Pharaoh Mountain – A Summit with a Multitude of Views

Pharaoh Mountain is the dominant mountain in the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness.  The summit is somewhat unique in that there are four or five distinct (maybe more) view points with somewhat to completely different views.  Herd paths crisscross the main trail in the summit area leading to each of the views.  Don’t leave the summit without finding at least three or four of the views. Not only are the High Peaks visible from the “north western” view points but many of the ponds in the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness are visible including the signature Pharaoh Lake.

On a beautiful September day I decided to climb the mountain from the Pharaoh Lake (south) side.  For me it turned out to be a long walk on a short day.  The trail from the south starts at a parking spot at the edge of the Wilderness boundary.  It is possible to drive a high clearance four wheel drive vehicle the first 1.1 miles, but of course you would be driving in Wilderness area which goes against the wilderness ethic.  After this “road” walk the rest of the trail into Pharaoh Lake is a very easy walking tote road.  I made this 3.6 mile walk from my car in an hour.  After crossing the outlet of Pharaoh Lake the trail become a foot path.  It is about 1.6 miles along the lake, sometimes closer, sometimes further back to a junction where one way leads around the north end of the lake and the other way climbs 1390 ft in 1.6 miles to the summit.

The climbing begins in earnest about 0.3 miles from this junction.  From that point on, it is more up than not.  I made it from the outlet of Pharaoh Lake to the summit in an additional hour and fifty minutes.  This route is 6.8 miles each way. (There is another shorter trail from the north that starts either at the parking area on the wilderness boundary followed by a road walk of about 2.0 miles back to Crane Pond where the trail begins.  Again if you don’t mind driving in the wilderness, you can drive back to Crane Pond.  The trail from there to the summit is 2.9 miles for a total of 4.9 miles instead of the 6.8 miles each way that I took.)

This is a view of Pharaoh Lake from the first view point you come to on the trail from the south (or the last view point you might find coming from the north).  Treadway Mountain with its western cliffs is the prominent peak visible from any of the eastern viewpoints.  The picture above is of the High Peaks looking north from a western viewpoint.  Many other ponds are also visible as were several of my favorite bushwhacking peaks in the Wilderness area including Potter, Ragged, and Peaked mountains.

The return trip to the car took about two hours and twenty minutes.  This was a crazy pace.  I would recommend that you allow at least another 2 hours for the trip.

NOTE: For a more complete description of the trails, please see ADK's GUIDE to ADIRONDACK TRAILS - Eastern Region, pp 101-103 & 118, 119.

Have a great hike!
Bob Goodwin