Bolar Fire tower

Pipestem Tower located in Pipestem State Park, West Virginia was renamed “Bolar Lookout Tower” a dedication in honor of the sixth superintendent of the park, Steve Bolar

Steve was a leader in the state parks system with a genuine understanding of park operations and public service. He was a mentor to many park employees during his career.

Bolar lost his battle with a terminal illness in July 2009.

The observation tower sits at 3,000 feet in elevation and commands a scenic view of the Pipestem area. Located near the park entrance the tower is accessible via the Knob Trail which is .4 miles round trip, a nice easy to moderate hike.

Mt Arab Mountain

This is a very nice family oriented hike if you're in the Tupper Lake area. This mountain along with Mt. Coney and Goodman Mt. make up the Tupper Lake Triad, it's also one for the New York State Fire Tower challenge.

I hadn't really hiked all summer, except for Little Haystack Mt in Buck Pond campground. I wanted something on the easy side to get me back into the groove, but also to see how Misty would do. She did great as expected.

This a short hike at 1 mile to the summit, over a very gradual incline. When I arrived to the trail head it was about 10am. The parking lot was full. I suspect this is a very popular hike since it is so close to Tupper Lake, and easy climbing to the summit.

As I said, the trail is well marked, and taken care of. There has been a lot of drainage work done and that has especially helped with the trail conditions.
I was surprised at the amount of work done to the trail, and maintenance done, all from the work of the group "Friends of Mt. Arab".

Misty and Dingo agreed, they too enjoyed the hike.

There was a care taker, or summit steward at the cabin. It was obvious he had alot of educational material on the Summit, the restoration project, and the organization that takes care of it. I recommend a visit.