North Creek Region

[medic108]

I am spending a 3 day weekend in february up in North creek - Garnet hill actually and would like to bag an ADK peak while I am there. I am looking for a suggestion for something in close proximity, worth climbing, with snow shoes preferably - > I looked over my topos and there are clearly plenty of options but was looking for some suggestions.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Tahawus]

You might try Vanderwacker. It isn't a high peak but it is a nice climb. Never done it in winter so I can't say much about that.

Doesn't Garnet Hill have an extensive snowshoe/x-c/mt bike Network? I thought I remember them being not far from a beautiful lake with some lovely small mountains too?

How about Blue Mountain That should be doable too. That was the first mountain I ever winter climbed.

 

[Mike Gilhooly]

North Creek

medic108,

I highly recomend Crane Mountain. It's a great loop hike of 6-7miles.


Mike G.

 

[Pete moss]

I've climbed Peaked mountain from 13th lake - you can walk from their
property. Very satisfying.

 

[BobK]

North Creek area peaks

Hard to beat Peaked Mt. (2,900'?) for a nice hike & view - well marked, and very close to Garnet Hill Lodge. You'll see less people there than elsewhere. Blue Mtn is an easy 2 mi. from the highway - did it 3 weeks ago with a hard packed trail.

Vanderwacker in winter is a long haul as the unplowed access rd. adds over 2 miles each way. Best to ski in/out and switch to snow shoes after it gets steep. If you are going north (past Vanderwacker) consider Goodnow (near Newcomb), or the Upper Works trailhead area (access to high peaks).

Snowy Mt. (big at almost 4,000ft.) is another good choice only a few miles west of N. Creek to Indian Lake then south perhaps 6 miles. It is probably the biggest mtn. close to N. Creek. (You could climb Gore Mtn. but the ski area traffic takes away from the experience).

The folks at the Lodge will help you.

 

[medic108]

Thanks

yes there is an extensive XC trail network etc. in garnet hill. I actually did the short climb to balm of gilead and 13th lake overlook last year during our same visit to friends.

i wonder if I could do crane with that ladder without crampons ?

Blue mountain would take me up near lake durant - is there a fire tower on blue mountain ?

lots of good suggestions thanks alot for all your input.

medic108

 

[ecc]

Yes, there is a fire tower on Blue Mt. Snowy Mt. also has one and it is just 100 feet short of a High Peak. It's just south of Indian Lake off Rt. 30.
ecc

 

[raftingguy]

You could also climb Chimney Mtn. just South of Indian Lake. That's a fairly easy hike with some interesting features, not the least of which is the actual "Chimney".

 

[leduc]

Re. Chimney Mountain, see a link to pics & info on its Eagle Cave
http://chimneymountain.hypermart.net/insidelook.htm

Charles

 

[Pete Hogan]

Peaked Mountain (second the motion)

I will be hiking Peaked Mountain for the third time in three years this Friday. It really is a relatively unknown Adirondack "gem" with all the aspects of a backcountry hike without the mileage. Great trail (8 miles RT with about 1245' of vertical ascent - 600' of which come within the last half-mile, RT book time of 5 hours), terrific summit and home by supper!

The following is a previous log report. Obviously winter gear would be required. Enjoy!

Peaked Mountain
(2919 feet)

Date Hiked: 9/12/02,10/30/03

Conditions: The trail was very dry. The rocky brook that the trail parallels for the first 2 miles was barely a trickle. We both thought how beautiful this route must be when the water levels are higher. The last 660-feet to the incredibly beautiful summit was steep at times, but the trail worked its way around the base of the vertical cliffs and switched back to allow us to catch our breaths occasionally. There are some very huge erratics on the route (one in an almost perfect shape of a whale, complete with barnacle-like lichen growing on top). The descent from the summit through the steep sections was more treacherous than the ascent.

Special Required Equipment: We both used trekking poles. There are so many good reasons to use them so they are as important as a good pair of hiking boots. The day started out brisk with a cooling breeze so a shell or fleece was necessary to stay comfortable. I carried two liters of water and consumed only one.

Comments: If you are ever in need of a great "get a way from it all" hike without all the crowds and traffic of more popular routes then Peaked Mountain should be at the top of your favorite list. This is a true Adirondack "gem" especially at this time of the year and definitely during mid-week. Arriving at the beautiful shore of Peaked Mountain Pond, the rocky dome of Peaked Mountain is a bit intimidating at first, but the actual summit is only a 660-foot, 30-minute ascent. We had lunch on the shore of the lake watching two trout fishermen in float-tubes. They were still fishing when we returned from the summit three hours later. The view from the summit was magnificent! From one vantage point we saw Snowy Mountain, the Village of Indian Lake and Blue Mountain. From another perspective we could see a part of Thirteenth Lake (where we started the hike) and Gore Mountain along with numerous unnamed mountains. And still from another very precarious cliff face we saw a panorama of the High Peaks from Macomb through Algonquin. We sat on the summit for over a hour watching the wind swirls move across the pond 600 feet directly below us. They would start out like a small fireworks burst and then spread out larger and larger as they blew across the water. It was so beautiful.

Once in a while you get lucky enough to be in a special place with a great friend on a wonderful day enjoying the company and the quiet wilderness.

 

[rondak46]

Wakely Dam....

Can you drive to Wakely Dam during the Winter?

Mike

 

[BobK]

Cedar River Flow in winter

I believe the road (from the north) is not plowed past a parking area on the left side of the road a mile or so from the dam. That parking area is the "launching pad" for many snowmobilers heading into the Moose River Plains. That whole area is snowmobile country.

 

[Tom H]

Access to Wakely area in winter

It is over 4 miles from the snowmobilers' parking to the dam, not the one mile mentioned in a previous post. If you go during the week the snowmobile traffic is less, and also if you do the walk in early in the morning it will be quiet. It's a long walk, but barebootable usually or skiable. Even for those of us who are able to tolerate the sounds and smells of the snowmobiles, there is still the element of danger when mixing pedestrian and snowmobile traffic on the same trail. Walk defensively. The view from Wakely fire tower is well worth the effort IMO.