At the top of Cross River Mountain, the new fire tower is standing in two halves. The base section has been anchored to its foundation since November 2025. Over the summer a crane set a second section on top of it, bringing that stack to about 40 feet. A few yards away, the canopy section, with its cabin and roof, sits on top of another section with wooden scaffolding around the joint. The middle piece, section 3, has been assembled on the ground in the space those two stacks freed up.
In July we wrote that the Reservation was getting a landmark back this season. It is getting closer. As of the volunteers' most recent site visit on September 6, the tower was still being assembled, and no opening date had been announced. The rest of Ward Pound Ridge Reservation is open every day, and it hosts much of the Saturday activity on Pound Ridge's November calendar.
What Still Has to Happen on Cross River Mountain
The volunteer group that tracks the project at crmfiretower.org posts photo updates after each site visit. According to its September 7 update, section 3 was being built out with its stairs, railings and treads, and much of the remaining work was happening off the mountain, in a metal shop that fabricates and galvanizes new parts. The parts for section 3 have been on site since 2025. They had to wait until sections 1 and 2 were joined, because the construction area was too small to assemble the middle piece any earlier.
The August 2026 update lays out what comes next:
- Finish section 3, including its stairs, railings and landings.
- Bring in the big crane and lift section 3 onto the combined base sections.
- Hoist the top sections, 4 and 5, into place to complete the tower.
- Install ground-level items before the official opening, including a security fence and the lower stair cage shown in the project's concept video.
When the September update was posted, the project was still on step one. The fence and stair cage in step four are easy to overlook, because they won't change how the tower looks from the trail. They are still on the list of things that have to be done before anyone can climb it. The group invites anyone who wants updates to email [email protected] with the subject line "Tower updates please ;)".
Two Budgets, Two Jobs
The tower is a county capital project. In Westchester County's 2026 proposed capital budget, the Ward Pound Ridge Reservation Fire Tower line shows $1.7 million in prior appropriations plus $100,000 more for 2026, a total of $1.8 million. That is a proposed-budget figure. It sits a few lines from much larger items for the same park, including $8.9 million for Reservation site work and just over $5 million to restore historic buildings.
Volunteers are raising money for a different job. The Friends of the Fire Tower, a 501(c)(3), raised over $1,500 in three months around the June Fire Tower Trail Half Marathon & 10k. That money is set aside for educational and accessible exhibits to go with the tower once it opens, not for construction. One proposed program is a 360-degree virtual fire tower experience, with seasonal panoramas shot from the cabin, available online and through VR goggles at the Trailside Nature Museum. The group's new goal is $5,000 by the next race in June 2027.
So the county is paying for the climb, and the volunteers have proposed a version of the view for anyone who can't make it. The VR program is planned for Trailside, and Trailside has a program on three of November's Saturdays.
The Reservation Runs on November Terms
Ward Pound Ridge is open seven days a week, 8 a.m. to dusk, all year. You don't need a County Park Pass to get in. Parking costs $5 with a Park Pass and $10 without, but from the weekend after Labor Day until Memorial Day weekend the fee is charged only on weekends. That means every Trailside program in November falls on a day when the parking fee applies. A weekday walk is free.
The main entrance is at Routes 35 and 121 South in Cross River. Dogs must be leashed, and the restrooms in the main building and near the Trailside Museum stay open daily during park hours. The administrative building houses the Gallery in the Park. The W.P.A. Gallery, near the entrance, shows rotating work by local and regional artists.
The Reservation is also one of six county parks in Westchester County's Adaptive Deer Management Program. Under that program, designated sections are open to registered bow hunters from October 1 through December 31, 2026. The county says the 2026 program is full, and it lists (914) 864-7326 for questions. Those dates cover the whole season this post is about.
Every Saturday Has Something
The Reservation matters in November because Pound Ridge's late-fall calendar has landed almost entirely on Saturdays, and four Trailside programs fill three of them. Halloween is a Saturday this year, and something is scheduled on each Saturday after it through Thanksgiving weekend.
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 31 | PRBA Trick N Treat Walk, 4 to 6 p.m.; Trunk or Treat and Costume Parade, 4:30 to 6 p.m.; Fire Department drive-in Halloween movie, 6 to 9 p.m. | Business District; Town Park |
| Thu., Nov. 5 | Pound Ridge Historical Society Poker Night, 7 to 11 p.m. | Conant Hall, 257 Westchester Ave. |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Fall Tree ID Walk, 10 a.m. to noon; Norman Rockwell's Westchester, 3 to 4 p.m. | Armstrong Preserve, 1361 Old Post Rd.; Pound Ridge Library |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Late Fall Shelter Building, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; Mini Scientist Saturday: Microscope Safari, 1 to 2 p.m.; Piano Recital Featuring Sharon Chang, 3 to 4 p.m. | Trailside; Pound Ridge Library |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | PRBA Holiday Market, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Mini Scientist Saturday: How Do Animals Prepare for Winter, 1 to 2 p.m. | 77 Westchester Ave.; Trailside |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Autumn Tree Identification, 1 to 2 p.m. | Trailside |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Candy Cane Run & Tree Lighting, tree lighting around 5 p.m. | Ends at The Green |
Two tree identification walks bracket November. The Pound Ridge Land Conservancy leads one at Armstrong Preserve on November 7. The Friends of Trailside host the other at the Reservation on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The two are three weeks apart, and run by two different organizations on two different preserves.
November 14 is the busiest Saturday of November. A family could build a shelter at Trailside in the late morning, stay for the Microscope Safari at 1 p.m., and still reach the Pound Ridge Library for Sharon Chang's recital at 3 p.m. Both November library programs require registration.
The one weeknight on the list is the Pound Ridge Historical Society Poker Night on Thursday, November 5, at Conant Hall.
Scotts Corners Gets the Bookends
The business district hosts the first and last big gatherings of the season. On Halloween, the Pound Ridge Business Association's Trick N Treat Walk runs from 4 to 6 p.m. Town Park takes over at 4:30 with the Recreation Department's Trunk or Treat and Costume Parade, and the Pound Ridge Fire Department starts its drive-in movie at about 7 p.m. Three weeks later, the PRBA's Holiday Market fills 77 Westchester Avenue from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on November 21.
The market falls on a Trailside Saturday. The Reservation's 1 p.m. program on animals preparing for winter leaves plenty of time to get to the market in the morning or afterward.
Across the street, 74 Westchester Avenue now houses The Brunch House. The Recorder reported in February that Leon Nokaj had bought Blind Charlie's Cafe and was turning it into a second Brunch House. By June the paper was covering the restaurant's blueberry lemon pancakes, with the Nokaj family running the place.
The season ends on Saturday, December 12, with the Town's Candy Cane Run & Tree Lighting. The last candy cane stop is The Green at 4 p.m., and the tree is lit around 5. If it rains, the event moves to Sunday, December 13.
On Cross River Mountain, the next visible milestone is the crane lifting section 3 onto the base, and the fence and stair cage still have to be finished after that. Until the volunteers post their next update, there is no published date to plan around.
Land like this, with county preserves, conservancy trails and a mountain getting its tower back, is part of what our clients are buying when they choose a property near the Reservation. If you're weighing land near Ward Pound Ridge, or want to know how nearby preserved acreage shapes a property's value, William Stuart and our team would be glad to walk it with you. Schedule a personalized consultation.
