Seward Range Questions – Your help is greatly appreciated

[bills328]

I hope to hike the Seward, Donaldson, and Emmons via the Calkins brook route next week.

1. Will Corey’s road be open all the way until the trailhead?

2. Does anyone know the exact mileage for the loop? I have had a hard time finding it but think it may be 13.7 tough miles.

3. How hard is it to find the herd path to return via Calkins brook when descending Donaldson? I have not hiked in this area before.

4. Do you have any idea how much snow will still be in this area? Last weekend I hiked Mt. Marshall and was surprised how much snow was low down on the Calamity Brook trail but then hiked Cascade and Porter the next day and there was very little snow left.

Thanks again for your help.

 

[ColdRiverRun]

I was told that the gate was still closed on Monday.

Between the left over snow and the amount of mud that area usually holds, I'd hold off on the hike unless you really dig those conditions. Sloppy wet snow is a time killer and the forecast is calling for rain for about 5 straight days right now.

Good luck.

 

[ALGonquin Bob]

Since there will still be snow up high, finding the path back down won't be too difficult!

 

[JoeCedar]

I did this trip 3 weeks ago (April 25). The road was OK to the bridge, but there was a muddy section just before the horse trail parking area, and I nearly got stuck driving through in my small SUV. Beyond the closed gate there was a wet area where a vehicle had gotten stuck and was apparently pulled out with a bulldozer. The rest of the road was in good shape, except for a couple of additional wet areas (no snow at all on the road then).

I more or less followed the Calkins path on the way up, less as I neared the ridge. No need for snowshoes till about 3000 feet on the Calkins path, but snowshoes were used throughout the range (removed a few short times). Even with snowshoes on, I was breaking through up to my thighs. On some parts of the herdpath, particularly to Emmons (west facing) and higher parts of Seward path(water and sun exposure), there was no snow at all. In others, such as around the junction of Calkins path with Donaldson/range path, there was probably 5-6+ feet of snow then.

Needless to say, it was slow going but I stayed mostly on the summer herdpath route using map/compass/GPS. Familiarity with the route and landmarks was very helpful. Start early. . .

 

[ALGonquin Bob]

If you're considering driving on the slick icy and/or muddy road back to the summer trailhead (note that it's called the "Summer" trailhead), extrication via backhoe cost $800 a few years ago - probably a bit more now (it's a seasonal road - no AAA coverage). I'd walk the road unless you have a good 4WD vehicle and maybe some extra disposable income...

 

[Gandalf]

1. Will Corey’s road be open all the way until the trailhead?

From the DEC's May 15th High Peaks update:

The gate on Corey's Road is open. Use caution as some soft spots remain along the road edges/ditch lines.

http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/9198.html

 

[Viewseeker]

sewards

Have a great time..I'll be headed there on the 4th of july weekend doing an overnight and bagging 4 peaks...if your around friday or sat..look for me at the lean-to..wish i could be of more help...let me know how it went....

 

[adirobdack46r]

I second Ferrisjrf's summer round trip distance of 14.7 miles. I last hiked the range via that route Nov 06. It was pretty easy to follow. Planned to hit Seward first but missed the turn and ended up on Donaldson, had to backtrack just a bit to find the path to Seward. Then back up to Donaldson and over to Emmons then back to Donaldson to head down. Day ran short and on the way down from Donaldson that evening in the dark we had to stop a few times and relocate the path. A few places it was tough to follow from blow down reroutings but all in all not too bad.