Mount Beacon Fire Tower Loop Hike

Mount Beacon Fire Tower is a strenuous but rather good hike and a lot of people like this hike also. I don’t want to recommend this to beginners because when you are going back to the parking lot, the trail is kind of steep. I have seen a few people hurt their knees when they are going back down the trail. Your knees will get a beating when you are going back down the trail. If you do not have hiking sticks, you may end up hurting yourself. Other than that, the hike is pretty good. There is an optional rock scramble and the views are amazing.

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Mount Beacon Fire Tower Loop Important Information

Trail Map: Trail Map 1
Suggested Phone GPS Apps: Alltrails.com, Avenza Maps, Google Maps

Difficulty: Moderate To Strenuous
Distance: 6 Miles
Elevation Gained: 2000 ft
Portable Toilet At Parking: Yes

Trail Breakdown
Red Trail To View Point – 1 mile
View Point To White/Red Intersection – 1 miles
Red Trail To Yellow Trail – 0.3 miles
Yellow Trail To White Trail – 0.7 miles
White Trail To Fire Tower – 0.5 miles
Unmarked Trail To Beacon Reservoir – 0.5 miles
Unmarked Trail To Abandoned House – 1 mile
Abandoned House To Parking Lot – 1 mile

https://www.mapmyhike.com/workout/2194177040

Note: The information is just an approximation. Used multiple pictures from different days to tell the story.

Parking

41.493570, -73.959873

 

Start Of The Hike

I promised myself never to come back here as the steep trails injured my knees before, yet here I was, looking forward for the adventure to come. I could not help it, I had a relationship with nature and I had to take her out on a date once in a while. There was just this deep sense of exploration within me, always wanting to check out new and old trails. It felt good walking on the trail, as if an old friend had greeted me with open arms as I traveled the rocky gravel filled footpath with delight as excitement was in my heart, hoping for good adventures and new scenery to come.

 

Red Casino Trail

Here I was walking along the trail with the chill of the Fall season permeating through the air as some of the leaves surrounding me were starting to become yellow. The light of the sun shined brightly at the center of the landscape which was a green patch of land surrounded by a gravel filled footpath. The leaves glimmered underneath the soft skylight as they swayed back and forth, rustling to the gentle caress of a cool and chilly wind. The season was changing, I could feel it in my bones, I could feel it in the air, and I could sense it from all the plant life that was surrounding me.

 

Stairs

“Clank! Clank!” Sounds that could be heard as the metal tip of my hiking sticks hit the metal stairs. I folded my hiking sticks, and put them on my backpack as the metallic sounds they were making were very annoying with varying degrees of dissonance and disharmony as they reached my ears. The stairs felt stable and secure, hardly shaking with each step that I made. It stood proudly, and unwavering while taunting the test of time. At the top was a view of a town but was somewhat blocked by trees. I moved on and went on my way as the view did not prove to be interesting at all.

 

Red Casino Trail Ascent

Difficult and arduous, the steep footpath went on and on in a snake like pattern as I came across a couple of people resting at the side while breathing heavily. I could see the sweat glistening off their necks and foreheads, a clear sign that they were done and could no longer continue. I offered them some water but they refused but said “thank you” to me. The incline proved to be rather strenuous as each step that I made felt very heavy, and the higher I reached, the slower and more tired I became. I stopped, took a two minute water break, then I kept on walking upwards until I reached the top.

 

Mount Beacon Wheelhouse

A giant mechanical machine could be seen inside a crumbled ruin that used to be a house. The house was made out of red bricks with openings that clearly used to be windows and doors but the roof was gone and one part of the wall as well. The outside walls were filled with various graffiti of different colors and the inside of the house as well. The mechanical machine stood out but was filled with rust that I did not dare touch it. It appeared to be some sort of mechanical wheel that was no longer operational. I moved all over the house, exploring every corner, inside and outside, then I went on my way.

 

Mount Beacon Fall Foliage View

The day had been beautiful and blue that to be seated on a nice vista with the gentle and cool Fall winds coming in from the sky while the blue river shimmered underneath the radiant sunlight, made this moment such a delight to my soul. I sat for a few minutes in appreciation of the dazzling view in front of me that consisted of houses, river, sky, and various trees of different colors, all of which combined into one beautiful view that was very pleasing to my eyes. My eyelids started drooping as the gentle winds were making me fall asleep and it was in that moment that I knew that it was time to move on.

