The weather this last weekend in February was about as nice as it could be. The sun was shining and the temperature was perfect. It was around 65 degrees this past Sunday with a light breeze (great weather for a hike!)... We decided to hike to the Bays Mountain Fire Tower since it was a short drive away and we had never hiked to the top before. In order to get to the fire tower you must pay to get inside of Bays Mountain Park ($4) and park by the planetarium. We knew there was still open public access to hike to the top of the tower, unlike most. We had heard it was about a 30- 40 minute fairly easy hike, but I beg to differ. After parking we took the Lakeside Trail to the top, it was 4.2 miles round trip. The park also offers a map of the different hiking trails you can take throughout the park. The trail starts off fairly easy around the outskirts of the lake were we ran into some friendly deer who weren't at all afraid of humans. About 30 minutes into the hike we asked some people coming down if we were getting close to the tower. The let us know we were about half way there with the rest of the hike being straight up the mountain. We had to take a couple of breaks the last 30 minutes to the top, the other hikers weren't lying, the last leg is an uphill battle to say the least. Bring lots of water!! It ended up taking us a little over an hour to reach the top. Once we reached the top we were exhausted. There really isn't a good view from the top of the trail unless you plan on hiking to the top of the tower. My own personal opinion- I would not recommend this hiking trail UNLESS you fully plan to hike to the top of the tower. I am the type of person if I hike for a solid hour and the trail being somewhat strenuous, I better see a great view when I reach the top. This will not happen unless you reach the top of the fire tower. The 60' fire tower was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1937. I almost didn't make it to the top because I began to get weak in the knees every step I took. It was definitely intimidating being so old and the steps were narrow and not fully enclosed. Once I reached the top I didn't take many pictures since my hands were still sweating from going up, I was ready to be back on solid ground. Dad, Kim, and I inside the fire tower View from the backside of the tower View from the front side of the tower Dad walking up to the top Friendly deer alongside of the lake Lakeside Trail
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