Kane Mountain - 2,180'
Kane is another one of the very short and very sweet Fire Towers, best paired with another nearby tower or just perfect for a great sunrise hike. This peak also has a small observation cabin, all boarded up as they usually are. The peak here is pretty narrow and VERY wooded, you’re going to need to be at the top of the tower to get the views here.
We grabbed sunrise on this one and it was quite the treat, a task made easy by the relatively short climb. We do this often with Fire Towers that have shorter trails, and it’s really quite enjoyable. I get the impression that this one doesn’t draw a crowd very often which makes it ideal in a certain kind of way.
- Plenty of parking here, no problems at all.
- There’s an awesome lake near the parking lot here that is very serene and pretty.
*this excerpt was salvaged from the now defunct www.nysforestrangers.com, thanks to the Way Back Machine, written by Captain Paul T Hartmann (ret.)*
LOCATION: 3 Miles north of the Village of Caroga Lake.
STATUS: Remains and has been restored by the Canada Lakes Protective Assn.
The structure on is a 60′ Aermotor LS40 tower constructed by the Conservation Commission in 1925.
This tower ceased operation at the end of the 1988 season. The tower was officially closed in early 1989 when the Department of Environmental Conservation determined that towers were no longer effective and decided to phase them out of service.
The tower had been restored and is maintained by the Canada Lakes Protective Assn. and is open to the public. Kane Mt. now appears on the National Historic Lookout Register and the National Register of Historic Places being added to the latter September 23, 2001.
Kane Mt. is one of the mountains included in the Fire Tower Challenge sponsored by the Glens Falls-Saratoga Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK). “To complete the Challenge and receive the official full-color patch, hikers must climb and document, by date, ascents of at least 23 fire tower summits: 18 of 23 Adirondack Park summits and all 5 Catskill Park summits.”
We Give This Trail: 6/10
Ratings are subjective: considers trail conditions, difficulty, views and other notable or unique characteristics