Temagami Fire Tower in Ontario offers the most unreal views atop a mountain
The 100-foot-tall Temagami Fire Tower offers spectacular, sweeping views from the very top of Caribou Mountain in northeastern Ontario.
Standing on the summit 400 feet above the nearby town of Temagami, the surrounding dark blue lakes and old-growth pine forests, you could say the sights from the tower give real meaning to a bird's eye view.
On a clear day, a sister fire tower on the top of Maple Mountain can even be spotted about 40 kilometres to the northwest.
The first tower, wooden and only standing 45 feet high, was built in 1910. It was replaced by a taller tower a few decades later before the current 100-foot-tall steel tower was built in 1951 by forest rangers.
It was restored in 1998. Originally built to help locate forest fires in the area, the tower hasn't been used for that purpose for about 45 years.
The base of the tower is a quick walk from the parking lot and is where you can find the first observation point. Though not quite as high up as climbing the tower, you'll still get a good view.
From there, follow a wooden boardwalk to the steel tower and start climbing to the highest viewing platform in the area. The spiral staircase is completely open to the air, so it's definitely not for the faint of heart.
The mountain is surrounded by the White Bear Forest, so you can also take a hike afterwards. Expect 17 kilometres of trails through mature woodland full of red and white pine trees, some 400 years old.
If you plan on visiting Temagami Fire Tower, make sure to visit before the snow arrives, practice safe physical distancing and pick up after yourself to leave the area as beautiful as you found it.
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