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AZURE MOUNTAIN FACTS AT A GLANCE
- Located in the Town
of Waverly, Franklin County, New York
- Known locally by many
as “Blue Mountain”
- Azure Mountain is
part of the Debar Mountain Wild Forest.
- The 535 acre Azure
Mountain parcel was purchased by the state in 1934 from Paul LeMieux.
- The Azure Mountain
section of Forest Preserve is surrounded by a
privately owned hunting club. Most of the land beyond is now open to
the public as part of the Santa Clara Tract.
- Summit elevation:
2,518 feet
- Elevation change from
trailhead: 944 feet
- Round trip hiking
distance: 2 miles
- 1914 - Fire
Observation Station constructed of wood
- 1918 - The present
35-foot Aermotor galvanized steel fire tower was
erected in the summer at a cost of $530. (Tower height is
measured to
the floor of the cab.)
- 1978 - Tower was
closed by the DEC and the lower two sets of stair
risers removed to prevent tower access. The tower saw 60 years of
“active” service.
- At least 14 Fire
Observers and 9 Forest Rangers have served the Azure Mountain area and
its tower.
- 1995 – DEC removes
the Observer’s cabin built in 1936. Three Observers
cabins were constructed through the years: the first in 1914, the
second in 1919, across the stream from where the old stone fireplace
presently stands.
- 2001 - The Azure fire
tower, and six other Adirondack towers (Arab,
Blue, Hadley, Kane, Poko-O-Moonshine and Snowy) were accepted on the
prestigious National Register of Historic Places. (They are also on the
NYS Historic Register.)
- At the time of this
recognition, the Azure tower was the only one of the seven that had not
been ‘restored.’
- 2002 - Tower
partially restored in July with the hard work of DEC
Forest Ranger personnel, DEC Operations Department, six AmeriCorp
workers and numerous AMF volunteers.
- 2003 - the Azure fire
tower is 85 years old.
- Azure Mountain is
enjoyed by people of all ages with a variety of
outdoor interests in all seasons of the year. Estimates are that
8,000
to 10,000 people visit Azure annually.
- Hiking, back-country
skiing, snowshoeing, technical rock & ice
climbing (on its steep southern cliffs), hunting, bird watching, plant
& animal identification are all enjoyed here.
- The distant
wilderness vista of the High Peaks
from the summit/tower cab is breathtaking. However, the wild forest and
river that surrounds Azure's cliffs is another story - one of a 100
years of successful forest management that has protected and preserved
landscapes, habitats, and species.
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