Stony Mountain Fire Lookout
WillhiteWeb.com
Status: Former Lookout
Elevation: 1,640 feet,
Prominence: 0 feet
State: Pennsylvania
Dauphin County
AT Access: Trail by the site
Current Lookout
In 1967, the presently standing structure was built in the new location further down the ridge. It is a Caldwell Model Tower that is 82 feet tall (other sources say 100 feet tall). The steel tower offers views of Harrisburg, Duncannon, and the Susquehanna River. The tower features a wrap-around catwalk, which is unusual for Pennsylvania. The tower is colloquially known as The Moon Tower for its unobstructed panoramic views of the sky.
This original site of the Stony Mountain Tower is about 2 miles NE of the current standing site, and is located along the Appalachian Trail. Built in 1923, it was a Blaw-Knox Model Tower that was 60 feet tall. It was built and manned by fire wardens of the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company. Today, there is a campsite at the location with space for around 3 tents. Nearby is a plaque that marks the end of the Horse-Shoe Trail, and memorializes Cyrus Sturgis Jr.
Original Lookout Site
Photo by Christopher Peltier
Photo by Christopher Peltier
Stony Mountain Standing Lookout
Here are some images I found online of the new site where a tower is still standing.
Original lookout site with footings as part of the campsite
I was sitting on this bench when I realized I was at the lookout site.
Start of the stairs
Footing
Nearby sign
Screenshot when I was at the site
With a bit more research I would have realized a route existed to the standing tower. Since no trail runs the ridgeline between the two sites, I did not think there was a way from the Appalachian Trail. But, there seems to be a loop hike on Alltrails that shows access off the AT. A side trail with a good amount of elevation gain and a few extra miles. It would have been a tough call but probably worth doing to get the views. People climb the tower although they ask people not to climb it.
Looking north along the ridge to where the old site is located on the Appalachian Trail.