One in a series of historic hiking trail highlights leading up to the Acadia Centennial
Most people who hike Beech Mountain in Acadia National Park may not be aware of a rare opportunity that could await them at the peak.
Only during a fire tower open house can you get the topmost views from Beech Mountain in Acadia National Park.
The National Park Service has begun opening the top platform of the steel fire tower on the peak of Beech Mountain, giving people spectacular, unfettered 360-degree views of landmarks such as Echo Lake and the Cranberry Isles. Previously, only a lower platform was open for viewing. The park service calls the opening of the top platform an open house at the fire tower.
During a recent visit on a clear day, we enjoyed the views from the tower’s top platform for the first time, even though we have been hiking in Acadia for nearly 20 years including many trips up Beech.
In an interview, Gary Stellpflug, trails foreman at Acadia National Park, said he is pleased to see the top catwalk open.
“It should be,” he said. “It is a wonderful place. Everyone wants to go up there. It’s just cool. You see fewer and fewer fire towers that you can safely go up and down.”
The top platform of the fire tower will be open from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesdays, through the end of August, according to the park’s online calendar.
On a clear day, you can see forever – or at least to the Cranberry Isles – from the Beech Mountain fire tower in Acadia National Park.
The fire tower’s cabin, however, remains closed. The cabin has a wooden floor, unlike the steel grating on the platforms.
Mary Downey, a ranger who was staffing the fire tower during our recent visit, said she didn’t believe most hikers were aware it was unusual for the top platform to be open.
Beech is a popular hike. Many people likely put it on their agenda without checking the park’s calendar for the open house or even realizing that the top platform is normally closed.
“On a clear day, it’s great,” Downey said.
Beech Mountain fire tower in Acadia National Park has rich history
The fire tower is on the National Historic Lookout Register, as indicated by a sign on the door of the fire tower cabin.
Ranger Anne Warner has researched the history of Acadia’s only fire tower, on Beech Mountain.
The fire tower was originally wooden, built around 1939 to 1941 by the Civilian Conservation Corps. It was replaced around 1960 to 1962 with a prefabricated steel tower flown in by helicopter and assembled on-site as part of the “Mission 66,” an overhaul effort by the park service to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary in 1966, according to information provided by Ranger Anne Warner.
Beech Mountain is a must hike in Acadia. The mountain rises from a thin peninsula-like ridge of land sandwiched between Long Pond and Echo Lake, providing views all around.
The trail begins off the parking lot and quickly leads to a loop at 0.1 mile.
The western half of this loop was carved in the 1960s as part of Mission 66. The trail’s eastern section is much older, appearing on a 1906 map.
Bear right (northwest) at the fork to head along the easier Mission 66 way (counterclockwise) around the loop up to the summit. You will soon get spectacular views of Long Pond to the right (west) of the wide-open trail. At 0.6 mile reach the junction with the Beech West Ridge Trail. Bear left (east). A series of log stairs leads to the summit.
From the top of Beech Mountain fire tower, look east to Cadillac, Sargent and other peaks of Acadia National Park.
At 0.7 mile reach the steel fire tower atop Beech Mountain. From the first platform of the fire tower, you can enjoy nearly 360-degree views of the ocean and surrounding mountains. Echo Lake, Acadia Mountain, and St. Sauveur Mountain are to the east, as are Cadillac and Sargent; Southwest Harbor, Northeast Harbor, and the Cranberry Isles are to the southeast; and Long Pond is to the west.
Beech Mountain is also good for bird watching.
Even if you don’t happen to climb Beech Mountain during a fire tower open house, this historic hike is special.
If you can’t get to the top catwalk, the first platform that is always open still provides plenty of spectacular views.
And if you happen to hike Beech Mountain late one afternoon, you may be treated to a sunset that rivals the one you can get from Cadillac.
Pingback: Acadia National Park trails work takes crew with special skills
Pingback: Fall foliage in Acadia tops things to see and do in October
fantastic national park
Agreed!
I agree. I just heard about the possibility of a shut down today (and I watch the news daily, am on the internet daily, etc.). Now trying to come up with Plan B just in case. The purpose of our trip is to visit ANP and see the fall colors as my son is a photographer so if the park is shut down, we will have to make the trip another time.
Always good to have a Plan B. But let’s hope Congress won’t do what it did in 2013….
Latest we hear, with John Boehner resigning, it’s less likely there will be a government shutdown. Hope that means you and your son can come to Acadia in October for fall foliage season!
My son and I are going to be in ANP for the first time October 8 – 12 so I was excited to see the top platform will be open while we are there!
Hi Tamara, glad to hear the information about the fire tower open house is coming in handy. Foliage should be spectacular too. But let’s hope Congress can agree on a budget by Sept. 30 so that the federal government isn’t shut down, and Acadia will be open during your visit.
If you look at the photo of the fire tower, you can see the dramatic difference between the smaller lower platform and the top platform. From the top platform, people get a lot more space to walk around. The top platform also provides much better views of the surrounding ocean and mountains.
We have added to the story that the Beech Mountain fire tower’s cabin remains closed, while the top platform is open.
We have climbed a lot of fire towers in the Northeast and some of these old fire towers do have the cabins open.
Great news! We have hiked Beech for years and always wished the tower was open.
Now’s your chance, Susie! Be sure to note the open house hours this month and next, as detailed in the blog post. Not sure if the park will do the same thing next year, but with it being the Centennial year, let’s hope so!