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Peaked Rock, Washington County

A perfect post-holiday outing on a picture perfect, early winter day with a dusting of snow and temperatures in the high 20's...This broad, well-marked, open trail on New York State Forest land was established relatively recently, and it is neither very well known nor widely used at the present time (members of ADK contributed to creation and improvement of the route- picture). The trail runs very close to the Vermont border and it is easily accessible from a large trailhead parking lot off of Route 313 located several miles north of Cambridge.  Over its entire length - only a 2.61 mile trip to the summit rock - we were treated to numerous overlooks of the bucolic Battenkill River valley in the vicinity of Eagleville, NY.   No view however, rivaled that available from the summit rock!   The first ½ mile out from the trailhead runs up an old hay wagon trail, and we traversed a large, flat, hay field overgrown with ragweed, goldenrod and their cohorts.  

On January 7 th each and every dried stem remaining upright in this field was coated in a delicate, clear, icy sleeve. The low-angle morning sun on this ice made a brilliant, diamond-like beacon out of every feathery flower head.   We followed raccoon and fox tracks in the thin, crusty snow to a crossing of a small creek bed where the trail steepened considerably, and then we bare-booted it up onto an old tote road where we entered a thin hardwood stand.   Another half mile or so of sustained, moderately strenuous climbing in an easterly direction ended at a saddle where we had to take care to make an abrupt right and head southwest up a short but steep pitch (ascent from the creek to the saddle is about 900 feet).   The remainder of the route ran along a rolling, west-facing ridge covered mostly with oaks and a few small white pines. One little 150-foot-tall hump in the ridge walk was the only additional climbing in the 1-½ miles between the saddle and the summit viewpoints.   Just short of the "true" summit rock we found a small jumble of boulders, called "Slick Rock", from which it was possible to view the valley below.   Trail markers ended here. Access to points beyond this location is over private land, and as a responsible hiker and steward of the forest, you are asked NOT TO PROCEED beyond this point, while the access issue is being resolved.

View from the end of the trail at "Slick Rock".

Travel time totaled 1-1/2 hours one-way from Albany; hiking time, at a slow-moderate pace with a long, enjoyable summit lunch totaled 4-½ hours.   Check out this enjoyable trail!

NOTE: Currently this trail is not described in ADK's GUIDE to ADIRONDACK TRAILS - Eastern Region.

Keith Martin