Bald Mountain Fire Tower Hike to Climb Rondaxe Fire Tower

The Bald Mountain fire tower hike near Inlet, NY is a family favorite. Bald Mountain has a summit elevation of 2,313 ft and the Rondaxe Fire Tower on top provides an amazing view of the surrounding area. A quick mile hike to reach the summit, you can’t go wrong with this day hike.

Bald Mountain is the second highest of the Fulton Chain Trifecta. The trifecta includes Bald Mountain, Black Bear Mountain, and Rocky Mountain. These three peaks are along the Fulton Chain of Lakes by Old Forge and Inlet, New York along State Route 28.

If you are interested in other peaks of the Fulton Chain Trifecta, read my post on hiking Black Bear Mountain!

Hiking to the Bald Mountain fire tower is fun, easy for hikers of all experience levels, and has a spectacular view at the summit. Keep reading this post for more information on hiking Bald Mountain to reach Rondaxe fire tower!

• Parking and Trailhead
• Bald Mountain Trail
• Fire Tower Views
• Hiking with Children

Parking and Trailhead for Bald Mountain Fire Tower

Parking for Bald Mountain is in a wooded lot between Old Forge and Eagle Bay, New York. If you are driving north on State Route 28, you will take a left turn onto Rondaxe Road and the parking lot will be nearly immediately on your left. There is a wooden sign pointing out the parking for the Rondaxe Fire Tower trailhead.

The parking lot for the Bald Mountain fire tower hike holds upwards of 20 cars. This is definitely needed because Bald Mountain is a very popular hike. Arrive early to ensure you’ll get a spot that day.

Since this lot is only for hiking to Bald Mountain fire tower, it is fairly easy to find the trailhead. From pulling in, the trail begins at the back right corner of the lot. There is a large rock next to the trail map.

Don’t forget to sign in, check you have water, snacks, and sun protection, and then you will be on your way!

Bald Mountain Fire Tower Trail

The one mile trail up to the Bald Mountain fire tower is a straightforward hike. Since this hike is an out and back, this means your total mileage for the day will be around 2 miles.

Further, the mountain only has about 400 ft of elevation gain, making this an easy hike. I did this hike two days in a row this past summer and one tracked 384 ft gain while the other tracked 407 ft gain.

The Bald Mountain fire tower trail begins at an easy climb and after about a quarter mile becomes more moderate. It is a typically dirty and rooty trail, but the closer to the summit the more rock faces there are as well. The trail runs through a lovely area of the forest and is very wide, making it accessible for a wide variety of hikers.

There aren’t too many small rocks shuffling under your feet or big ones you have to take big steps onto or over. However, there are quite a few flat rock faces that you can either follow paths through the trees around, or climb straight up if your shoes have enough traction. These are the most fun in my opinion and give you something a little different for the area.

About a third of the way through the hike at around 0.4 miles or so, there is a large clearing on one of these rock faces. This is the perfect spot to take a break if you need it, especially if you are hiking with children. You’ve just finished the first climb and you have outstanding views to take in while you rest.

After the Lookout

Leaving this lookout, to continue to the Bald Mountain fire tower summit, you briefly descend for just under a quarter mile before making the final climb to the summit. The trail is only at a moderate grade and there are easy rock paths to follow.

Less than 0.1 miles from the summit you will see the Bald Mountain fire tower (Rondaxe) appear before you and you have made it! The summit is a huge, open, rocky space and continues well past the actual fire tower. This gives hikers tons of room to explore.

The open summit is one of my favorite things about this hike because it can get very crowded on a nice summer day! Having all the space on the summit to spread out gives everyone a chance to enjoy the views.

Continuing to the right for a couple minutes past the Bald Mountain fire tower, there is another fun spot my family calls The Balancing Rock. A large boulder that looks like it should’ve fallen long ago, this is a fun spot to take pictures and get away from the summit crowds if needed.

Trail stats:

Bald Mountain Fire Tower Views

Honestly, can you ever be disappointed by fire tower views? I’ve always had an amazing experience and Rondaxe fire tower is no different! Absolutely stunning no matter the time of day you make it up there.

I did my first sunrise hike up to the fire tower this year and it was 100% worth it! We started in the dark of course and as we hiked Bald Mountain, the sky became a fire orange where the sun was coming up. As the moon set in front of us, there were cotton candy colors of pastel blue and pink. 

Beautiful golden sun rays came over the horizon as we made it to Rondaxe fire tower and it was breathtaking. The whole lake seemed to light up and it was so cool seeing the sun rise to our left and the moon set to our right. I wish I’d gotten a panoramic photo!

Bald Mountain will always give you stunning views of Fourth Lake and might be my favorite of the Fulton Chain Trifecta. There is enough space at the top of the fire tower as well for maybe four or so people to enjoy the view together. Just be patient if it is a little busy when you are trying to get up there!

And if you cannot or do not want to climb all the way to the top of the fire tower, there are four different levels you can pause at instead (the fifth level being the top of the tower). The steps are wooden but there are metal railings and wire mesh at the edges of the stairs and platforms for safety. This is a great way to help those that may be nervous experience just a little bit of the extra view that comes from climbing up a few steps.

Hiking with Children up Bald Mountain Fire Tower

Since I have been staying on Fourth Lake pretty much every year since I was born, I have been up Bald Mountain quite a few times to see the Rondaxe fire tower. My parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins took me when I was little and now I’m hiking it again but with my little cousins!

This is a great hike to keep children’s interest. The climbs are easy to moderate and the trail changes between dirt, roots, and rocks. With tons of fun rock scrambles to explore, kids have the ability to figure out what is in their comfort zone. My family was even telling the little ones that the long rock stretches were dinosaur backs on the mountain which was pretty cute.

Even better, there are stunning views before you even get to the summit. The huge open rock face about a third of the way up provides an amazing view of the landscape below and is the perfect spot to take a break and rest before continuing on. Just remember to bring water and lots of snacks!

Reaching Bald Mountain fire tower is just the cherry on top. The summit is massive and there is lots of area to roam and get different views. Of course the kids can climb up the fire tower as well. 

A little past the summit at The Balancing Rock, it is fun to watch the kids pretend to push it down and hear their theories about how it is still there. There is also a lot of foliage at different times of the year that kids can look at if interested.

Enjoy the Area

If you enjoyed reading about the Bald Mountain fire tower hike, you might wish to check out my other posts on hiking and travel in New York. And of course, any comments or questions please leave them below or write to me on my Contact page.