TrailtrekerNJ - Jun 25, 2011 5:35 pm Date Climbed: Jun 22, 2011 Double Play . PICRYL is the largest resource for public domain images, documents, music, and videos (content). Today, hikers can still climb the steel tower’s 133 steps to the base of the vintage (read: not maintained) cabin. Background. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Such a beautiful trail at this high elevation - amazing views! A few fire towers in Virginia are also manned on a periodic basis. Did this one for the first time as a 7 year old. The Southern Appalachians may be patrolled for fires by planes, but two fire towers in North Carolina are still manned for a few months each year, usually during the winter: Toxaway Tower near Lake Toxaway and Chambers Tower, near Waynesville. “But if there’s a tower, a 360-degree view is your reward.”. Watchers stationed at Shuckstack witnessed the creation of Fontana Dam and the subsequent flooding of the Tennessee River. The Tower: Yellow Mountain isn’t so much of a tower as it is a tall stone cabin with an observation deck on top. Multistoried Watchtower with Front Court. The View: The tower sits at 4,107 feet. Since the structures were abandoned almost five decades ago, various land management agencies have either dismantled the majority of their towers or let them fall into disrepair. A separate tower located in Wise County, Va. was also named High Knob. Long ways to go! If you have specific questions or information about content, the website, and applications, please contact us.Get Archive LLC is the owner of the compilation of content that is posted on the PICRYL website and applications, which consists of text, images, audio, video, databases, tags, design, codes and software ("Content"). Found a neat campsite about 1-1/2 N with stone 'chairs'. Monorail train at Spruce Knob workshop (2 military ammo bag (2), 1 military grade duct tape (2)) Main building, and watchtower, at Sons of Dane Compound (2 military ammo bag (2), 1 military grade duct tape (2)) At Firebase Hancock (2 military ammo bag (2), 1 military grade duct tape (2)) Fall colors are quite spectacular in the West Virginia mountains on the drive to Spruce knob. Did it as a 20 mile round trip backpack. The Foliage: The peak is covered in a dense evergreen forest, so don’t expect close up foliage views from the summit. “We still need to man fire towers on certain days, especially during windy or inclement weather when planes can’t fly,” says Keith Argow of the Forest Fire Lookout Association. I have been back to Spruce Knob twice since my first time and always enjoy the view from the tower. The Tower: One of only three fire towers left in the George Washington National Forest, High Knob sits on the state line between Virginia and West Virginia in Rockingham County. The Mount Sterling Tower was manned several months out of the year by watchers who lived in a nearby cabin for two-week tours. Climbing 2,000 feet to a watchtower overlook of Blue Ridge, Pisgah, and Black Mountain peaks, this 5.6-mile out-and-back to Green Knob offers dayhikers all the views of its mammoth northwest neighbor, Mount Mitchell, without the crowds. “Most people think that because these towers are in a national park or in a national forest that they’re maintained by the land managers, but they usually aren’t,” says Peter Barr, author of the book Hiking North Carolina’s Lookout Towers. Still Watching After All These Years. Quick lunch... then back tot he top. While some fire towers are still used to monitor the forests in the Western U.S., here in the Southeast, most towers were abandoned in the 1960s when it was decided planes could monitor the mountains more cheaply than men and women living in towers. I stayed the night at Blackwater Falls St Pk and spent some time hiking around that area. The Hike: An easy one-mile hike on the Allegheny Trail takes you to the Hanging Rock Tower. All Rights Reserved. The Tower: Hanging Rock is a cedar cabin sitting on top of rocky Peters Mountain near the Virginia and West Virginia border. Pioneer Scout Camp, also known as Camp Lewis, was a wilderness camp site located in northern Appalachia on the shore of Grafton Lake for Order 451 of the Pioneer Scouts of West Virginia. ", Aug 8, 2011 9:01 am Date Climbed: Dec 4, 2010, Jun 25, 2011 5:35 pm Date Climbed: Jun 22, 2011, Jun 1, 2011 6:00 pm Date Climbed: Aug 22, 2010, May 31, 2011 1:00 am Date Climbed: May 28, 2011, May 1, 2011 4:34 pm Date Climbed: Apr 3, 2011, Apr 18, 2011 8:37 pm Date Climbed: Apr 16, 2011, Apr 16, 2011 5:38 pm Date Climbed: Apr 15, 2011, Dec 5, 2010 6:16 pm Date Climbed: Nov 6, 2010, Nov 10, 2010 9:30 am Date Climbed: Oct 18, 2010, Jun 18, 2010 7:43 pm Date Climbed: Jun 16, 2010, Jun 8, 2010 5:09 pm Date Climbed: Jun 8, 2010, Jun 1, 2010 1:39 pm Date Climbed: Apr 26, 2010, May 31, 2010 8:23 pm Date Climbed: May 19, 2010, May 17, 2010 9:15 am Date Climbed: May 15, 2010, Feb 14, 2010 4:05 am Date Climbed: Jul 17, 1999, Jan 20, 2010 2:10 am Date Climbed: Oct 21, 2009, Nov 23, 2009 12:27 pm Date Climbed: Nov 22, 2009. West Virginia’s elk herd continues to grow, The 6th Annual King of the James Adventure Triathlon, Make a Plan: Vote This November to Protect Our Winters.