Prospect Mountain Fire Tower LbNA #30954
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Add Location| Owner: | Baker
 |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | May 19, 2007 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Lake George |
| County: | Warren |
| State: | New York |
| Boxes: | 1 |
| Found by: | Squatchis |
|---|---|
| Last found: | Nov 13, 2016 |
| Status: | FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF |
| Last edited: | May 19, 2007 |
Estimated Time: 0.5-1-4 hours. Depending on if you kike or drive.
Clues: Moderate very straightforward.
The steel fire tower that kept watch over the southern basin of Lake George was built in 1932 and was a working fire tower into the early 1970’s. At that point the New York State decided that it was better to use aerial surveillance than to man a series of fire towers. This tower was removed in the late 70’s. When you go to the very summit of Prospect Mountain you will be standing where this tower once stood. You will still see where the legs where sunk into the bedrock along with some of the anchor bolts. Image in view that the rangers had on a cool crisp fall morning at sunrise. One sunny clear day you will have a 100-mile view.
The sun has set on the fire towers in New York State. While maybe it is more economical, gone is the personal touch of talking with a ranger who stays up on the mountain for a week at a time. Gone is that tangible feel that the State is here protect your forests and educating us as we enjoy the views from our mountaintops.
Clues: There are three ways to get this box. The first is to hike to the top from the trailhead located in the Village of Lake George. From the main intersection in the village (Intersection of Rte. 9 and the Beach Rd.), drive north to your next light, which is Malcolm St and take a left and drive to a T intersection with Cooper St and take a right, then take your next left on West St and your very next left and drive down the road a little until you see the stairs to the catwalk that takes you over the Northway (I-87). This is the Lake George trailhead.
The second way is to drive up the mountain using the Veterans Memorial Highway, located off route 9 about 0.8 of a mile south of the main intersection of Lake George (With Rte. 9 and the Beach Rd). There is a fee per car to use the road, but it is not much. Drive up to the parking lot and then it is both a short walk to the summit and a short walk to the letterbox.
The third way is to see the clues for The Lost Farm letterbox and follow them. This way is less traveled than the trail from the Lake George trailhead.
If you are hiking from the Lake George trailhead or driving up the mountain, go to the SW corner of the first parking lot. You know you are I the correct corner if you sight a small building at 120 degrees and the summit at about 30 degrees. From there you will see a couple of paths. One is a asphalt and leads up while the other leads down and is a dirt road. Take the dirt path, which is the beginning of the snowmobile trails. You will walk a few hundred feet until you come to two orange posts. Stand between them and take a bearing of 90 degrees. This should point to the north end of an old log 14 paces away (1 pace =2 steps) You will walk up a grass road and you will see a yellow sign with a stop symbol on it. From the north end of the log, sight 8 degrees and you should see a 15-inch hardwood tree about 7 paces way. There are a lot of boulders in this area and you want the second one on the south side of this tree. On the south side of the boulder you will find the box hidden by stones and sticks.
Please take time to re-hide well as I think this area gets some traffic.
Now if you go back to the orange posts and head away from the parking lot in a NW direction you will be heading toward The Lost Farm Letter Box, which is ¾ of a mile away. You will walk down an access road that is also a well-marked snowmobile trail. When you are getting close you will see an open area to the left that is stream that comes from the old farm pond, after the road crosses this stream you will pass under the power lines that supply the communications towers. You will see a yellow sign that says “Curve Ahead” and right next to that is the pine tree that has a “Forest Preserve” sign. This is the tree that you now can use the clues for “The Lost Farm Letterbox”http://letterboxing.org/BoxView.php?boxnum=21590&boxname=Lost_Farm
Make sure that you take time of the summit. You will see the old bull wheel from the trolley that used to go up to the Prospect Mountain Hotel that burned in 1932.
Clues: Moderate very straightforward.
The steel fire tower that kept watch over the southern basin of Lake George was built in 1932 and was a working fire tower into the early 1970’s. At that point the New York State decided that it was better to use aerial surveillance than to man a series of fire towers. This tower was removed in the late 70’s. When you go to the very summit of Prospect Mountain you will be standing where this tower once stood. You will still see where the legs where sunk into the bedrock along with some of the anchor bolts. Image in view that the rangers had on a cool crisp fall morning at sunrise. One sunny clear day you will have a 100-mile view.
The sun has set on the fire towers in New York State. While maybe it is more economical, gone is the personal touch of talking with a ranger who stays up on the mountain for a week at a time. Gone is that tangible feel that the State is here protect your forests and educating us as we enjoy the views from our mountaintops.
Clues: There are three ways to get this box. The first is to hike to the top from the trailhead located in the Village of Lake George. From the main intersection in the village (Intersection of Rte. 9 and the Beach Rd.), drive north to your next light, which is Malcolm St and take a left and drive to a T intersection with Cooper St and take a right, then take your next left on West St and your very next left and drive down the road a little until you see the stairs to the catwalk that takes you over the Northway (I-87). This is the Lake George trailhead.
The second way is to drive up the mountain using the Veterans Memorial Highway, located off route 9 about 0.8 of a mile south of the main intersection of Lake George (With Rte. 9 and the Beach Rd). There is a fee per car to use the road, but it is not much. Drive up to the parking lot and then it is both a short walk to the summit and a short walk to the letterbox.
The third way is to see the clues for The Lost Farm letterbox and follow them. This way is less traveled than the trail from the Lake George trailhead.
If you are hiking from the Lake George trailhead or driving up the mountain, go to the SW corner of the first parking lot. You know you are I the correct corner if you sight a small building at 120 degrees and the summit at about 30 degrees. From there you will see a couple of paths. One is a asphalt and leads up while the other leads down and is a dirt road. Take the dirt path, which is the beginning of the snowmobile trails. You will walk a few hundred feet until you come to two orange posts. Stand between them and take a bearing of 90 degrees. This should point to the north end of an old log 14 paces away (1 pace =2 steps) You will walk up a grass road and you will see a yellow sign with a stop symbol on it. From the north end of the log, sight 8 degrees and you should see a 15-inch hardwood tree about 7 paces way. There are a lot of boulders in this area and you want the second one on the south side of this tree. On the south side of the boulder you will find the box hidden by stones and sticks.
Please take time to re-hide well as I think this area gets some traffic.
Now if you go back to the orange posts and head away from the parking lot in a NW direction you will be heading toward The Lost Farm Letter Box, which is ¾ of a mile away. You will walk down an access road that is also a well-marked snowmobile trail. When you are getting close you will see an open area to the left that is stream that comes from the old farm pond, after the road crosses this stream you will pass under the power lines that supply the communications towers. You will see a yellow sign that says “Curve Ahead” and right next to that is the pine tree that has a “Forest Preserve” sign. This is the tree that you now can use the clues for “The Lost Farm Letterbox”http://letterboxing.org/BoxView.php?boxnum=21590&boxname=Lost_Farm
Make sure that you take time of the summit. You will see the old bull wheel from the trolley that used to go up to the Prospect Mountain Hotel that burned in 1932.