We had a lovely hike to the summit of Sleeping Beauty Mountain in the eastern area of Adirondack Park in the Lake George Wild Forest. The hike was easy with some lovely switchbacks and a beautiful summit overlooking Lake George. We decided to add on some extra mileage by making the loop to Bumps Pond. It was absolutely beautiful and full of dragonflies and puddling butterflies. There’s a whole network of trails to explore in this area and I’m looking forward to coming back again for more hiking.
The Owl’s Head Trail is a short but steep 1 mile ascent requiring some moderate scrambling and is considered “Adirondack easy”. For a minimal amount of work, you’ll be rewarded with fantastic views of Giant, Hurricane, Lower Wolf Jaw, Porter, Cascade, Pitchoff and Jay.
The trail is on private land and is only open on weekdays. It’s located just off the 73 near Keene (you’ll actually see the summit as you descend from Lower Cascade Lake along the 73). Be mindful of parking (we parked along the 73 just to be safe) and walk down the dirt road to the sign for the unmarked trail. As you begin, the trail makes an immediate ascent. You’ll see views of Pitchoff, Cascade and Porter as you climb. The final pitch is a moderate scramble that snakes around the edge. At the top and you’ll be rewarded with fine views all around. From the main ledge we could make out Giant, Lower Wolf Jaw, Hurricane, Porter, Cascade, Pitchoff and Jay. We sprawled out on the large flat boulders and soaked in the sun before heading back down the way we came. Once back at the trailhead, we still had plenty of time in our day to head out and hike some other trails.
Beautiful day in the Adirondacks hiking to the top of Cat Mountain. We started the hike from the trailhead off Valley Woods Road, followed the blue trail and then onto the yellow trail to the summit which gave us spectacular views overlooking Lake George. There is nothing technical on this route and no rock scrambling as there typically is with much of the Adirondacks. Since it’s shoulder season, I was expecting more mud, but it was minimal. This was the perfect hike to do after a 4 hour drive which gave us enough time to head up to Lake Placid afterwards and enjoy a nice dinner before settling in early and heading out to do more hiking in the High Peaks region the next day.
We spent another couple of days hiking in the Adirondack Mountains High Peaks Region. Weather was not ideal for high elevation since it’s the beginning of shoulder season when fall starts to turn into winter. Trail conditions are beginning to become a mix of mud, ice and snow so we stayed low and just enjoyed our time exploring the area and scouting out more potential hikes for future trips. Once there’s a good coating of snow on the ground we’ll be back for snowshoeing. Despite the weather, (rain mixed with snow which I honestly don’t mind… better then humidity!), we had an amazing time.
