Panther Mountain

[DSettahr]

Click Here For More Pictures​

No, not the high peak... the dinky little guy near Upper Saranac Lake.

I'm running out of new mountains with trails to climb in the Saranac Lake/Lake Placid area. After finishing the High Peaks, I started setting my sights on lesser pursuits, focusing on smaller peaks in order to keep being able to visit new summits.

After having climbing Mount VanHoevenburg a week ago, the closest trailed peak I'd yet to climb was Panther Mountain, a small mountain near the south shore of Upper Saranac Lake. I've driven by the trailhead often, and always commented to myself when I saw the open ledges on this smaller peak that I really ought to get around to climbing it, seeing as it was a mere 0.6 mile climb that promised some decent views.

I finally did get around to climbing it yesterday. My friend Anna and I arrived in the early afternoon to find the trailhead parking area freshly plowed, and a car of hikers just pulling out. Soon, we found ourselves starting up the trail in their footsteps.

It appears that this trail is not a huge priority for the the DEC- there was no sign in register, and the trail was not frequently marked with trail markers. In fact, several of the trail markers we noticed were simply painted lids from metal cans! Nonetheless, the trail was quite easy to follow (especially with a set of fresh tracks in the snow leading the way!) and fairly clear of blowdown.

The trail starts out in a nice coniferous forest predominately composed of hemlock. Here, we found ourselves making our way back and forth across the topography through a series of switchbacks. Beneath the dense and dark canopy of branches, several inches of snow helped to brighten the forest. We encountered some ice beneath the snow, but nothing major, and we were able to bare boot it all the way.

About halfway up the mountain, the forest changed from conifers to hardwoods, and here, on gentler slopes, the trail abandoned switchbacks for a direct approach to the summit. Before long, we found ourselves standing atop the summit, in a clearing that overlooks the open rock slabs on the north side of the mountain.

Had the day not been so cloudy, the views would've been excellent. As it was, we had some nice views of the lowlands through with the Raquette River flows to the south, including a view of Follensby Pond, site of the famed "Philosopher's Camp." To the southwest, we could see Buck Mountain and Mount Morris silhouetted against the cloudy sky. Looking to the southeast, we could see a mass of dark shadows where the Seward Range would be visible on a clear day, but today the mountains were hidden in the clouds.

Panther Mountain is definitely one those "bang for the buck" mountains... a mountain in the same vein similar mountains like Mt. Joe, which offer great views in exchange for very little effort necessary to climb the mountain. Certainly not a mountain worth driving a long ways to climb, but one that, if you're spending some time in the area, is certainly worth checking out. Also a great mountain to climb if you have young kids with you! We certainly enjoyed it despite it's small stature.