The Great and Gnarly Observation Towers of Canada thread

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

I didn't know this existed until a few years ago when I took a road trip to Tobermory just for a nice drive on a vacation day. It was a quiet one in May, only one other person was at the top and a couple more were heading up when I descended. It's only 20m tall but the open stairways are not for those whose heart is faint nor weak.


https://visittobermory.ca/profile/br...s-centre/2409/


https://suburbantourist.ca/adventure...national-park/

yep, I went up this with my kids when we did a trip up the Bruce about a decade ago. My wife demurred.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

The Brock's Monument in Queenston is 56m tall and has a narrow staircase to the top, which is surprisingly open to the general public. The observation deck is large enough to hold only perhaps 4-5 people. Sitting atop the Niagara Escarpment beside the Queenston-Lewiston International Bridge, the observation deck offers great views of Niagara Region and Upstate New York, including Lewiston and the Niagara River.

On a similar theme, the smaller, 30 metre Battlefield Monument in Stoney Creek also has an observation deck, but is unfortunately closed to the general public.

I've been wanting to climb both for years now... Brock's I've just never seemed to make the time to do, the one in Battlefield Park has been closed for as long as I can remember.

[MonctonRad]

I climbed to the top of this damned thing twice. Once when I was a teenager, and again when I was in my late 40s.

The first time, I found it claustrophobic, hot and it was an exhausting climb. It was difficult to pass on the stairs (especially close to the top), the observation deck was minuscule, and the viewing ports were so small it wasn't even worthwhile trying to look out. I vowed never to do it again.

The second time, I went up with two of my sons. I don't know why I did. Maybe I had forgotten how horrible the experience was. In any event, it was no better the second time around, and this time I had the extra worry of looking after my kids. I vowed never to do it again, and this time I mean it!!!

"Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me..........

[esquire]

I've never heard of the Sanford Fleming Park Tower in Halifax. I will check that out when I visit this summer, thanks for the tip.

I had the chance to visit the Malahat Skywalk north of Victoria when I was there last month. That was a fun experience. There's an elevated walkway through the forest to get there, and you can slide down at great speed from the top. I visited on a foggy day though, so not much of a view!



It reminds me of the Treetop Experience in Denmark that opened around 5 years ago.

[Innsertnamehere]

I did Brock probably 7-8 years ago. I didn't even know the monument was there at the time, just stumbled across it as I was doing a day-long bike ride from Niagara Falls to St. Catharines. I was very impressed, especially since I could go up the observation deck! It really felt like something straight out of Europe with the tight little staircase to the top, much like the old church tower observation decks over there.

[MolsonExport]

Mayor Jean Drapeau wanted this built in Montreal (after his plans to dismantle and reassemble the Eiffel Tower in Montreal for Expo 67 were dashed):


ledevoir

Fortunately, we were spared this fugly tower.

M. le Maire rêve d’une tour depuis belle lurette, ayant même déjà voulu ériger une de ses structures directement sur le mont Royal, heureusement ce projet tomba à l’eau rapidement. Toutefois, une autre idée germait déjà dans sa tête. En décembre 1964 avec le soutien moral de Lucien Saulnier, son bras droit à l’exécutif de la ville et des élus de la ville de Paris, Drapeau présente au conseil municipal une tour de 325 m en honneur des fondateurs de Montréal. Durant la proposition du projet, minutes avant le dévoilement de la maquette, Drapeau mentionne que suite à 2e Grande Guerre, Montréal n’a pas été en mesure de fêter adéquatement son 300e anniversaire et qu’une tour de 325 m pour le 325e n’est que d’une logique sans faille. Évaluée à 20 millions pour la construction, la tour doit s’autofinancer avec de l’espace locatif et les revenus d’une plate-forme d’observation prévue au haut de la structure.

La Compagnie de l’expo 67 avec Pierre Dupuy en tête n’est pas chaude à l’idée d’une tour, une idée qu’ils avaient eux-mêmes repoussée lors de la conception du projet en 1963. Ancien avocat, le maire a la parole facile, « Nous ne pouvons oublier ceux qui sont venus ici fonder notre ville, il nous faut un monument à leur mémoire. Montréal étant la métropole, il est impensable qu’on élève ce monument en marge de l’Expo qui elle-même est un hommage à ceux qui ont fait le Canada ». Tout était pensé pour plaire au plus de gens possible. La pointe est de l’île Ronde ne devait que servir d’un espace gazonné, un parc, rien de mieux. Ce fut un des détails qui réussira à convaincre la compagnie de l’Expo d’approuver le projet dans leur giron.

