Twin Brook/Cliff Mtn Questions ...

A few questions for the expert hikers in this forum:

1. The leanto at the junction of Lower Twin brook and Upper Twin Brook that the McMartin book mentions, is that still around? If not, is it legal to camp in that area?

2. Trail #51(Upper Twin Brook) that the McMartin book talks about, from the Twin Brooks towards Cliff; I think that trail is not maintained, but is that still a trail that we could follow and not get lost?

3. The slide to Cliff Mtn from Trail #51; how is that slide compared to, say, Macomb slide?

Thanks in advance everybody.

Not sure about Trail #51... I don't have the McMartin book. But there is no longer a Twin Brook lean-to. If you go about 1/2 mile past Twin Brook, you'll pass a painted post marking the end of private land. Just a bit further you'll see a nice camping area on the southern (left) side of the trail. Beware... I saw a huge bear near this campsite last month. The trail basically disappears further past the campsite... see my recent trip report for Allen.

1) No. No.

2) With the lean-to gone and all the logging activity in the area, I think it would be very hard to find the start of the old trail. But, if you use a compass and head towards the valley of Upper Twin Brook, it narrows as it climbs between Cliff and Redfield, and you should be able to pick it up at some point. But, it might be easier to just come in from the northern end and drop down from the height of land.

3) I've climbed the slide on Cliff, and it's very similar to the Macomb slide in that it's rubble, but not as long. If you do come from the Upper Twin Brook area, be careful not to get too anxious and mistake the cliffs for the slide. I did that my first trip in that way! Actually they're just steep slabs and were climbable, but I wouldn't recommend it. The slide is clearly rubble, and gets you up to just below the dip between the two main summit areas on Cliff. The true summit is to the left as you crest out. It's a nice route because you get good views back to Marcy as you ascend the slide. But, as I said, given the logging at the start, the blowdown, and the general decay of the old trail, it may be easier and less time-consuming to just take the regular route to the height of land and drop down to the foot of the slide. Good luck!