Up where the air is clear: The view from Mt. Utsayantha

On a clear day, you can see for miles. Christopher Mooney took this shot from atop the fire tower on Mt. Utsayantha in Stamford, looking out over the northwestern edge of the Catskills.

In the early twentieth century, Utsayantha's spectacular view -- and the tragic legend of the Indian princess it was named for -- were a major tourist draw, bringing thousands of picnickers and sightseers to the little village of Stamford every summer. By the 1970s, though, the park atop Utsayantha had fallen into disrepair, and in 1989 the state closed the fire tower. The tower was restored and reopened in 2005, thanks to private donations.

Photo shared in the Watershed Post's Flickr group pool.