 

Red Casino Trail After View

The red trail had become very flat, wide and somewhat muddy as I could feel the soil getting stuck at the bottom of my boots in some parts of the trail. The clear sign of the approaching winter was apparent as some of the towering trees were already barren of their leaves and appeared to be lifeless. The air was cool and refreshing that to ramble upon the woods had been very fun and lovely that there was no place I would rather be than walking along on this trail on this beautiful day.

 

Destroyed Cairns

Thousands of rocks scattered on the ground to my right, they appeared to be in chaos and without any sign of order, but I had been on this trail before and remembered that these rocks used to be small cairns that looked like gravestones. They gave off an eerie feeling before that made my skin crawl as if dead people were buried underneath the pile of rocks or cairns. Now the cairns may have been destroyed by the weather or they may have been destroyed by human beings, they are now just pointless and random rocks scattered all over the ground.

 

Red And White Intersection

The white trail would lead me to the Mount Beacon Fire Tower but I decided to take the yellow trail to get more exercise and see more views.

 

Yellow Trail

Each of my steps made the dry brown leaves crack and break. The sound of their death could be heard like thin bones splitting with each step that I made. They were everywhere, dispersed thickly in the footpath, making it very hard to see the ground that was underneath. I moved to the side of the footpath where the leaves were somewhat thin that I could make out what was underneath them. But even then, the mud, sharp rocks, and pointy branches that was underneath made my body exert more energy than necessary.

 

White Trail

Massive boulders and stones awaited me at the steep slope of the white trail. Towering green trees stood proudly, blocking the sunlight and creating a dimly lit atmosphere on the trail. I packed my hiking sticks and readied myself to go up the trail. I felt the coarse and moist rocks with my fingertips the moment I grabbed them while using my legs to push my body upwards. Sweat leaked out of my tired body as I maneuvered my way from one big rock to the next as I practically crawled my way to get higher and higher.

 

I caught myself smiling as I overcame one boulder to another. There was something fun climbing up a mountain, a tiny sense of accomplishment the higher I reached and a somewhat indescribable feeling of freedom. Perhaps freedom from worry, freedom from politics, and maybe just freedom from expectations made by other human beings.

 

Rock Scramble – Straight View

High above the once tall trees that blocked the sunlight, I looked back at the view and was in awe at the beautiful scenery that I found myself in. The beautiful colors of the valley of yellow, green and brown, accentuated by the clouds and blue sky, made the scenery reverberate in beauty. The trees swayed back and forth through the command of the passing wind, as the sun showered its rays, illuminating the landscape. I stood at the edge of a cliff just in amazement at how beautiful nature could become.

Every rock, tree, cloud and corner that my eyes could see had a sense of charm and elegance that only nature could create, such a feeling went straight through my heart, spreading throughout my body, creating a sense of peace and calm in such a way that I felt grateful for my life, and grateful for all the blessings that had come my way.

 

Rock Scramble – Left Side

Incredible hawks flew high above the valley, spreading their magnificent wings, teasing me as I watched them fly over the beautiful scenery in front of me. The landscape glowed under the mild rays of the beautiful sun and the trees heard the call of Fall, adorning their brightest colors of yellow, rust, red and green. I sat on a cold hard rock for a moment enjoying the cool mountain winds blowing in, refreshing my mind and body, taking away the fatigue and lethargy that I once felt. The landscape was the archetype of beauty and I was enjoying every moment of it.

 

Rock Scramble – Right Side

The river looked blue and cold as it stretched on and on in the distance. The pearly white clouds moved ever so slowly with the wind while some dissipated in mere seconds. The graceful forest seemed happy as it danced along the rhythm of the wind. The beautiful landscape shot through my eyes and entered all the way to my soul, creating a sense of appreciation at how much beauty this world could offer. I felt a sense of happiness growing inside of me, happy that I was hiking on a beautiful day while looking at a beautiful scenery.

 

Mount Beacon Fire Tower

The Mount Beacon Fire Tower stood tall, a skeletal structure made out of steel and metal, towering above all others. It stood magnificently against the somewhat clear blue sky as the flag of the USA flapped aggressively on the top of it. The tower looked new compared to others that I have seen with names of people etched on the stairs. Perhaps they were people that contributed in rebuilding this artificial structure. Nevertheless, the tower looked wonderful, an amazing construction of architecture made by human beings.

