DSettahr
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I hiked the Tongue Mountain Range on my birthday (saturday), doing the loop from the Clay Meadows trailhead. We did the loop clockwise, starting by going up Fifth Peak, descending down the ridgeline to Montcalm Point, and then hiking back up the shoreline of Northwest Bay.
The trail up Fifth Peak was very well traveled, and appeared to follow an old road for much of its length. We encountered a Garter Snake on the trail as we ascended (but didn’t see any Rattlesnakes at all the entire day). The junction with the trail along the range (as well as the trail down the eastern slopes of the range to Lake George) is marked, however the junction with the side trail to the lean-to and the summit of Fifth Peak is not. The lean-to trail splits off of the ridgeline trail just south of where the trail from Clay Meadows reaches the height of land, and if you’re looking for it, you can’t miss it.
The lean-to sits right atop the summit, facing away from the views to protect occupants from the wind. The lean-to is mostly in good shape with the exception of a couple of holes in the roof that are fairly obvious but not too big. Anyone planning on spending a night here would be advised to bring a tarp to cover up the roof with incase of rain. We also encountered a fair number of people on the top; Fifth peak was a popular hike in the warm weather on Saturday. The views were excellent, we could see Black Mountain, Erebus and Sleeping Beauty Mountains, and Buck Mountain on the eastern shore of Lake George, the Green Mountains in Vermont, Gore Mountain, Snowy Mountain, and Blue Mountain to the west, and even some of the High Peaks to the Northwest (I’m pretty sure I spotted the Seward Range). Lake George looked quite pristine with almost no boat traffic, as most people had not get gotten their boats in the water (I think we saw maybe a total of five boats on the lake during the entire day, a rare sight on Lake George!).
After eating lunch on the summit, we headed south. Beyond Fifth Peak, the trail becomes less well traveled but is still fairly easy to follow. A simple glance at the map would indicate that from Fifth Peak south, the trail is a gradual downhill stroll, but this is far from the truth. French’s Point Mountain is nearly as tall as Fifth Peak, and First Peak is formidable in its own right, and the trail goes through many steep downs and ups as it makes its way south along the ridge. Just south of the summit of Fifth Peak we encountered a group looking for Fifth Peak; they had spotted the junction with the side trail to the summit but had assumed it was not the trail they were looking for due to the lack of signage, and had continued south along the ridge before turning around and heading back.
On the nub between Fifth Peak and French Point Mountain we encountered a duo hiking the loop in the opposite direction. They were the last hikers we encountered that day; it seems that the trail between Fifth Peak and Montcalm Point gets very little use. The trail is spectacular, however, with almost non-stop views, and a winding path through lots of open forest, fields, and ledges. I highly recommend hiking this loop clockwise, as the views are much easier to enjoy when heading south along the ridge.
We encountered some campsites and old fire rings between Fifth Peak and French Point Mountain, as well as on the summit of French Point Mountain. Some looked like they had been recently used, most however had not been used in some time. All were technically illegal, as they were undesignated and way too close to the trail.
We also encountered several vernal pools along the ridge; all were crazy with Wood Frogs and Spring Peepers making quite a racket.
On the summit of French Point Mountain we stopped for a snack. Just below the summit, we encountered a stream coming from some springs in the rocks near the trail. As we were running low on water, we decided to fill up here. I’m not sure that this stream runs year round, but its location is a good one to know as there are little or no other potential sources of water up on the ridge.
The guidebook mentions an old unmarked trail that crosses the ridgeline somewhere in the vicinity of French Point Mountain and First Peak, but we saw no sign of it. (I’m still using the previous edition of the guidebook, however, and this trail is probably long-gone by now.)
We didn’t see any campsites on the summit of First Peak, but I’m sure it’s been done. We did start to smell smoke as we approached the summit, and I was half expecting to encounter a group camped out on top. However, we crested the summit only to find it deserted. Upon closer examination, I noticed a thick cloud of smoke coming from one of the islands in the narrows; it appeared that a group was camped out down there and the combination of a stiff breeze coming off the lake plus the density of the smoke from their campfire enabled us to smell it, more than a mile away.
The sun was just about setting when we reached Montcalm Point. We stopped at the tip of the point for another snack in the gathering darkness before heading back to Clay Meadows on the trail along the shoreline of Northwest Bay. There was a campsite at Montcalm Point, and we encountered several sites along the shoreline as we hiked back to Clay Meadows, but, as with the campsites on the ridgeline, they were all technically illegal. All were undesignated, and within 150 feet of both the trail and the shoreline, although only one actually had a no camping disc nearby.
About halfway back, between Fan Point and Bear Point, the trail changed character significantly. From Montcalm Point northwards to this point, it was muddy, somewhat difficult to follow in places, and not very well traveled. The northern half of the trail in contrast was very well graded, fairly wide, and overall a decent and well-traveled path lined with rocks for much of its length. According to the guidebook, this trail section of trail was constructed by the CCC as a horse trail, but was never utilized as such due to the discovery that the Tongue Mountain Range was rattlesnake habitat.
When we reached Northwest Bay Brook, the sound of the Wood Frogs and Peepers was almost deafening. I’ve never heard so much commotion from frogs before, it was quite interesting to have the opportunity to witness it.
We reached the trailhead about 9 or 10 hours after we started, having used headlamps for most of the hike back along the shoreline of Northwest Bay. This hike is certainly a considerable one, harder even than some of the High Peaks for sure. However, the views more than made it worthwhile, as did the lack of crowds beyond Fifth Peak. I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking for a challenging and rewarding hike outside of the High Peaks.
