Blue Mountain (New York) Explained

Blue Mountain
Listing:Adirondack Hundred Highest 67th
Location:E of Blue Mountain Lake, New York, U.S.
Coordinates:43.8725°N -74.4011°W, 43.8758°N -74.4°W
Coordinates Ref:[1]
Topo:USGS Blue Mountain Lake
Map:New York Adirondack Park#USA

Blue Mountain is a peak in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State in the United States. Located east of Blue Mountain Lake, Hamilton County, the peak reaches a height of 3750feet.[1] For hiking, the elevation gain is 1559abbr=offNaNabbr=off and the trail length is four miles. The trailhead elevation is 2200abbr=offNaNabbr=off.[2] It is the location of the Blue Mountain Fire Observation Station, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

History

In September 1911, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built a 30-tallNaN-tall wooden tower. In 1917, the CCC replaced the wooden tower with a 35-tallNaN-tall Aermotor LS40 tower. During the Cold War the threat of nuclear annihilation was a serious concern. The United States Air Force developed and deployed what where known as "gap-filler" radar stations, which had a range of around 65miles. One of these stations was built on Blue Mountain and became operational in January 1959 and was decommissioned in December 1967. The fire tower ceased fire lookout operations in 1990, and was one of the last operating fire towers in New York State. It was one of the longest operating towers in New York, second only to the St. Regis Mountain fire tower. In 1992, the fire tower and cabin were seriously vandalized by unknown individuals. The incident occurred around the same time that Pharaoh Mountain tower was toppled, and some believe it may have been done by the same people. The tower was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. The FFLA, Team Rubicon, and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation did significant restoration work on the tower in 2019.[3]

External links

Notes and References

  1. 944317 . Blue Mountain . 2017-11-25 .
  2. Web site: Blue Mountain Trail | Blue Mountain Lake New York Hikes | Trails.com . 2009-12-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100830032748/http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.aspx?trailid=HGN094-017 . 2010-08-30 . dead.
  3. Web site: Searchable list of NY Fire Towers . nysffla.org . The New York State Chapter of the Forest Fire Lookout Association . November 22, 2021.