 

Bottom Of The Fire Tower

Various graffiti of different colors could be found scattered all around the ground under the fire tower. I stood proudly at a corner, admiring the beautiful view that was in front of me while waiting for the people at the top of the fire tower to get down. The beautiful blue river flowed from the farthest left to the farthest right that my eyes could see. It looked ice cold as it flowed underneath the soft light of the delightful sun.

After a few minutes of waiting, I could hear the sound of heavy boots clashing over the metal stairs as a few hikers were slowly walking downwards. I waited at the bottom for them as I smiled and said “hello” before I walked the tower’s stairs to get to the top.

 

Fire Tower Views

Mighty winds with varying degrees of force, rattled the fire tower. I could hear the metal vibrate as the fierce mountain winds made contact with the tower. The tower shook and vibrated but it stood proudly, not bowing nor caring about the winds. I walked slowly at a window, gripping the rails as the forceful winds tousled my hair and flapped my jacket all over my body.

 

The tower offered 360 degrees of view, allowing people to view a rich expanse of trees, hills, lakes and rivers. Inside the tower were hideous forms of graffiti with names and letters that I couldn’t make out. The letters looked like chicken scratch, or some sort of form of writing that my eyes found to be hideous and disgusting. I inhaled the fresh mountain air as much as I could, enjoyed the scenery that my eyes have found before finally going down and continuing my hike.

 

Beacon Reservoir And Lake

The footpath to the reservoir was filled with thick dry leaves that hid the mud and water underneath. If I made one false move then my legs would sink deep into the pools of water that lay hidden underneath the brown leaves. I took out my hiking sticks and thrust them to the ground, making sure that my boots would hit soil and not water.

 

At one part of the trail was a peninsula with stable ground and hardly any brown leaves on the footpath. The lake water shined in a greenish and blueish color as its waves made contact with the shoreline of the peninsula.  The weather was changing as thick dark clouds could be seen hovering in the sky, and I could feel the wind becoming colder and colder as if a storm was brewing and heading straight towards the mountain.

 

Beacon Reservoir And Couch

My surroundings became dimly lit with the sun vanishing as the dark clouds engulfed the once clear blue sky. At one point of the trail was a couch with firewood in the front of it as if it was made for lovers or a place for a romantic date but the couch looked dirty that I did not dare sit on it.

Further up the trail were concrete walls made by human beings. The walls served as a way to control the reservoir or water in the dam. The water flowed from one part of the dam to the other but I feared that a storm was coming that I hurried on my way without taking any pictures.

 

Unmarked Trail After Beacon Reservoir

The unmarked trail going back proved rather confusing with lots of brown leaves that hid the footpath. I could barely recognize a dirt footpath at a few parts of the trail, and if I didn’t have my GPS with me, I would surely have been lost. The brown dead leaves lay solemnly still, chaotically disorganized all over the footpath. Most of them were whole and complete as if hardly any hiker had been into these parts of the trail.

 

Abandoned House Before Red Trail

Near the end of the unmarked trail were various abandoned houses that crumbled or looked like an earthquake had destroyed them. The walls were torn apart, some were destroyed or missing, the roof gone, and it was hard to tell if the big openings used to be windows or doors. Inside the houses were nothing as I looked at the insides from a distance. I did not dare come close in fear that parts of the houses may fall on me if I did.

 

Red Casino Trail Going Down

The downward descent proved to be rather ruinous and destructive to my knees and toes as I could feel them hurting with each step that I made. I saw a few beginners walking down the trail and they took a shortcut which proved to be disastrous as one of the girls clearly hurt her knee in the process. They cut through the trail hoping to save time and energy but the shortcut was very steep that one of them ended up hurting herself in the process. I always hated the downward part of this trail as I injured my knee in this part before as well.

The girl stood up, somewhat limping but managed to walk very slowly back to the parking lot.

 

End Of The Hike

My heart sang in gladness after the metal stairs or as my feet reached the bottom ground. The hard part was over and my knees were safe and sound. They managed to survive the trail without getting any damage nor injury and for that I was truly grateful. I walked cheerfully to the parking lot as the bright and beautiful sun peeked through the white clouds as any trace of dark clouds could no longer be seen.

I opened my car door, stashed away my hiking sticks and backpack, and went inside. I looked at the beautiful park one last time and said goodbye.

 

 

For More Hikes

For more hikes similar to this one, you can go to my Best NYC Hikes Or Best New Jersey Hikes.