Blue Mountain Fire Tower/Hiking Trail — Attraction in Town of Indian Lake

Great mountain. Tougher than advertised, but manageable for anyone in moderate to good health. Starts out slowly and then climbs. We liked that much of the hike, after mile 1, occurs on balds. But, beware, they can be treacherous where wet. This hike is doable for children and dogs, saw a good amount of both. Climb the well preserved fire tower to get the amazing views. 360 degrees of spectacular scenery, tremendous views of the High Peaks and Blue Mountain Lake, Eagle Lake, and Racquette Lake. Would add that, in our opinion, this is the best preserved fire tower we have seen yet. It's also nice that there is a summit steward available to answer questions ( at least on the date of our hike: 6-19-2021). The guide book, and the sign at the trailhead, states this is a four mile out and back hike, but the "map my hike" app showed it as 4.42 miles. Anyway, wear proper footwear, bring water and snacks, and enjoy this fun and beautiful...

sorry , three stars at best. good local choice to avoid the drive to better if you only have the afternoon. its a mid level hike, but the trail is in terrible condition because if it gets wet at all, coming down is super slippery(today was dangerously slippery, typically of any wet Adirondack rocks) , so everyone gets off the rocks and in places the 'trail' is 50+ft wide. the fire tower is nice, super stable in the wind, but you need it for the view, which includes the various cell towers now. 25 years ago this was a five for me(must have been a dry day), but now that i have hiked in so many places, this just isn't as nice...

Heavily trafficked but wide trail, pulled over to wait for people ~4 times each way. Lots of loose rock and then flat slab for the top half. Bottom half reminds me of the smuggs notch trail in a few spots. Definitely a difficult hike both up and down with the rocks wet. Fire tower had awesome 360 views. Minimal wind till the last 1/4 mile. Dog friendly though be prepared for significantly worn pads and nails from the steep rock slabs. With all the people you should keep your dog on leash for weekend hikes.

Recommend a fresh pair of grippy shoes for the top half...