The Great and Gnarly Observation Towers of Canada thread

[MolsonExport]

yep, here they are. Post photos and discuss Canada's Great and Gnarly obervation towers here.

Moncton? Nope, Toronto!

urbantoronto

Looks sort of ugly in a Soviet way, without the inflated collar:


Here is the Moscow, err, Moncton one.

wookie

I don't know about this one. On the one hand, it is really very unique. On the other hand, turn it sideways, and it looks like a cock (with the stadium representing the 'balls'):

wookie

Calgary's famous tower:


I don't car for the Skylon. Looks cheapo.


what the hell is this supposed to be?

wookie

This one is confusing. A tower that has a building. A building that is on a tower? It has some real Kentucky Bucket vibes going on. in NF. Apparently houses an IHOP ( ) location on the 26th floor.

wookie

Has anyone gone up this one? 1000 Islands Tower

wookie

I dunno. it is in NF.

wookie

it used to look way worse:

wookie

Found in Shawinigan:

wookie

all this time, and I never knew that there was an observation deck:

wookie

[esquire]

Excellent idea for a thread, although I think you may have covered all the towers in one post, MolsonExport.

As a kid in Winnipeg I was always envious of the places that had the tall observation towers that I visited every chance I would get (I nagged my mom into taking me up all 3 Niagara Falls towers in one day back in 1986 )

We have two pseudo-observation towers...

This:



and one at the top of the Human Rights Museum:

[MolsonExport]

ah yes, I momentarily forgot about that pseudo tower on the Fort Garry Hotel.

[Loco101]

I've been up the one in Shawinigan. Also CN in Toronto and the Izzy Asper Tower of Hope (Canadian Museum of Human Rights) in Winnipeg.

I'm trying to remember what else in Canada....the Temagami tower lol and a small number of old fire towers in Northern Ontario and Quebec. I'm pretty sure there are some interesting other ones I've been up but I'll have to try to remember where they were.

[Loco101]

In Alma QC.

While the old water tower may not look like anything special, about 5 or 6 years ago I went up it as it had an amazing panoramic film presentation inside it themed on water called L'Odyssée des Bâtisseurs with really cool special effects. (wind, rain, snow, feathers, etc) My wife is terrified of heights and wouldn't go up but my child who was 2 or 3 at the time went with me. It's part of Alma's museum which was also quite nice.

[esquire]

It's interesting how those towers were all the rage across Canada in the 60s and 70s but there have been so few built since, at least in terms of true CN Tower/Calgary Tower/Skylon Tower pure observation towers.

[SignalHillHiker]

That one in Winnipeg, Fort Garry I think it’s called - I’ve been in lots of tall buildings, taken lots of high elevators, but I’ve never gotten a stronger vertigo feeling than on that one. The building immediately across feels like a twin in your brain but you just keep going up and over it. I left my stomach down where I thought we should’ve reached the top already lol

[Nouvellecosse]

I don't think the Moncton one is an observation tower is it? I've never heard of anyone going up it.

[Martin Mtl]

Molson, you really went out of your way to choose the worst pictures of every tower. Was that intentional ?

[Coldrsx]

Never built in Edmonton. It would have been perched top of bank and overlooked the river valley.


https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmon...ture-1.5324254

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

I don't think the Moncton one is an observation tower is it? I've never heard of anyone going up it.

Indeed. It was built as a microwave communications tower. There is no public access, which is a shame.

But, on the other hand, if there were a public observation platform, then you would get a panoramic view of.........beautiful downtown Moncton, so perhaps it is just as well they left well enough alone.

[Nouvellecosse]

If we're including stuff like the Fort Gary, QC has one as well.

Hôtel Le Concorde
https://goo.gl/maps/PtobArPRVuqhfga98

[Rico Rommheim]

I'm trying to imagine the Montreal skyline but with an ugly concrete KFC observation tower.

Glad we never got one of those.

That being said I can't imagine the TO skyline without it.

[someone123]

In Halifax there is the memorial tower in Sir Sandford Fleming Park, built 1908-1912. It was built to commemorate the 150th anniversary of democracy in NS/Canada.

It has a somewhat low profile for what it is, probably because it was built so far away from downtown. But it is worth visiting and is open to the public for free.






Source

[MonctonRad]

Affectionately known as The Dingle".

I think they should have called it The Dongle.

[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/

[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/

[Innsertnamehere]

Great Thread - I'll add a few more.

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.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brock%27s_Monument

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.


https://militarybruce.com/battlefiel...f-1812-battle/

Moving up to Muskoka, if you want a bit more harrowing of a climb, you can go for the 25m high Dorset Fire Tower, which is located on top of a large ridge and offers far better views than the tower's height may suggest. This one is also open gangway with nothing but a railing stopping you from falling the 80ft to the ground. Unfortunately, cell network infrastructure has spread like a cancer across it in the past few decades.


https://huntsvilleadventures.com/lis...orset-tower-2/

[ScreamingViking]

Hamilton doesn't have any tall observation towers open to the public, but there are lookout points all along the escarpment. Many are very easy to access.

[Coldrsx]

CN Pylon - 244m - another never build in Edmonton


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