Can You Conquer The ADK Fire Tower Challenge?

Have you ever hiked to an Adirondack Fire Tower? Did you know you can earn an official patch if you complete 23 Fire Tower trails?

If hiking all 46 Adirondack High Peaks sounds a little too hardcore for you but you still like to get out and explore, consider hiking the Adirondack Fire Tower trails.

There are 29 total fire towers in NY(18 in the Adirondacks plus 5 in the Catskills), and hiking to at least 23 can earn you an official patch from The Glen Falls Saratoga Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club.

Here are the requirements:

"To complete the Challenge and receive the official full-color patch, hikers must climb and document, by date, ascents of at least 23 fire tower summits: 18 of 23 Adirondack Park summits and all 5 Catskill Park summits. Climbing each tower itself is not required, nor in fact recommended, for those towers that have not been restored for safe public use."

You can also take on the 'Winter Fire Tower Challenge' where - you guessed it - you have to climb 18 of the Adirondack mountain fire tower trails and all five in the Catskills during the winter, between December 21 and March 21.

If you complete that challenge you'll get and additional patch called a 'rocker' to add to your other fire tower patch.

The best part is, you do not need to be a member of the Adirondack Mountain Club to earn your patch, just get out and hike!

To learn more about the Fire Tower Challenge and for a complete list of all the fire towers, visit the Adirondack Mountain Club website.