Top 3 Fire Tower Hikes

3 fingers is the ultimate hike. It has a little of everything. 18 mile dirt road to trail head. Lush wet forests with patches of high humidity at the start. Old growth trees give way to sub alpine. Make camp at goat flats, a giant blueberry meadow with blueberry carpets and large and small bushes. Great in the morning with oatmeal. A small tarn here is the water supply. Dont wash your dishes in it. Hike further up to tin can gap. Its a very small spot that ends at the glacier. Dont slip over the edge or your dead. From here the trail disapears

I would advise "Not" going to Gastenbury mountain in Vermont.There is travel brochures that state that" It's not a good idea." Many people 8-74 yrs old, have dissapeared from this mountain with no trace (NONE) ..please research this mountain before possibly putting yourself in jeopardy. There is a vast history of this place and it is no good. Stay Away.(please)Stay away*

The Washington fire lookouts have about twelve or more feet of snow covering them, so you will wait until very late this year before you go there. Just call the Ranger District Office in advance to check out accessibility or availability. And carry your own water, keep your program simple, and leave no trace! And you need not worry about the Teddy Bears or Pussy Cats when you are in the cabin-like enclosures! Have fun; be safe!

The Needles fire look out in the southern Sierras tops 'em all!

It seems like all fire lookouts are worth whatever climb it takes to get there. My favorite by a long shot is the lookout on top of the Sierra Buttes in N. California. Surounded by thousand foot or better cliffs, a freaky stairway just to get to the lookout, vista of lakes and Mt. Lassen, all in about half a day. An incredible place.

been to this lookout when we thru-hiked the AT. the view is phenomenal on a clear day. Especially off to the west into new york.

As for the NC/TN ones being accessible.. the less accessible the better! I'm also a fan of the lookout on Smart Mountain in new Hampshire. You can see the green mnt to the west really well and you can see Moosilauke (one of my favorites) and the whites to the east.

Though most eastern lookouts got nothing on what we have in Oregon and Washington.. some real beauties out here:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/recreation/rentals/des-green-ridge-lo-pictures.shtml

The fire tower on North Kearsage outside of North Conway has great views of Carter Notch and the rockpile--Mt. Washington --with its wild weather and great ravines.

Mmmm... the Green Mountains of VT that turn gray (or totally disappear) with the summer haze. Gile Mtn tower in Norwich is a nice hike, but I'll have to attempt this one.

All right these are good, but most firetowers in TN and NC which are still standing have much better views of the surrounding valleys. Plus most are very accessible. Especially the two on the Blue Ridge Parkway in NC. Though you are not allowed to camp in them you can camp at the bottom.