Middle Sister Groundhouse, New Hampshire – In operation from 1927-1948, the Middle Sister Groundhouse is a fire lookout tower located on Middle Sister Mountain, along Middle Sister Trail, near Mount Chocorua, in Albany, New Hampshire. A groundhouse fire tower differs from a typical fire tower in that the lookout cabin is built on the ground, not on top of a tower.
Today, the foundation remains intact and some odds and ends linked to the groundhouse can be found at the site. And a Forest Service radio repeater is inside the foundation, which can be seen in the above image. You can see what this fire tower looked like when it was still in operation here.
As a photographer, I enjoy locations where I can shoot from sunrise to sundown, and all through the night, if need be. The area around the groundhouse and Mount Chocorua has endless possibilities that will keep any photographer busy for hours. I usually find interesting subject matter on every visit.
There are views in every direction from the Middle Sister Groundhouse, but the view towards Mount Chocorua (above) is awesome. If you have visited Mount Chocorua, but not the Middle Sisters I suggest you do so. The side profile of Mount Chocorua is impressive! It is one of my favorite views in the White Mountains. A cropped version of the above image is on the cover of my 2016 White Mountains calendar.
One year, I was shooting along the Middle Sister Trail while a Blackhawk helicopter (above) was training in the area. The helicopter crew was practicing touch downs on the rocky terrain of the Middle Sisters. It was pretty cool watching them land so gently and perfectly on the rough terrain.
No matter if you are a photographer or a hiker, the Middle Sister Groundhouse site will interest you. Just keep in mind you can’t legally camp on the Middle Sisters. You have to go back below tree line, down the trail system, to find a legal spot or stay at one of the designated camp sites (Jim Liberty Cabin, Camp Penacook).
All of the above images can be licensed for publications by clicking on the image you are interested in, and you can view more landscape images from the Middle Sister Groundhouse site here.
Happy image making..
Update 2019: Since the writing of this blog article, the Forest Service radio repeater has been removed from the inside of the foundation.
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Owner of ScenicNH Photography LLC
Erin Paul is a professional photographer, writer, and author who specializes in environmental conservation and historic preservation photography mainly in the New Hampshire White Mountains. His work is published worldwide, and publication credits include: Appalachian Mountain Club, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Backpacker Magazine, and The Wilderness Society.
Hey, I don't know when it was changed, but I was up there on 5/2/15 and the groundhouse is now empty with a shiny new repeater installed next to it
https://picasaweb.google.com/113333587636680031047/DropBox?authkey=Gv1sRgCKr10pSdhYfyhwE#6174898541131146882
Thank you for sharing. The repeater has been inside the foundation for years. It must really stand out now. I will have to take a look the next time I’m in the area.