FirefinderFire lookouts of the US

Fire lookout · Monroe County, Pennsylvania

Big Pocono Lookout (1921)

1921 steel fire tower from Big Pocono State Park; taken down in 2017, restored at Grey Towers NHS in Milford, PA, and open on a trail there.

Moved: The structure was moved. The map shows where it stands now; the timeline says where it came from. Taken down at Big Pocono State Park in 2017 and moved to Grey Towers National Historic Site. A 40-foot replacement stands at the park.

Visit & stay

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

Access

Restricted access

Access is seasonal, gated or needs a permit. Check before you go. Tower is on the Forest Discovery Trail at Grey Towers NHS. The 2017 plan said group access to the top cab would be supervised. Current rules not confirmed.

Can you climb it?
Unknown
Road to the top?
Unknown
Trail
Half-mile Forest Discovery Trail behind the Grey Towers mansion. Ask the site about climbing before a visit.
Staffing
Unknown

Facts

Status
Moved sources disagree
Type
Cab on a towerAermotor LS 40 steel tower with 7 by 7 foot cabThe design: Aermotor
Built of
Not recorded
Built
1921
Height
21 ft (6.4 m)
Elevation
2,083 ft (635 m)
Agency
USDA Forest Service at Grey Towers NHS; original owner Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
Land
Unknown
Location
Monroe County, Pennsylvania
Coordinates
41.04190, −75.35250
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 9 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-pa-big-pocono-1921

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.

The structure was moved. This view is from the position Firefinder shows for this record, at its recorded height.

Downloads about 3.5 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. 1921 BuiltBuilt in 1921 per NHLR and the Forest Service; a 2017 Courier article says 1919Sources: nhlr.org, fs.usda.gov, greytowers.org
  2. No record between 1921 and 1993
  3. 1993 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterRegistered March 11, 1993Source: nhlr.org
  4. No record between 1993 and 2017
  5. 2017 MovedCut into two pieces and moved to Milford, to Grey Towers NHSSources: pikecountycourier.com, greytowers.org
  6. 2017 RemovedDisassembled in 2017 under Pennsylvania's fire tower upgradeSources: nhlr.org, pikecountycourier.com
  7. 2017 Replaced by a new structureA 40-foot tower built in 2017 replaced it at Big Pocono State ParkSources: nhlr.org, nhlr.org
  8. 2018 RestoredCab restoration began in 2018; cab disassembled in summer 2018 and reassembled in summer 2019Sources: greytowers.org, pikecountycourier.com
  9. 2022 EventDescribed in September 2022 as all but restored, with educational items still to finish; visitors could climb it during a festivalSource: pikecountycourier.com
  10. TodayMovedThe structure was moved. The map shows where it stands now; the timeline says where it came from.

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 9 Oct 2026, fact-checked.

The Big Pocono tower was built in 1921 on Big Pocono Mountain, in what is now Big Pocono State Park near Tannersville, Pennsylvania.1,2 A 2017 Courier article instead says it was first installed in 1919.3 The National Historic Lookout Register calls it a typical example of Pennsylvania fire tower work from 1914 to 1939. It also says the tower is thought to be the oldest still operating, though some older structures stand inactive.1

The tower was built of steel, an Aermotor LS 40 model, and its cab measured 7 by 7 feet.4,1 The register gives its height as 21 feet. A 2017 Courier article gives 35 feet instead, and the sources we read do not say why they differ.1,3

The register's visit notes say the tower was mostly staffed in spring, and that fall staffing depends on weather and need.1 We found no named fire or smoke report tied to this tower in the sources we read.

In 2017 the tower was taken down as part of Pennsylvania's plan to upgrade its fire towers, and a 40-foot tower replaced it at the park.1,5 The Courier reported that the old tower was cut into two pieces so it could be moved to Milford, where Grey Towers is.3 In 2017 that paper also said Grey Towers, the former home of Gifford Pinchot, was owned and managed by the Forest Service.3

The tower was relocated to Grey Towers to be refurbished and re-erected, and the state donated it as an educational resource.4,6 Restoration began in 2018 with volunteers helping.6 The cab was taken apart in the summer of 2018 and reassembled in the summer of 2019.4,6 On September 28, 2022, a local paper reported that the tower was nearly fully restored, with some educational items still to finish.6

The half-mile Forest Discovery Trail winds through the woods behind Grey Towers, and visitors can see the restored tower.2,6 In 2022, the tower could be climbed during the Festival of Wood.6 The 2017 plan said groups going up to the top cab would be supervised for safety.3 The sources we read do not say what the climbing rules are today, so ask Grey Towers before you plan a climb.

The tower standing at Big Pocono State Park now is the 2017 replacement.5 The original 1921 lookout is the one at Grey Towers.5

  1. Big Pocono Lookout (1921), National Historic Lookout Register, http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/pa/big-pocono-lookout-1921/ (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  2. Grey Towers National Historic Site, Forest Discovery Trail, USDA Forest Service, https://www.fs.usda.gov/greytowers/about-site/museum/forest-discovery-trail (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  3. Big Pocono fire tower migrates to Grey Towers, Pike County Courier, https://www.pikecountycourier.com/news/local-news/big-pocono-fire-tower-migrates-to-grey-towers-HTPC20171102171109978 (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  4. Fire Tower Project, Grey Towers Heritage Association, https://greytowers.org/fire-tower/ (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  5. Big Pocono Lookout (2017), National Historic Lookout Register, http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/pa/big-pocono-lookout-2017/ (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  6. Fire tower by Grey Towers: more history to explore, Pike County Courier, https://www.pikecountycourier.com/home/fire-tower-by-grey-towers-more-history-to-explore-XE2226514 (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩

Photos

July 2015
July 2015 (2015)Photo: Jan Braidech, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Still standing at its original site on September 4, 2017
Still standing at its original site on September 4, 2017 (2017)Photo: Mark Haughwout, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Still standing at its original site on September 4, 2017
Still standing at its original site on September 4, 2017 (2017)Photo: Mark Haughwout, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
1921 tower disassembled for relocation in September 2017
1921 tower disassembled for relocation in September 2017 (1921)Photo: John Motz, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
1921 tower disassembled for relocation in September 2017
1921 tower disassembled for relocation in September 2017 (1921)Photo: John Motz, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Construction for tower replacement in September 2017
Construction for tower replacement in September 2017 (2017)Photo: John Motz, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
New tower foundation in September 2017
New tower foundation in September 2017 (2017)Photo: John Motz, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source

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Where sources disagree

We show disagreements between sources instead of quietly picking one. If you know which is right, please tell us.

  • Sources disagree on whether it still stands.

    • Firefinder research: Moved
    • NHLR: Standing

    Research (2026-10-09) gives relocated where the source records give standing. The page shows the researched status; please tell us if it is wrong.

Sources

  1. National Historic Lookout Register (NHLR) Gave us: name, location, county, elevation, type, status, 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. 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.