[MonctonRad]

There is a similar skywalk planned for Ingonish Nova Scotia, in the Cape Breton Highlands:



They have already completed the cable car to get to the top of the mountain.



At the top, you can also while away your time at this microbrewery.

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

CN Pylon - 244m - another never build in Edmonton


https://edmonton.skyrisecities.com/n...built-heritage

Looks like they were going to reuse the unchosen version of "THE" CN Tower.
Source: https://cdn.skyrisecities.com

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

The tower in Temagami looks like a fun climb for a scenic perch too. 100' atop a hill (Caribou Mountain) that's 400' above the village.


https://www.todocanada.ca/25-fabulou...ts-in-ontario/

http://www.temagamivacation.com/temagamifiretower/

This one is scary AF! My girlfriend at the time only made it halfway. I got stuck at the top for 30mins as a lady going down the ladder at the top froze and wouldn't move.


Here is the Parrysound Fire Tower
The Parry Sound Tower by RTPeat, on Flickr

[esquire]

I kind of like these random little towers in forests and parks that let you see out over the treetops. Here is the Hecla Island tower at the north tip of the island in Lake Winnipeg. It was built not quite 10 years ago.

[Rico Rommheim]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

Looks like they were going to reuse the unchosen version of "THE" CN Tower.
Source: https://cdn.skyrisecities.com

What a nightmare.

[esquire]

The never-built Edmonton CN Towers are pretty cool.

[O-tacular]

Not so much a tower but Drumheller's T-Rex observation deck is pretty awesome.

[O-tacular]

Also not a tower but would Banff's gondola on top of Sulphur mountain at least count as an epic observation structure?

[J.OT13]

In addition to the Peace Tower, we use to have an observation deck atop Place du Portage I. Been closed for decades however, don't know when and why.


http://urbsite.blogspot.com/2012/05/...use-perch.html

Otherwise, Ottawa has two other perches publicly accessible, both at Place de Ville hotels, the Delta (opened as the "Skyline Hotel" in 1967) with its top floor meeting space, and the Marriott (originally a Holiday Inn in 1972) with another event space (a restaurant until 2010). Neither are officially observation towers/decks.

Both can be seen in this shot.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place_de_Ville

[Proof Sheet]

One that got away and hasn't been built yet. Only 54 storeys tall

https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/small-queb...ower-1.5610622

in Namur, QC north of Montebello

https://www.designboom.com/architect...ec-11-13-2019/

https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/co...quebec-village

[esquire]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

Also not a tower but would Banff's gondola on top of Sulphur mountain at least count as an epic observation structure?

That's very nice. I visited last summer and I was pleasantly surprised by how much there was to see and do up there.

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

I climbed to the top of this damned thing twice. Once when I was a teenager, and again when I was in my late 40s.

The first time, I found it claustrophobic, hot and it was an exhausting climb. It was difficult to pass on the stairs (especially close to the top), the observation deck was minuscule, and the viewing ports were so small it wasn't even worthwhile trying to look out. I vowed never to do it again.

The second time, I went up with two of my sons. I don't know why I did. Maybe I had forgotten how horrible the experience was. In any event, it was no better the second time around, and this time I had the extra worry of looking after my kids. I vowed never to do it again, and this time I mean it!!!

"Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me..........

Is there a peephole or something at the top? Is it just a ladder to get there?

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by esquire

That's very nice. I visited last summer and I was pleasantly surprised by how much there was to see and do up there.

Funny enough I haven't been since I was a kid.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

Is there a peephole or something at the top? Is it just a ladder to get there?

I was kind of wondering that myself... it's not obvious to me exactly where people look out of.

Reminds me a bit of going up the Washington Monument. Just these tiny windows to look through.

Originally Posted by O-tacular

Funny enough I haven't been since I was a kid.

It's funny, I went in July and my last experience going up a mountain was Mt. Haleakala in Maui in 2019. Haleakala was absolutely freezing cold at the top so we figured it would be chilly on Sulphur Mountain. We get off the gondola and it's the same temperature it was at the base... we were roasting in our warm clothes