McCarty Hill, a mountain in Cattaraugus County in New York’s Southern Tier, has long combined recreation, public land, and forest protection. Its north-facing slopes became home to Holimont Ski Resort and Holiday Valley Resort, while much of the mountain lies within Rock City State Forest and McCarty Hill State Forest, where trails and outdoor activities draw visitors year-round. The mountain also served the region’s fire detection network when a steel fire lookout tower was built there in 1940 and staffed from 1941 until lookout operations ended after the 1988 season. The site later shifted to county communications use, and the old tower was removed in 1993.