Hiking to the top of Mount Arab and its fire tower in the Adirondacks

It had been a few months since my last visit to the Adirondack mountains, and what a pleasure it was to come back! I took the opportunity to reconnect with the Fire Tower Challenge, and hike to another summit on which there is an old fire tower: Mount Arab, near Tupper Lake.

It was my first time venturing to the area of ​​Tupper Lake, a village located in the northwest Adirondack region, not far from Saranac Lake. The mountains near Tupper Lake are a little less imposing than those in the nearby High Peaks area, making it the perfect place for mountain hikes that aren’t too long or too difficult.

Mount Arab is located west of Tupper Lake. The trailhead can be found on Mount Arab Road, along which there is a small parking lot. After signing the trail register, my partner and I set off on the trail, for our first hike in the Adirondacks this year.

The trail to the summit of Mount Arab is quite short (about 1.5 kilometre / 1 mile), but the climb is steep. It was therefore not surprising that the trail began with a quick ascent immediately after the trail register.

But I didn’t find the climb up very difficult. There are a few places where the trail flattens out a bit, allowing you to catch your breath. I also found the trail to be generally well laid out, with several well-designed water-bars and stone staircases.

The mixed forest was very pretty and peaceful on this hot morning and it was good to be under the tall trees of the mountain. It seems that the name of the mountain, Arab, is the result of an inaccurate translation of the French word érable (maple), a detail that I found interesting, as a native French speaker.

There were a few steeper sections (with many stone staircases and a long wooden staircase), then a slightly flatter but muddy section. Finally, a few metres before arriving at the summit, the trail divides in two to make a short loop, which we decided to follow clockwise.

The loop finally took us to the summit of Mount Arab, where we found the old fire tower as well as a restored observer’s cabin (it was locked when we passed, but apparently it is opened from time to time). From where we were, we had no view, so we had to climb into the tower to observe the surrounding landscape.

And what a view! This is what I love most about the Fire Tower Challenge. It’s that feeling of being able to see the surroundings from a bird’s-eye view. At an elevation of 769 metres (2,525 feet), Mount Arab isn’t one of the tallest mountains in the challenge, but it offers great views of nearby Tupper Lake, of St. Lawrence County to the west, as well as of the High Peaks to the east.

After coming back down from the tower, we continued following the loop to the top of the small mountain. A few metres after the fire tower, the trail led us to a lookout offering another nice view towards the west of the mountain.

We then went back down using the same trail. In total, our hike totaled just over 3 kilometres (2 miles), with an elevation gain of 237 meters (777 feet). It took us less than an hour to complete it. A short hike, but a good first one this year in the Adirondacks!

In addition to being part of the Fire Tower Challenge, Mount Arab is also part of the Tupper Lake Triad, a family-friendly hiking challenge featuring three mountains in the Tupper Lake area. Now that I’ve done one, maybe I’ll do the other two soon! Since I’ve completed the hiking challenge of nearby Saranac Lake, I wouldn’t mind adding another hiking patch to my collection!

***Mount Arab is part of the Fire Tower Challenge, a hiking challenge which involves hiking to the old fire towers of the Adirondacks and the Catskills . To learn more about the challenge or to follow my progress, visit this page.***