Balsam Lake Mountain Fire Tower
5th November 2020
Today’s hike was to Balsam Lake Mountain Fire Tower located in Arkville, NY, Catskills area. It was literally springtime in November today- sunny, warm and not a cloud in the sky. But before talking about the hike, we need to mention the moon. After getting off the highway and reaching the Catskills mountains area, we both happened to look up and see this bright beautiful morning moon. Even though it wasn’t a full moon it was still impressive to see, so we pulled over on the side of the road to try and get some good pictures of it. And we’re really glad we did! By time we got to the trailhead the sun had risen enough and the moon had descended down towards the horizon line so there is no way we would have seen it, even from the fire tower.
Now onto the trail-this trail was a mix of being dry on the lower half and muddy with little bits of snow on the upper half. By the way, the trail head registry is about 0.3 of a mile up the trail so just when you start to think you’ve missed it, it’s more likely that you haven’t reached it! Overall, the trail is really easy, almost like a gravelly road, with a modest ascent and no scrambles. Bring your sunglasses if you go in the morning because the sun was blinding us part way up. You will see other trails in the area that are on private lands. You need permission to use them , so please stay on this main trail.
and behind you when you reach the fork.
At one point we reached a fork in the path, one to continue forward toward Balsam Lake Mountain P.M. or go to the right, which didn’t have any signage as to where it went. So we went straight ahead and realized fairly quickly that we weren’t sure where we were going and backtracked. When we got back to the fork in the path we looked up and saw the necessary signs high up on a tree that you wouldn’t notice coming from the other direction. So when you hit the fork on your way up you will need to turn around and look up to see the signs.
and more direct but steeper
The trail to the fire tower is to the right. There’s a gate on this trail with a sign saying “no snowmobiles”. This is how you know you’ve made the correct turn.
When we were making our way to the top it did get muddy. There was a little bit of snow and and an wonderful scent of pine along the way. At the top there is no view, you need to climb the tower, but you don’t have to go all the way up to get 360 degree views of all the mountains along the horizon. As is typical for November, it was grey and green with the colors of fall completely gone.
First snow on the trail! 
If only this blog could be scratch and sniff. The fragrant smell of pine in the warm sun washed over us here.
The Caretaker’s cabin is in great shape-it’s locked. Off a little distance into the woods, you will find a little outhouse/privey which was as to be expected- an outhouse in the middle of the woods. It wasn’t gross though- it was a decent one.
We had the summit to ourselves for a little while so it was nice to have some time to linger and have some snacks in the quiet before some other people joined us. While Floki enjoyed his special summit treat (sweet potato!), Anne watched as Christy took a deep breath and started to climb the tower first, by herself. This never happens since Floki insists on being the leader everywhere (seriously, its a thing) and she doesn’t love the height. Today, she just felt like going for it.
The views from the top are always the big payoff for fire tower hike so, if you can tolerate the height and the gentle swaying of the tower in the wind, definitely make the climb! As other hikers have mentioned in All Trails reviews- the tower stairs- it’s very obvious they’ve been tread upon by people with micro spikes because there’s lots of little marks in the wood.
and they were so fragrant.
The cab was locked and it was warm but windy up there. 
Micro spike marks on the stairs
While Christy napped in the car (or as she put it-just resting her eyes), Anne squealed as she drove past this beautiful roadside waterfall. We are always looking for falls, so we stopped briefly. This fall is at the base of Halcott Mountain which is part of the Catskills 3500 challenge, so we’ll be back to climb to the summit eventually!
All photos by Anne, taken with an iPhone 11Pro
~Christy
Hike Details:
| Location: | Arkville, NY. There are multiple trails labeled Balsam Lake Mountain via Dry Brook Ridge. We took the one that begins on the north side of the mountain and climbs southwesterly to the summit. |
| Directions: | From Arkville, at the intersection of Rts 38 and 28, travel west on 28 for .2 miles. Turn left onto Dry Brook Rd. Follow this winding mountain road for 6 miles and turn right onto Mill Brook Rd. In another 2.1 miles, you will see the well marked trailhead and parking lot on your right. There is room for about 10 cars. The trailhead is across the street just slightly further down from the parking lot. |
| Challenges: | Catskills Fire Tower 5, ADK Fire Tower |
| Difficulty: | Easy-intermediate. Modest ascent, with a few steeper sections. No scrambles. Only difficulty is loose rocks covered in leaves and some ice. |
| Distance: | 6.1 miles in and out |
| Elevation: | 1,171 ft. |
| Moving time: | 2 hours 40 minutes |