I hiked the Tongue Mountain Range on my birthday (saturday), doing the loop from the Clay Meadows trailhead. We did the loop clockwise, starting by going up Fifth Peak, descending down the ridgeline to Montcalm Point, and then hiking back up the shoreline of Northwest Bay.
The trail up Fifth Peak was very well traveled, and appeared to follow an old road for much of its length. We encountered a Garter Snake on the trail as we ascended (but didn’t see any Rattlesnakes at all the entire day). The junction with the trail along the range (as well as the trail down the eastern slopes of the range to Lake George) is marked, however the junction with the side trail to the lean-to and the summit of Fifth Peak is not. The lean-to trail splits off of the ridgeline trail just south of where the trail from Clay Meadows reaches the height of land, and if you’re looking for it, you can’t miss it.
The lean-to sits right atop the summit, facing away from the views to protect occupants from the wind. The lean-to is mostly in good shape with the exception of a couple of holes in the roof that are fairly obvious but not too big. Anyone planning on spending a night here would be advised to bring a tarp to cover up the roof with incase of rain. We also encountered a fair number of people on the top; Fifth peak was a popular hike in the warm weather on Saturday. The views were excellent, we could see Black Mountain, Erebus and Sleeping Beauty Mountains, and Buck Mountain on the eastern shore of Lake George, the Green Mountains in Vermont, Gore Mountain, Snowy Mountain, and Blue Mountain to the west, and even some of the High Peaks to the Northwest (I’m pretty sure I spotted the Seward Range). Lake George looked quite pristine with almost no boat traffic, as most people had not get gotten their boats in the water (I think we saw maybe a total of five boats on the lake during the entire day, a rare sight on Lake George!).
After eating lunch on the summit, we headed south. Beyond Fifth Peak, the trail becomes less well traveled but is still fairly easy to follow. A simple glance at the map would indicate that from Fifth Peak south, the trail is a gradual downhill stroll, but this is far from the truth. French’s Point Mountain is nearly as tall as Fifth Peak, and First Peak is formidable in its own right, and the trail goes through many steep downs and ups as it makes its way south along the ridge. Just south of the summit of Fifth Peak we encountered a group looking for Fifth Peak; they had spotted the junction with the side trail to the summit but had assumed it was not the trail they were looking for due to the lack of signage, and had continued south along the ridge before turning around and heading back.
On the nub between Fifth Peak and French Point Mountain we encountered a duo hiking the loop in the opposite direction. They were the last hikers we encountered that day; it seems that the trail between Fifth Peak and Montcalm Point gets very little use. The trail is spectacular, however, with almost non-stop views, and a winding path through lots of open forest, fields, and ledges. I highly recommend hiking this loop clockwise, as the views are much easier to enjoy when heading south along the ridge.
We encountered some campsites and old fire rings between Fifth Peak and French Point Mountain, as well as on the summit of French Point Mountain. Some looked like they had been recently used, most however had not been used in some time. All were technically illegal, as they were undesignated and way too close to the trail.
We also encountered several vernal pools along the ridge; all were crazy with Wood Frogs and Spring Peepers making quite a racket.
On the summit of French Point Mountain we stopped for a snack. Just below the summit, we encountered a stream coming from some springs in the rocks near the trail. As we were running low on water, we decided to fill up here. I’m not sure that this stream runs year round, but its location is a good one to know as there are little or no other potential sources of water up on the ridge.
The guidebook mentions an old unmarked trail that crosses the ridgeline somewhere in the vicinity of French Point Mountain and First Peak, but we saw no sign of it. (I’m still using the previous edition of the guidebook, however, and this trail is probably long-gone by now.)
We didn’t see any campsites on the summit of First Peak, but I’m sure it’s been done. We did start to smell smoke as we approached the summit, and I was half expecting to encounter a group camped out on top. However, we crested the summit only to find it deserted. Upon closer examination, I noticed a thick cloud of smoke coming from one of the islands in the narrows; it appeared that a group was camped out down there and the combination of a stiff breeze coming off the lake plus the density of the smoke from their campfire enabled us to smell it, more than a mile away.
The sun was just about setting when we reached Montcalm Point. We stopped at the tip of the point for another snack in the gathering darkness before heading back to Clay Meadows on the trail along the shoreline of Northwest Bay. There was a campsite at Montcalm Point, and we encountered several sites along the shoreline as we hiked back to Clay Meadows, but, as with the campsites on the ridgeline, they were all technically illegal. All were undesignated, and within 150 feet of both the trail and the shoreline, although only one actually had a no camping disc nearby.
About halfway back, between Fan Point and Bear Point, the trail changed character significantly. From Montcalm Point northwards to this point, it was muddy, somewhat difficult to follow in places, and not very well traveled. The northern half of the trail in contrast was very well graded, fairly wide, and overall a decent and well-traveled path lined with rocks for much of its length. According to the guidebook, this trail section of trail was constructed by the CCC as a horse trail, but was never utilized as such due to the discovery that the Tongue Mountain Range was rattlesnake habitat.
When we reached Northwest Bay Brook, the sound of the Wood Frogs and Peepers was almost deafening. I’ve never heard so much commotion from frogs before, it was quite interesting to have the opportunity to witness it.
We reached the trailhead about 9 or 10 hours after we started, having used headlamps for most of the hike back along the shoreline of Northwest Bay. This hike is certainly a considerable one, harder even than some of the High Peaks for sure. However, the views more than made it worthwhile, as did the lack of crowds beyond Fifth Peak. I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking for a challenging and rewarding hike outside of the High Peaks.
