Hiker
Catskills fire towers: turn the HBTrails archive into your own hiking journal
22 archive videos · Planning notes & related guides
Read the trail notes →Upper Esopus Fire Tower
Begin at the Catskills Visitor Center.
ROUTE LENGTHChoose an approachSUMMIT ELEVATIONSee organizerDIFFICULTYShort walk
Grounds open during daylight. Marker shows the tower, not parking.
KEEP THE MEMORY
I hiked this.
Choose the actual date. Everything else is optional.
Conditions from the community
No approved reports yet. No reports does not mean clear conditions.
Photos
No approved community photos yet. Add a photo when you log your visit.
Ask about this place
Have a question or a tip from your visit? Help the next hiker.
Ask about this place See local questionsSee these hikes on video
Personal outings matched by destination or section title. Past footage does not establish current access or an official completion.
Catskills Upper Esopus Fire Tower Challenge Hike 2022
Select Play to connect to YouTube. Read the video planning notes → · Watch on YouTube ↗
All matched videos and planning notes →Read the story. Plan your own day.
Plan your next New York hiking day
People & landscape
Regional history and geology to read before or after your hike.
Indigenous history
Indigenous History of the Catskills, Shawangunks & Hudson Valley →
Explore Indigenous history around New York hiking country, with sourced local stories, living Native nations and careful distinctions about old trails.
Geology
How the Catskill Mountains Formed: Rivers, Rock & Erosion →
See how Devonian river sediments became Catskill bedrock and how uplift, stream erosion and later ice shaped the mountains, with original diagrams.
Original concept illustration · HikerQuests · AI-assisted illustration
Geology
Ice Age Clues on New York Hikes: Scratches, Boulders & Lakes →
Learn to recognize possible glacial clues and understand northern Catskills lake research without assuming every boulder or valley has the same history.
Original concept illustration · HikerQuests · AI-assisted illustration
Before the trail. After the summit.
Before you leave
Check the land manager’s current route, parking, permits and closures. Save your map before reception disappears; bring water, food, layers and a headlamp. Share your plan and expected return time.
When you return
Record the actual hike date, add useful trail conditions, and choose photos to share. Keep a town stop flexible so a late finish does not turn into a rushed descent.
Food, towns & a reason to return
Choose a stop that fits your finish and drive. These are planning sources, not claims of walking distance, current opening hours or personal reviews.
GOOD DAYS START WITH “WHO’S IN?”
Pass a little trail inspiration along.
Send this page to a friend, or make the caption your own and pair it with the page’s illustrated card.
Regional concept artwork, not a trail photograph, navigation map or completion award.