Stissing Mountain, with an elevation of 1,403 feet (428 meters), lies in northern Dutchess County, New York, where it rises about 1,000 feet (305 meters) above its local footings. The mountain is steepest on its eastern slopes, which average 40 percent (or 21.8 degrees). This eastern escarpment is about 3 miles (4.8 km) long. Around Stissing's eastern base are substantial amounts of talus blocks composed of gneiss."Significant Habitats and Habitat Complexes of the New York Bight Watershed" 1997 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southern New England-New York Bight Coastal Ecosystems Program, Charlestown, R.I. A restored, 1933 fire tower is near the summit and open to the public (as of 2023) via hiking trails.

Geology

Stissing is primarily gneiss but shale, limestone, and quartzite are found in the immediate area. This gneiss was originally raised along with softer sedimentary rocks via thrust faulting. Erosion wore away the softer materials, 'leaving the hard core of Stissing."

Ordovician The Ordovician ( ) is a geologic period and System (geology), system, the second of six periods of the Paleozoic Era (geology), Era, and the second of twelve periods of the Phanerozoic Eon (geology), Eon. The Ordovician spans 41.6 million years f ...

thrust faulting pushed Stissing's gneiss "core" to its current position on top of younger rock strata. This unusual age sequence of strata is "also common elsewhere in the Taconic section." Although geologically related to the

Taconic Mountains The Taconic Mountains () are a 150-mile-long sub-range of the Appalachian Mountains lying on the eastern border of New York State and adjacent New England. The range, which played a role in the history of geological science, is separated from th ...

, Stissing as a matter of cultural geography is neither part of the Taconics nor the greater

Hudson Highlands The Hudson Highlands are mountains on both sides of the Hudson River in New York (state), New York state lying primarily in Putnam County, New York, Putnam County on its east bank and Orange County, New York, Orange County on its west. They conti ...

, both of which are nearby.Natural Resources Inventory of Dutchess County Chapter 3 page 24

History

In late 1933, the Boston Corners CCC Camp built a International Derrick E-4898 steel fire lookout tower on the mountain. The tower had been provided to the State by the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 United States National Forest, national forests and 20 United States Natio ...

. The tower was first staffed in 1935, reporting 91 fires and 610 visitors. The tower ceased fire lookout operations sometime between 1979 and 1982. The tower was later restored by the Friends of Stissing Landmarks and is open to the public.

References

{{Fire lookout towers in New York Mountains of Dutchess County, New York Mountains of New York (state)