In 1908 a 25 foot signal tower was erected by State engineers on Stillwater Mountain to replace a pre-existing tower. In 1912 the Conservation Commission first appropriated funds to pay a fire observer. The present tower was erected in 1919 by the New York State Conservation Commission. The tower is 47 feet high, constructed of galvanized steel with a 7x7 foot cab, and was manufactured by Aermotor in Chicago. Eight flights of stairs and 7 landings make for safe access up the tower. The tower was shipped by rail to the New York Central Railroad at Woods Lake Station. From there the tower was switched to the Woods Lake Railroad tracks, a three mile rail spur built by International Paper in 1916, ending at a huge staging area and sawmill by Twitchell Creek. Only logging skid trails existed back then, but somehow the tower was transported through the woods to the bedrock summit of Stillwater Mountain.
Stillwater Mountain Fire Tower sits on the summit of Stillwater Mountain at an elevation of 2264’. Recent documentation that a signal tower here was a “primary triangulation station” in the NYS Survey of the Adirondack Wilderness by Verplanck Colvin in 1882, has established Stillwater Mountain as a new Adirondack Historical landmark.
The present 1919 tower was closed in 1988 and reopened on July 2, 2016. Restoration of the tower began in 2009 as a partnership between the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and a volunteer group, Friends of Stillwater Fire Tower, under the direction of Jim Fox and Harry Peck. Backed by the DEC Operations from Lowville an outstanding job of restoration has taken place. Additionally, the DEC has constructed a new trailhead parking area and a foot trail to the summit.
The hike up is an enjoyable one mile with a gradual rise of about 500 ft of elevation to the summit. Located in the West-Central Adirondack Park, on a clear day, the tower boasts views of the Adirondack High Peaks, 58 miles to the east. To the west see the Tug Hill Plateau’s 195 wind turbines. Stillwater Reservoir is seen below you.
To get to the tower trail head from the west use the Number 4 Road and turn on to the Stillwater Road—follow for 7.7 miles toward Stillwater. Turn on to the Big Moose Road and go 2 miles to the trailhead. From the east use the Big Moose Road, originating in Eagle Bay, off Route 28. Follow the signs to Big Moose. From Big Moose, once you leave the paved road, it is approximately 8 miles of dirt road to the trailhead.
NOTE: THE TRAIL TO THE SUMMIT IS CLOSED FROM THE SECOND TUESDAY IN OCTOBER THRU DECEMBER 20 DURING HUNTING SEASON OF EACH YEAR.