Bar Harbor, ME - Weather permitting, the Beech Mountain fire tower will be open on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Beech Mountain is an excellent spot for viewing the fall foliage. A ranger will be available to answer questions, and Smoky Bear items will be waiting for children who make it to the top. Dogs on leash are allowed to accompany hikers to the top, but cannot climb to the top of the tower because of the open grating on the steps and platform. Warm clothes are strongly recommended.
The fire tower is on the National Registry of Historic Fire Towers and is usually not open to the public. The original Beech Mountain fire lookout was in use from 1941 to the mid-1950s. It was a wooden building constructed by men from the Civilian Conservation Corps camps on Mount Desert Island. When it started to deteriorate, a new steel tower was flown in and erected at the top by 1962. It was manned during the day sporadically, but usually only during high fire danger times. The last time a park ranger manned the tower was in 1976. For more information, call 207-288-3338 and press “0," Monday-Friday from 8 a.m to 4:30 p.m.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
