BLACK MOUNTAIN

If you want to experience Lake George from the air without getting into an airplane, hike to the summit of Black Mountain. The summit looms 2300 feet above the lake. There is a tower on the summit, however it is closed to the public. The views are spectacular even without access to the tower. This is a wonderful hike with beautiful highlights throughout the walk. You will want to return again and again to this beautiful area. I sure have.

Martin Podskoch in his book “Adirondack Fire Towers , Their History And Lore” researched how Black Mountain got its name. He quotes Thomas Lord in “Stories Of Lake George: Fact and Fancy”.   In summary, there was large forest fire in the 1600`s which burnt all the timber on the mountain and surrounding acreage. As the mountain trees recovered from the fire over time, spruce, fir and other evergreens dominated. These conifers retain their dark green appearance year round. In the late nineteenth century Princeton University professor J. Geugot named the mountain Black Mountain because of its black appearance due to the predominance of the conifers.

A wonderful aspect of the Black Mountain area is that the summit and surrounding areas have many approaches and loop options. The steepest approach is from the lake itself in which you start the trail at Black Mountain Point and climb 2300 feet in 2.8 miles. If you are not fortunate to have boat access then you can start your hike from the trailhead on Pike Brook Road in Clemons. By hiking from land instead of from the lake you save yourself quite a bit of vertical ascent, specifically 1250 feet of climbing. The ascent from the Pike Brook Road trailhead is only 1046 feet. The Pike Brook Road approach has the advantage of offering a loop option in which the hiker can experience many of the glories of hiking the Lake George region. This loop option is considered one of the more interesting hikes in the area and it is featured in “Fifty Hikes In The Adirondacks” by Barbara McMartin and “An Adirondack Sampler, Day Hikes For All Seasons” by Bruce Wadsworth. After parking at the trailhead on Pike Brook Road walk on the old logging road for a mile. In the early spring and after a lot of rain this road can be a bit of a nuisance because it is deeply rutted and has no drainage areas, so be aware that at the beginning your Black Mountain hike might be quite muddy and unpleasant. One fun aspect of this road, however, is that in the spring it seems to a favorite area for red efts to saunter through. On one memorable early morning spring hike on this road I remember seeing hundreds of those little orange gems on this stretch of the trail. At the one mile point a trail junction is reached. My favorite route is to go clockwise and enjoy a most pleasant woods walk past three ponds on the way to the summit. Take the trail to the left to Lapland Pond. After walking about a mile you will reach Lapland Pond. A sign points to a lean-to to the left. Visit the lean-to if you have time as the trail to it brings you around the pond. The lean-to is above a rocky point on the pond which slopes into the water. You can walk on the rock right to the height of water where it meets the rock and observe the aquatic life in the pond. Return to the trail intersection and continue on the trail through the woods as pine trees tower above you. The next pond you visit is Round Pond. Continue on the trail until you visit Black Mountain Pond. There is a lean-to above the pond with a peaceful view looking over the pond. Continue on your walk in the woods to the trail junction with the trail coming up from the lake. It is at this point where your woods stroll ends and the climb to the summit begins in earnest, climbing about 900 feet in the remaining mile to the tower. The trail begins its winding switchbacks on what appears to have been a horse trail. Your first vantage point is about 15 minutes from the intersection where there is a lookout over Black Mountain Pond. In early spring 2004, when I rested at this spot with my hiking buddy/poodle Biscuit, it appeared that we disturbed large raptors nesting in the cliffs overlooking Black Mountain Pond. I took photos of the raptors and it appears on the photos I took (to my untrained birders eye) that the raptors could have very well been bald eagles. Continue on the ascent switchbacks to your next lookout, a beauty, overlooking the Narrows looking south. As you continue to climb up the cone of the mountain you cannot help but notice how carefully laid out the trail design is. It minimizes the feeling of the climb yet manages to get the job done as far as bringing the hiker to the summit goal. Within 20 minutes of climbing from the Narrows lookout you approach the summit ridge and see the tower loom above you. You will also hear the noisy clacking of the windmill rotors that power a generator within the tower structure. Hike past a picnic table and before you a magnificent view of the whole northern end of Lake George opens up. You are now at 2646 feet above sea level standing on the highest point above the Lake George shoreline. The Tongue Mountain Range is across the lake. Looking north on a clear day you can see many of the high peaks. Looking west, Gore and Crane mountains are visible. The summit is a great spot for a picnic lunch and for gazing. Please be aware that although the views are elegant Lake George wilderness the actual summit might have a bit more civilization than most hikers are comfortable with. In place of a climbable fire tower, there is a secure barbed wire topped fenced in area (no trespassing allowed) that houses a 39 foot communications antenna, solar panels and a wind generator windmill system. There is a large DEC sign on the fence stating, “This facility provides emergency radio communications for search and rescue and other agencies. It could save your life. The Black Mountain site relies on solar energy for most of its needs. As technology increases this facility will be removed and replaced with satellite communications.”

Black Mountain does have a history of having a fire tower. In May 1911, a 35 foot high log tower was inaugurated. New York State replaced the log structure in 1918 with a similar sized steel tower. This tower was manned until 1988. Look around the summit area and you will also see the now deserted observer`s cabin where the observer would set up house, sleep and eat when not manning the tower. According to author Podskoch the Black Mountain tower was the only one that had a light attached to its cab. It was powered by acetylene gas and warned pilots flying from Glens Falls to Montreal of the Black Mountain summit, similar to the way a lighthouse in the ocean warns ships of getting too close to shore.

Once you decide to head home you have two ways of returning. The more scenic route is to retrace your steps via the three ponds. On a hot day summer day this would be a great opportunity to take a swim on the walk out. If you desire the shorter faster route down the mountain then continue your loop following the trail to Pike Brook Road. This descent will be a fairly simple 2.5 mile walkout as opposed to the more leisurely 4.2 mile ponds trail.

Getting there from Queensbury/Glens Falls…..
Take Route 149 to Fort Anne and turn left ( north) onto Route 22. Stay on Route 22 past Whitehall for about 4.5 miles and look for a sign for Hulett`s Landing (left turn). Drive for 2.7 miles and turn left on Pike Brook Road. At   .8 mile look for a large trailhead parking lot on the left.

NOTE: For a more complete description of the trails, please see ADK's GUIDE to ADIRONDACK TRAILS - Eastern Region, pp 211-212.

Dr. Stuart Delman (and Biscuit)Dr. Stuart Delman (and Biscuit)