This 65-foot Lookout Tower in West Virginia Is Booked a Year in Advance for Overnight Stays — Here's How to Win a Free Night
Get the view of a lifetime for free at West Virginia's Thorny Mountain Fire Tower.
Courtesy of West Virginia Department of Commerce
It’s not uncommon to hear about luxury resorts booking out months and even years in advance. After all, they come with some over-the-top amenities like in-room cocktail stations, personal Champagne butlers, and even custom aromatherapy to help you sleep. The Thorny Mountain Fire Tower at Seneca State Forest in West Virginia has none of that. In fact, all it has is a tiny cot set on a wood floor. But it does have one thing that many high-end resorts can’t beat: the view of a lifetime.
And that’s why it also tends to book well into the future. However, West Virginia State Parks is committed to helping people experience the tower, so it’s giving away one-night stays to three very lucky campers.
According to West Virginia State Parks, the 65-foot fire tower was originally built in the 1920s by the Civilian Conservation Corps to help both prevent and fight forest fires. However, toward the 1970s, firefighters and officials started using both airplanes and satellites for fire spotting, rendering this gorgeous tower useless. But rather than destroy or abandon the tower altogether, the park system turned it into a camping retreat — and it quickly turned into one of the most popular campsites in America.
To enter, all you need to do is book a camping stay at any West Virginia State Park between now and Dec. 31, via WVstateparks.com. Three winners will then be selected on Aug. 31. The winners can then choose their night at the tower on either Sept. 12, 13, or 14.
Brad Reed, the chief of West Virginia State Parks, shared in a statement obtained by Travel + Leisure that the structure and its “breathtaking views” are “something everyone should experience at least once."
The only thing to note before entering the contest is you’ll have to get there yourself, and as the parks system notes, it is “best tackled in a four-wheel drive vehicle.” Then, once you get there, you’ll have to climb its “69 rugged steps” to get to the top. But if you’re able to put in a little work, you’ll be rewarded with both the view and bragging rights of a lifetime.
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