Wakely Mountain Fire Tower Hike
Road Trip Warriors, what is up!? This post will take you on the Wakely Mountain Fire Tower hike near Indian Lake in the Southern Adirondacks! It is home to the tallest fire tower in New York! You can climb the fire tower and go into the cabin at the top. The views from the cabin are wonderful where you can take in the layers of all the surrounding Adirondack Mountains. There is a also a cabin on the summit and a wooden helicopter pad nearby! Check out how to reach this awesome summit below and all the information you could ever need!
Summary of Wakely Mountain Fire Tower
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Length: Roughly 7 miles round trip. Some websites may claim 6 miles round trip.
- Elevation: 3,744′ above sea level
- Elevation Gain: Roughly 1,635′
- Fire Tower Height: 70′ tall
- Hiking Time: 5-6 hours
- Photo Opportunities: The wooden helicopter pad offers some views from being up on it. You can also capture images of the fire tower from the helicopter pad. The fire tower itself offers the best views from the cabin. You can get great pictures by only climbing a few flights though if heights concern you. Wakely Pond along the road to get to the trailhead is also a pretty spot.
Trailhead
The easiest way to find the trailhead for Wakely Mountain Fire Tower would be to put “Cedar River Road” into your google maps and/or GPS. It will be the road located in Indian Lake, NY. You will want to get to this road, drive down it for about 12 miles, and the parking lot for the trailhead will be on the right-hand side. The paved road eventually turns into gravel, but it is well tamped down without many potholes or big rocks. There will be the wooden sign below to point out the trailhead parking.
The first couple miles
For the first couple miles the hike to the Wakely Mountain Fire Tower is along an old logging road. It is easy to follow with occasional trail markers. The trail is a gradual incline for these first couple of miles and a stream runs along the left of you. You’ll cross it a few times, but it is not cumbersome and there is a small foot bridge about a mile into the trail.
There are some significant wetlands which cause the trail to get pretty muddy. For the most part, these can be avoided by keeping on the larger rocks or just to the side of the trail.
The last mile – the steep part
You will be made aware that you are on the last mile of the trail by the wooden trail sign noted below. This is where the majority of the climb to the summit occurs, although it is not technical. You’ll come across rock slides and roots, but no bouldering or need to use your hands.
I would suggest to watch your footing on the rock slides as a few of them were wet. If there are fallen leaves on the rock slide try not to step on them. They are very slippery and smashing your knee off a rock is not fun…I have done it multiple times and it never feels good.
Wakely Mountain Helicopter Pad
Just before the summit of Wakely Mountain there is a wooden helicopter pad that you can walk up on to via a couple wooden steps. There are some pretty views from atop so I suggest giving it a look. Just be careful when you sit down as the wood can cause splinters. I received a good one in my right pointer finger.
Wakely Mountain Summit
Wakely Mountain’s summit has a wooden cabin, a picnic bench, and hosts the tallest fire tower in New York State at 70 feet tall. The fire tower is open for hikers to ascend and if you are not afraid of heights, I suggest doing so. The views from the cabin are phenomenal with scenes of the Southern Adirondacks, West Canada Lakes Wilderness, and some High Peaks in the far distance.
The scenes from the Wakely Mountain Fire Tower cabin below.
As you can see, the cabin of this fire tower boasts commanding views of the surrounding Adirondack wilderness. It would look even more appealing when the leaves are green or during Autumn.
Getting back to the trailhead
This hike is an out-and-back trail meaning you will descend the same trail that you took to the summit. As it was the way up the mountain, the way down is fairly easy and the trail is not hard to follow. Be careful not to slip on any of those wet rock slides!
Dog-Friendly
I took my dog up this mountain and he absolutely loved it. He is a retriever/Black and Tan coonhound mixed breed and had no issue with any part of the trail. It was great exercise for him and it is always fun adventuring with your furry friends! Make sure to bring extra food for your pet and extra water for both you and him/her!
Fam-Friendly
The Wakely Mountain Fire Tower hike is definitely family friendly. Despite this hike being a little lengthier, it is manageable. It is not steep and a majority of the hike is a gradual ascent/descent. There are only a few steeper spots with the occasional wet rock slide. The one part of this hike that might not be meant for everyone is ascending to the cabin of the fire tower. You can still get great views though from only climbing a few flights of stairs!
Clothes/Gear Worn
- Northface hat
- Windbreaker
- Athletic t-shirt
- Compression shorts
- Athletic shorts
- Wool socks
- Timberland hiking boots
Equipment/food Brought
- 3L of water
- Peanut butter granola bars, KIND bars
- Extra EMS hiking socks
- Bandana
- Extra shirt and underarmour
- Wind/rain pants
- Emergency tent and blankets
- Knife
- Paracord and carabiners (non climbing carabiners)
- Water-proof matches
- Life-Straw (water filtration straw, costs about $20)
- First-Aid Kit
- Garmin InReach (satellite device that has a GPS, can send texts, send SOS, and has many other helpful features.
Similar Posts
- Another Take on the Wakely Mountain Fire Tower Hike – Protect Adks
- A Short Adirondack Mountain hike in the Schroon Lake Region – Mount Severance
RTW Note
Thanks my fellow Road Trip Warriors for checking out the Wakely Mountain Fire Tower hike! It is an awesome hike in the Southern Adirondacks and off the beaten path of the other heavily trafficked trails in the High Peaks Region. If you found this post helpful or want to share a great hike, please send the link to this page to them! Stay safe out there!
