens another site) Gave us: ownership, links Andy Arthur, andyarthur.org (CC BY 3.0) · CC BY 3.0, credit: Andy Arthur, andyarthur.org. Facts + short description text reused under that licence. · retrieved 4 Oct 2026
- FOREST LOOKOUTS -- eastern US (easternuslookouts.weebly.com) (opens another site) Gave us: what it is built of, design, 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
- Forest Fire Lookout Association, New York State Chapter (opens another site) 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
- Friends of St. Regis Mountain Fire Tower (opens another site) Gave us: staffing, dates, links Friends of St. Regis Mountain Fire Tower (friendsofstregis.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 year of the Friends' restoration log it comes from. The position is copied from the NHLR record (the Friends publish none). · retrieved 8 Oct 2026
- Forest Fire Lookout Association chapter reports (opens another site) Gave us: 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
- OpenStreetMap -- fire lookout structures (opens another site) Gave us: links © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL 1.0. (c) OpenStreetMap contributors. · retrieved 4 Oct 2026
- FFLA chapters, affiliates and Friends groups: lookout pages (opens another site) FFLA chapters and Friends groups (each link names the group) · Links to the groups' own pages; facts only from the California-South chapter's tower table (register page, operator, condition). No text or photos reproduced. · retrieved 8 Oct 2026
- 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
- NHLR register entry US 117 (nhlr.org) (opens another site)
- History of the Tower, Observers and Friends Group (Friends of St. Regis Mountain Fire Tower) (opens another site)
- Newly Restored Fire Tower on St. Regis Mountain (Adirondack Almanack (Adirondack Explorer)) (opens another site)
- Fire Towers (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation) (opens another site)
- St. Regis Mountain Fire Observation Station (Wikipedia) (opens another site)
- FFLA New York lookout list (firelookout.org) (opens another site)
- Forest Fire Lookout Association, New York State Chapter: work on St. Regis Mountain Fire Tower (opens another site)
- Friends of St. Regis Mountain Fire Tower: work on St. Regis Mountain Fire Tower (opens another site)
- Forest Fire Lookout Association chapter reports: work on St. Regis Mountain Fire Tower (opens another site)
- View further information at the Friends of St. Regis website (opens another site)
- Spring 2015 restoration update (opens another site)
- Friends of St. Regis Mountain Fire Tower Facebook Page (opens another site)
- St. Regis Mtn. Fire Tower on andyarthur.org (Andy Arthur) (opens another site)
- St. Regis Mountain (easternuslookouts.weebly.com) (opens another site)
- OpenStreetMap node 4305365296 (opens another site)
Firefinder takes facts (places, dates, numbers) from these sources and writes its own words. See all sources and licences.