The Cherokee Ridge Alpine Trail Association (CRATA) has great news for all of our donors, volunteers and friends. After starting our Overlook fire lookout tower project 4 years ago, we have completed the restoration and erection of the new tower. Please join us at 10:00 A.M. on November 7,2025 for the dedication of the tower and the grand opening to the public.
The Overlook tower project began as a vision for an unparalleled scenic view of the southern end of Lake Martin, similar to what we created with the Jerry Bynum Fire Tower at Smith Mountain. It has concluded with a 110 ft. tall, 80+ year old fire lookout tower being disassembled, transported from Virginia and completely restored, improved and erected on the highest point overlooking Cherokee Bluffs on Lake Martin. The tower has been built on land purchased by CRATA, on Overlook Drive, just a few hundred yards down the road from Overlook Park, home to the Cherokee Ridge Alpine Trails. Our vision has been realized with another spectacular view of the lake!
The new fire tower project was initiated by CRATA but quickly became a community project. That’s right; this project has been totally completed by the Lake Martin communities in Elmore and Tallapoosa counties. All of our volunteers who have given thousands of manhours to the project all live in these communities. Most of the funds required to build the tower were donated by the residents of these communities. Many businesses in our area have contributed thousands of dollars in materials and time to see this project completed. This truly has been a community project, and we thank each and every one of you for your efforts and support!
The dedication ceremony and opening to the public will begin promptly at 10:00 A.M. on November 7, 2025. The official address for the tower location is 1791 Overlook Dr., Dadeville, AL 36853. You can easily find the tower parking lot, just down the road from Overlook Park, next to Ghost Hollow Rd.
We look forward to having you join us for this major CRATA event!
Steve Thomas
President – Board of Directors
sthomas1654@gmail.com
Jimmy K. Lanier
Founder/Treasurer – Board of Directors
jlanier2@elmore.rr.com
Important Note: CRATA will also be closing out our donor list for this project on our dedication day. Anyone that has contributed $250 or more to the project will have their names added to the cast metal plaque that will be erected at the tower, similar to the plaques we erected for the Smith Mountain projects. If you would like to be included on the plaque and haven’t yet donated, you can still donate online by clicking here or by writing a check on dedication day at the ceremony.
