Cathead Mountain

Cathead Mountain, a 2,428-foot peak in New York’s Adirondacks north of Benson, is best known for the fire lookout tower on its summit, part of the park’s former wildfire detection network. A wooden tower and telephone line reached the summit in 1910, and a 50-foot Aermotor steel tower replaced it in 1916. The steel structure was later improved with wood steps and then a self-supporting staircase in 1929. Fire lookout work continued here until the 1988 season, with closure following in early 1989. Afterward, the tower was adapted to support radio antennas, linking the site’s fire observation past to later communications use.

Benson, New York · United States