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Central Adirondacks Fire Tower Challenge
Hiking in Adirondack Park
Central Adirondacks

Goodnow
Mountain

 

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The Goodnow Mountain Trail (Newcomb, NY) will be closed from January 10, 2023 through March 15, 2023 (subject to change) to accommodate an on-going timber harvest taking place in the vicinity. During that time, the public will not be allowed to access the Goodnow Mountain trailhead, trail or fire tower.

The Goodnow Mountain Trail leading to the fire tower is part of the Archer and Anna Huntington Wildlife Forest which is managed by SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and forms the Newcomb Campus. The mission for the Campus is to lead research, education and demonstration, advancing our understanding of forest and wildlife management.

The project is Adaptive Capacity Through Silviculture (ACTS), an experiment to determine how different forest treatment methods and resulting changed light levels affect the regeneration and growth of future forests as impacted by a changing climate. As a key carbon sink, forests are increasingly important to accumulate and sequester atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations and help mitigate climate change. ACTS is new network of experimental cutting designs that tests alternative strategies for managing hardwood forests across the northeastern US from New York to Michigan.

The project is designed to include several different timber harvest scenarios covering approximately 104 acres. Permanent research plots have been established to document forest conditions before and after the harvesting, and to evaluate the long-term effects of the different treatment strategies and climate change mitigation/adaptation. Learn more about the project at www.esf.edu/forestproperties/about/news.htm

Please direct questions to Mike Federice, Assistant Forest Property Manager, 518-582-4551

A 60 foot fire tower on Goodnow Mountain was erected in 1922 that was staffed until 1970. The area was once logged by the Huntington's, and remains of their logging operations can still be seen on the mountain. The 2,690 foot peak is in the 15,000 acre Huntington Wildlife Forest owned by the College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse University (ESF). The College and the Town of Newcomb restored the tower in 1995. The views from the summit and the fire tower are expansive.

On a nice day, the view from the fire tower on Goodnow mountain is one of the best in the Adirondacks.  The most prominent mountain seen from the summit tower is Santanoni, but many of the other High Peaks are also visible. Views of the great forest preserve stretching out to the south are also available without climbing the tower.

Goodnow Mountain is part of the "ADK Fire Tower Challenge".

THE HIKE: The students at ESF did a great job on this trail.  Simply follow the well used trail up to the fire tower at the summit.  The trail starts out fairly level, then after the first bench at 0.5 miles, begins to ascend sometimes steeply to the summit.  At 0.8 mile check out the tree growing on top of a boulder.  There are numerous boardwalks along the way and an old horse barn at 1.6 miles.  There is a couple of benches at an open ledge at 1.75 miles, then you actually descend before finally making one last ascent to the summit. 

The elevation gain is 1,040 feet on this hike and it is 1.95 miles from the parking area to the tower (3.9 miles round trip).  There are pictures below.  There is also a video I found on YouTube that shows the view from the tower.

Directions:  NY 28N East from Long Lake.  There is a white ESF Trailhead sign on the right side of the road about 11.6 miles east of Long Lake village.

 

Goodnow Mountain Fire Tower

Old building along the trail to Goodnow Mountain

 

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