Bet you didn’t know that at one point in time, two towers stood at the current site of the Dorset Scenic Lookout Tower. Then again, that was back in 1967, and there don’t seem to be any pictures floating around showing the two towers together. “That would have been a sight,” agrees Laila McGuire, a greeter at the Dorset tower kiosk.
McGuire’s got a familial connection to the tower as well, as her husband’s grandfather was the last tower man to keep a lookout for forest fires on the original fi re tower before it was decommissioned. “The former fire tower was 82 feet high and they stopped using it in 1961 when aircraft started watching for fires,” McGuire says. “It was abandoned after that until they built this tower in 1967, and this one is 100 feet tall. They tore the old tower down after that.”
McGuire, who related information found in a brochure titled A Brief History of the Dorset Scenic Lookout Tower, knows all kinds of facts about this great daytrip spot. “It’s estimated there’s 128 steps to climb to the top of the fire tower,” she explains. “You can see over 800 sq. km. from the top of the tower, and once you get to the top you’re over 465 feet above Lake of Bays.” Offering extensive walking and hiking trails, picnic grounds, washrooms and a gift shop, this historic icon is a terrific spot to spend a day, and it’s breathtaking in autumn.
“We get such a wide range of people, and more families than anything else,” says McGuire. “But we have people who come from all over the world. Japan, Australia, Germany, England… just busloads. When the colours change it’s the busiest time of year for us.”
From Victoria Day to Labour Day weekend you can check visit the attraction from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. From September to Thanksgiving weekend you can see it from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. After Thanksgiving, the tower is open weather permitting, so it’s best to call first – 705- 766-1242 (gatehouse) or 705-766-1032 (kiosk). Cost is $4 per car, $15 per seasonal pass and buses are $20. Not so sure you want to climb up the tower? That’s okay. There’s a vantage point made just for you. “For those who seem to be a little queasy climbing the tower, there’s a nice solid set of steps leading down to Peak-A-Boo rock,” says McGuire.
www.algonquinhighlands.ca/tower