Backpacking

Adirondacks

Backpacking in the Adirondacks is different. First is the series of Adirondack Shelters, three sided well built well maintained log structures. They're quite weathertight (except for the one open side). So you can roll out your sleeping bag and pad inside and not worry about a tent. The ceiling is high enough that as long as you set up toward the front you can cook meals inside with a portable stove. The shelters offer a very cozy option. But there are rules. First, it is illegal to pitch tents or hammocks in a shelter. If you want to pitch your tent, go elsewhere. Second, shelters are designed for eight people. Keep your equipment confined to a small space so others have room. It is illegal to spread out your equipment to either discourage others from setting up, or try to give yourself more privacy. If you want privacy, set up your tent elsewhere. Third, no pets are allowed. Fourth, no open wood fires are allowed. Fifth, you cannot reserve a shelter in advance. Sixth, they are for camping. If you're not spending the night in one, then your group should go to your tents, rather than "hanging out" in a shelter and discouraging late arrivals from setting up. Seventh, clean up after yourself. The ADK tries to keep brooms in shelters. Use the broom to sweep out the shelter. Do NOT leave food or beverages so tonight's visitors can use them. They'll bring their own. Whatever you leave becomes a magnet for Bears, Raccoons, and other wildlife. If you brought it in, pack it out. With all this said, there are reasons NOT to use these shelters. Bears, Squirrels, Chipmunks, Raccoons, Mice and other critters have learned food is often available, so they come by, sometimes in the middle of the night. In warm weather, insects invade shelters, since there's no screen. And if another party is sharing the shelter, you'll have zero privacy. So in three seasons many backpackers choose to skip the shelters and just pitch their tents elsewhere. In the snow, ice and high winds of Winter, they use the shelters.

Second is the trail maintenance. Local trail clubs maintain bridges, staircases, walk ways, signs and other amenities. These are luxuries not found everywhere.

Third is length. Backpacking trips here tend to be shorter than out West. Weeklong trips are rare. 2-3-4 day trips are the norm. And six miles, rather than 8-10 miles, are typical daily distances.

To reach the Pharoah Lake Wilderness from The Lodge At Schroon Lake, turn left at the front entrance and drive through town. Just on the north edge of town, turn right (east) onto Alder Meadow Road. You will come to a V intersection, with Crane Pond Road turning left (east) and Adirondack Road turning right (south). OR, drive a mile further and turn right (east) on Route 74, which will lead to three trailheads. If you're ordering maps you want the National Geographic Adirondack Park Lake George/Great Sacandaga Quadrant.

Pharoah Lake is perfect for an easy overnight or several night backpack. It's best done as a four day trip. The best route in begins at the Mill Brook Trailhead. To find this, turn right (south) onto Adirondack Road, continue on it as it becomes Route 55, turn left (east) onto Beaver Pond Road, and look for the trailhead on your left about a mile in. The trail reaches the western shore of Pharoah Lake in 9.6 miles of mostly level walking. There are six Adirondack Shelters placed around the lake. Trails with various names run all along the lakeshore, bringing you to plenty of ideal tent sites.

Whether at a shelter or a tentsite, you can basecamp at the lake and day hike out in various directions.

The trail up Pharoah Mountain climbs from 1146 to 2556 feet in 2.4 miles. That's quite a climb, but the views are worth it. Given an hour lunch break at the peak, this is a great day hike.

On a third day you can circumnavigate Treadway Mtn., following Grizzle Ocean Trail, Clear Pond Trail, Tubmill Marsh Trail, Crab Pond Spur and Glidden Marsh Trail, a total distance of 9.1 miles. The trail is mostly level but very scenic, taking you past one pond after another.

On the fourth day you can hike back out to the trailhead.

In a dry October week this is a beautiful backpacking trip. In the Spring it can be muddy and parts of various trails can be partially underwater. In June blackflies and mosquitoes are a problem requiring bug jackets and spray.

On Summer weekends Pharoah Lake can be crowded. You can avoid the crowds by hiking up the 0.3 mile trail to Whortleberry Pond. It's a pretty place on its own, and is a great favorite of bird watchers, but it's a great location for privacy. The trail leaves Pharoah Lake at Shelter #1 on the south shore.

There are five other routes out from Pharoah Lake but you would have to either spot a vehicle at the trailhead or have someone drive around and pick you up.

Backpacking in the Hoffman Notch Wilderness means something different. Here, it means bushwacking. All the trails are for day hikers, unless you just want to hike in a few miles before pitching your tent. To get further in, you need to go off trail. But What Sights There Are To See In This Trailless Area! There are vast tracts of untouched Yellow Birch (photo, left) and White Cedar, spectacular in October colors. If you come in from the west, you can start at the Boreas River. It's directly accessible off Blue Ridge Road. The Boreas tract is the most recent land in the Adirondacks, acquired from Finch Pruyn Paper Company in 2014. So there are still walkable logging roads you can follow for several miles in, before you set off on your own. You need map and compass skills because you're way beyond any cell signal. You're west of Washburn Ridge, Sand Pond Mountain, Bailey Hill and Hayes Mountain, which are in a line dividing the western from eastern half of the wilderness. So you could make summiting each of these, then find your way back to the river, a challenging and interesting four day triangular trip. An alternate entrance to this same route is the Loch Muller Trailhead (described on the hiking page). Hike to Marion Pond and take off from there, returning to the pond 3-4 days later and out to your vehicle.

The Siamese Ponds Trail begins at the Eleventh Mountain Trailhead on Route 8 just south of Bakers Mills. You begin by cresting a ridge, then dropping down to the East Branch Sacandaga River. You'll follow this 3.4 miles to Siamese Brook, then follow the brook 2.3 miles to the Siamese Ponds, one seen in the photo at right. You can basecamp along these lakes, then bushwack to Horseshoe Mountain, Long Pine Mountain and Hayden Mountain (none of which have trails) one per day. On the fifth day you backpack out. You could also just laze around in camp and swim and fish. In October this is a spectacular trip. In July and August it's still a great trip but without all the color. We advise against it from April - June due to mosquitoes, black flies, mud and often water on the trail.