Welcome!

This site serves as the gateway website for the
Bald (Rondaxe) Mountain Fire Tower - Old Forge, NY

Thank You for Your Support
View from the Historic Bald Mountain Fire Tower  

Bald Mountain Fire Tower Restoration 2002-2023 Brief Summary

1990 – Bald Mountain Fire Tower Officially Closed by NYS DEC

2002 – A Bald Mountain Steering Committee was formed and signed an agreement called “Adopt-A-Natural-Resource agreement with DEC.

2003 – Workdays for the group, now called the “Friends of Bald Mountain (FoBM) began with funds raised from the sale of patches.

2004 – FoBM spent hours sanding the tower, replacing all the wooden components & and wire along the stairs. DEC coordinated a helicopter drop of supplies in September. Volunteers also repaired the concrete footers and repainted the entire tower.

2005 – Thanks to our grassroot fundraising effort and all our dedicated volunteers, FoBM and DEC met on the summit on June 18, 2005 for a dedication ceremony for the re-opening of the fire tower on Bald (Rondaxe) Mountain. 

2006 – DEC began expanded the parking area on the Rondaxe Rd. FoBM installed a new map table in the cab.

2007 – The 90^th year anniversary of the Fire Tower on Bald Mt. FoBM signed another 5-year “Adopt-A-Natural-Resource Agreement with DEC. New expanded parking lot now open to visitors.

2008 – New Kiosk opens in the parking area which included a sign-in register.

2009 – FoBM volunteer Larry Coon from Rochester replaced the swinging security door into the cab. The original door was designed by DEC Forester Fred Munk but vandalized in 2008. Repainting graffiti out of the cab, staining the stairs and cab flooring, picking up trash and clearing debris on the trail were some of the annual workday projects by FoBM in 2010 & 2011.

2012 – FoBM celebrates our 10^th year maintaining the Bald Mountain Fire Tower. Once again, Larry Coon replaced the swinging door into the tower that was damaged by vandals.

2013 – FoBM morn the loss of our project manager and charter member Jack Ball. Routine annual maintenance continued in 2013 & 2014. FoBM shared our experiences with the newly formed Friends of Stillwater Mountain friends group.

2015 – FoBM patches SOLD OUT. Our thanks to the Old Forge Hardware Store & Kiefer’s Souvenir Village in Old Forge who helped with this essential fundraising effort.

2016 – The entire cab was repainted by work groups this year. A plaque was ordered to mount on the swinging security door next year for the steel tower’s 100^th anniversary.

2017 – 100^th Anniversary of the steel fire tower on Bald Mt. Our new plaque was installed on the doorway into the cab.

2018 - Thanks to a new map from Larry Coon, it was mounted in the cab by volunteer Paul Scheidelman and other volunteers. FoBM volunteer Ron Walker led a group up in August to participate in the Light Up the Fire Towers from 9:00-9:30pm. The event was promoted by the NYS Chapter of the Forest Fire Lookout Association.

2019 – Three FoBM volunteers attended the DEC's UMP for the Fulton Chain of Lakes meeting that was held in Old Forge in June to request additional parking on the Rondaxe Rd. The UMP for this area was last updated in 1990 and this meeting allowed participants to express ideas that DEC may consider implementing for our region. During their presentation, DEC acknowledged that more than 30,000 hikers signed the register here during the past three years!

2020-2021 – The Pandemic Years – hiking was a relatively safe outing for thousands of visitors to the Adirondacks. The Bald Mountain Fire Tower had a record number of hikers during the past two years. Work in the cab, including the installation of a new map table, was postponed due to social distancing guidelines during the pandemic. Sadly, our swinging door with the 100th Anniversary plaque was ripped off and the entrance to the cab and likely thrown over the cliffs. 

Local Fire Departments held 911 memorial ceremonies on the summit in September the past two years. The event was organized by FoBM volunteer and Old Forge FD volunteer Carol Perkins to pay tribute to all the first responders who lost their lives on 911, responding to save the lives of victims of that horrific terrorist attack. 

2022-2023 – The Post-Pandemic Years – The Bald Mountain Fire Tower continued to have record numbers of hikers during the past two years. Thanks to several new volunteers, especially Fred K. from Rochester, we have completed the installation of a new safety door into the cab and a new map table. FoBM have painted out the graffiti in the cab too and removed additional graffiti from the kiosk at the trailhead. Our volunteers are faithfully picking up trash, which remains minimal, thanks to all our thoughtful visitors. Most recently - the DEC Boonville operations crew cut all new steps and DEC operations supervisor Jeff Abrial informed us they were all installed in November. Amazing job - we thank your crew Jeff and all the other folks who have contributed to maintaining this historic site for another generation of visitors.   

2024 - FoBM wish all our supporters a Very Healthy & Happy New Year.