DELHI — The 2026 Fire Tower steward season feels so far away but the Friends of Bramley Mountain Fire Tower are already busy planning for it. With the inclusion of Bramley Mountain in New York State’s Fire Tower Challenge, the 2026 season is sure to be a busy one. The Friends are looking to augment the ranks of volunteer stewards. If you are interested in spending a couple of weekend days this summer or fall greeting hikers who visit this breathtaking summit and tower, the Friends want to hear from you.
Volunteer stewards open and close the tower cab, share information about the tower, the area and the environment with visitors. They are asked to commit to a minimum of two days during our season which is weekends and holidays from Memorial Day through Indigenous People's Day and be at the summit from 10 am to 4 pm weather dependent. The goal is to have two stewards for each day of the season. Stewards must undergo training which includes a visit to the tower, scheduled for early May. Last year’s stewards report having a wonderful time and almost all of them are returning this year.
If this sounds like fun to you, contact the Friends at stewards@bramleymountainfiretower.org
About Friends of Bramley Mountain Fire Tower
The Friends is an all-volunteer 501c3 corporation, formed to restore and reconstruct the Bramley Mountain Fire Tower on the summit of Bramley Mountain and to manage the tower after reconstruction. Working with the Friends on this project is Delaware County and the New York City DEP. The cab of the Bramley Mountain Fire Tower is open to visitors on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from Memorial Day Weekend through Indigenous People’s Day, from approximately 10 am until 4 pm, weather dependent.
About Bramley Mountain Fire Tower
In 1950, an 80-foot Aeromotor Company LS40 fire tower was erected on the summit of Bramley Mountain by the New York State DEC. For 20 years, Fire Observers and Forest Rangers monitored the local area for fires from this tower, triangulating locations in conjunction with the Mt. Utsayantha and Balsam Lake Fire Tower Observers. According to the DEC, the Bramley Mountain tower was also visible from the Hunter Mountain and Tremper Mountain towers. A vital part of protecting the surrounding region from forest fires, the tower stood prominently on the summit for 25 years. The tower was decommissioned in 1970 and in 1975 it was sold to Pete Clark, a local farmer and removed. The Clark family offered the tower to FOBMFT to return it to the summit of Bramley Mountain. It was restored and returned to Bramley Mountain in 2024. The tower was officially reopened in January of 2025.