We are thrilled that starting January 1, 2026, the Bramley Mountain Fire Tower, along with Mt. Utsayantha’s tower, are now part of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s 2026 Catskill Fire Tower Challenge. The Catskills Fire Tower Challenge encourages experienced hikers to visit the region’s remaining fire towers on Balsam Lake Mountain (Hardenburgh), Hunter Mountain (Hunter), Overlook Mountain (Woodstock), Red Hill Mountain (Denning), Tremper Mountain (Shandaken), the Upper Esopus Fire Tower at the Catskills Visitor Center and now Bramley Mountain Fire Tower in Delhi and Mt. Utsayantha in Stamford.
To complete the Challenge, participants must visit all eight Catskill Fire Towers between January 1, 2026 and December 31, 2026. Participants document their completion of the visits on the DEC website dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/hiking/catskills-fire-tower-challenge. All participants who complete the challenge will receive a letter and a commemorative Catskills Fire Tower Challenge patch designed with the 2026 completion year. The first 1,000 finishers will also receive a one-year subscription to DEC’s Conservationist magazine and a gift subscription for a second person of their choice. Finishers who completed the challenge multiple times will receive an additional commemorative Catskills Fire Tower Challenge prize. Upon completion, finishers will be able to download a customizable certificate and will be eligible to win prizes after the challenge period is closed. Finishers will be entered into a grand prize drawing.
Read the full text of the DEC press release here: https://dec.ny.gov/news/press-releases/2025/12/dec-announces-expansion-of-the-catskills-fire-tower-challenge