Emmons from Cold River

[carlhoward]

My 1987 map does not show where one accesses the Cold River trail (Essex to Franklin county). Can someone send me a 'snap-shot' for this? What map shows this point? I am interested in the possibility of climbing Emmons via the old slide on its SE side. Anyone tried that?
Thanks,

Carl

 

[DSettahr]

Based on the register entries in the Oluska Lean-to on the Cold River, the ascent of Emmons via the slide has decreased in popularity over the past decade. The adopter there has dutifully typed up all of the entries in the lean-to log book since 1985, and placed binders with photocopies in the lean-to. From what I read in the old entries, it can be pretty difficult to find the slide- in fact I would certainly recommend planning to spend the night there prior to your ascent. Get to the lean-to early so that you can spend an afternoon reading through all the old entries. They'll probably be your best source of information prior to attempting the climb- based on the descriptions I read there, finding the slide can be more difficult than you'd think.

As for accessing the Cold River area, you have a bunch of options. The quickest way to get there would probably be from the east, via the Upper Works trailhead, which is at the end of Upper Works Road in Newcomb, NY (about 10 miles). You can also access the Cold River from the west via the trailhead in Coreys, NY (about 11 miles). It can also be accessed via the Northville-Placid Trail by starting in either Lake Placid or Long Lake, but the distances from either are significantly farther.

 

[ColdRiverRun]

I've climbed up or down the slide 3 times. I enjoy it but I'm in no rush to go back. With all the new amazing slides it doesn't show up anywhere on the priority list. Is your '87 map the McMartin map? My original time in there I got "lost" one of the few times ever following the directions to a tee. I believe is says the first heavy brook coming in from the left is the one to take and that is false. The two best ways are a diagonal line towards the Oluska leanto or better, straight up from the old lumber camp clearing on the right hand bank (heading up stream), then crossing over and heading right up. The major "issue" now is that the spruce over the last 10 years has progressively taking over the area below the slide and it is very tough going for quite a while.

I would tell most to take a pass and go for something else unless this is one that has just been eating at them to do for a few years or something.

I placed the new registers and took out the old ones so that Gary (the caretaker for the leantos you referred to) could type up the new entries. He hand types them all like DSetthar mentioned. I don't have a map in front of me but I'm thinking it was 12.5 miles from the Sewards (Corey's road) parking to the leanto. There is also a pond, swamp, that depending on level can be hard to cross or go around going that way.

 

[BlackSpruce]

We did a loop two springs ago (May 17, 2010); left the Oluska Lean-to, visited Noah's Pond 20 minutes later, from there reached the slide in kind of a bee line to bottom of slide (went left of the 784 bump), that route was relatively easy, bottom of slide is circled by old blowdown with young growth, it was like trying to get through a brick wall, took the four of us applying the “every man for himself” method 25 minutes to travel 75 linear feet! Then our happiness was short-lived as the bottom third of the Emmons slide is overgrown. The knitting was somewhat easier but not very welcome. Finally at about 3200’ we were in the open for all of the next 4 to 500’ feet of climbing. Bushwhack from top of slide, to the right, to herdpath about 8 minutes from summit was relatively easy (15 minutes), we came down the same way but decided to take the woods to the right of the drainage down in order to, once more, visit Emmons Camp. Big mistake, it was tough going down (!) most of the time since as stated above the adolescent spruces are a royal pain. Once on the shore of the Oluska Brook, if you are lucky it’s a 17 minutes’ walk/run back to the trail .5-mile north of Noah’s condo or 1-mile from Oluska Lean-To.
Beware the mountains has flagging all over going every which way, don’t follow any of it they mostly lead to troubles. It was my one and only climb of the slide but I have many times bushwhack to Emmons Camp and Oluska Pond and would think that if you do not know the area at all it would be better to wait for longer days and drier conditions to go in there. Please not as well that depending on maps the drainage flowing out of Oluska Pass is named Oluska or Seward Brook.

 

[tradigan21]

Has anyone taken this route recently? I'm planning a trip where I'd be coming from Long Lake on the NPT and looking to summit Emmons, Donaldson, Seward and Seymour then head over to do Couchsachraga, Panther and Santanoni. It looks like it's a little over 2 miles from Ouluska Lean-To to Emmons then about 3.5 over Donaldson and Seward to the Ward Brook Truck Tr. As opposed to around 5.5 mi from Ouluska Lean-To to Duck Hole, 4 to the trail up Seward, Donaldson and Emmons and then 7 round trip over the peaks. It sounds like a time consuming bushwhack, but would it be recommended to cut 11 miles and a bunch of backtracking off the long way around? Any advice on the best way to find the slide would also be appreciated.

 

[TEO]

Back in the mid-aughts I hiked it from the old Santanoni lumber camp clearing that Cory mentioned. I concur with is directions & echo what he & BlackSpruce said about the spruce growth/blowdown around the bottom of the slide--it was a brute. Blowdown with thick spruce growing in it make for very slow going. If you'll be carrying an overnight pack, that will only make it even more difficult. The slide itself is a cool spot, but it's short. As Corey also mentioned, the bushwhacking below the really nasty stuff is no piece of cake. This is a Type II, borderline Type III Fun terrain.

 

[BlackSpruce]

Went from Long Lake to Ouluska lean-to three weeks ago, no bushwhack this time, but there is significant new (2014 & 2015) and nasty blowdown at lower elevation in places, it`s likely the route to the slide has not improved of late! And be ready for fording deep waters a couple of times, North of Plumley Point as beaver quite busy, and no way around either right or left.

 

[tradigan21]

Thanks for the tips. I think I'm going to take the Calkins Brook Tr to that herdpath and head up to Donaldson then Emmons and Seward that way. It's a bit longer than coming from Ouluska Lean-To, but cuts out most of backtracking I would have to do by going around from Duck Hole and seems like a lot less effort.