At the Minnesota State Fair, visitors can climb the fire tower on Thursday.
Weather permitting, visitors can climb the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources fire tower for free from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on August 29 for a bird’s eye view of the fairgrounds. Visitors can experience what it’s like to watch for wildfires from a tower.
The fire tower was built for the State Fair to provide visitors with information on wildfire prevention. The tower originally opened in 1966, but was closed in 1978 for safety reasons. It was repaired and reopened in 2006. The tower is 65 feet tall and there are 84 steps from the bottom to the top.
The fire tower has been listed on the National Historic Lookout Register since 2015.
The walk up the fire tower is a celebration of Smokey Bear’s 80th birthday.th Birthday. At the foot of the tower, children will find a special code word for Smokey Bear.
Smokey Bear will appear at the Minnesota DNR building and surrounding grounds at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. daily during the fair.
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Other fire towers that can be climbed in Minnesota include:
- Big Bog State Recreation Area: This fire tower is located at the highest point in the state.
- Itasca State Park: Minnesota’s first state park.
- Mille Lacs Kathio State Park: This park features a 100-foot observation tower.
- St. Croix State Park: This fire tower was built in 1937 by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
- Whitewater State Park: From this tower, climbers can see limestone cliffs and deep gorges.
