How do the Adirondacks work?

Quack said:

Please delete if too off topic but....

What do people actually consider upstate NY? My reason for asking is, there are a lot of great areas outside of the State Park that can be wonderful for exploration and camping, but I don't really know where they are in relation to upstate NY, because I can't pinpoint "upstate"!

Click to expand...

It varies form person to person, but generally refers to any part of the state that isn't part of NYC or Long Island. Rockland, Westchester, Orange, and Putnam Counties are in a bit of a gray area.

Orphic Seth,

One of my favorite spots is Duck Hole. It's a great place to camp. Walking in from Upper works via the Preston Ponds is a really nice 7 mile trip, not too crowded, gives you a taste of the Western High Peaks. You can make a loop by coming back out through Bradley Pond. There are a couple summits you can go for on that loop if you want, but you don't have to. If you wanted to spend an extra day, you could run out to Seymour, or climb Street and Nye via Wanika Falls, or one or more of the Santanonis.

Quack,

"Upstate" depends on your perspecitve. I grew up in Westchester County. The folks in NYC considered Westchester to be upstate.

SO! Here's a question................

Click to expand...

A few great non 4k’s representive hikes would be popular (i.e. more crowded) peaks like Ampersand, Hurricane & Noonmark. But since you’re new to the area, I suggest a little more effort, so you can really have your eyes opened to the beauty of the region.

A huge “bang for your buck” hike that is very reasonable for a day hike would be a Pyramid/Gothics circuit. Head in through the Ausable Club’s (AMR) Lake Road and head all the way down to towards the boathouse. On top of the hill, just before getting there, turn off onto the Weld Trail and head up to the Sawteeth Pyramid col, but don’t forget to visit Rainbow Falls.

From the col, head right, up over Pyramid (Amazing view) and up to Gothics (Another amazing view). Then head off the east side of Gothics and down the Beaver Meadow Falls Trail. Head over to the Lost Lookout just above the falls to round out the Day. Without having my map, I’d say it’s 11-13 miles (around 3000-3500’). You’ll see people for sure (not nearly as many as you might think), and it’ll be tiring, but at the end of the day, if you have not fallen in love with the Adirondacks, you likely never will.

For a multi-day, if you’re up for it, I like the Dix Range. Here a detailed
-TRIP REPORT-

Thanks, most of my "spots" are North of the park as I grew up in Canton, NY which is waaaaaaaay upstate!

Being from the Buffalo area, I consider "upstate" to be anything north of the NYC area. Then there's Western NY, Central NY, and Northern NY (Adirondacks).

I second Sawteeth/Pyramid/Gothics as an eye-popping intro to the Adirondacks. Pyramid does not appear on all maps; it's the small peak between Sawteeth and Gothics. It also has, in my opinion, the absolute best view in the High Peaks.

Amen

Here's another vote for Sawteeth/Pyramid Gothics. If pressed for time, just do the suggested loop for Pyramid/Gothics (Weld trail up, including Rainbow Falls, Beaver Meadow Trail down). If not pressed, and in reasonable shape, start up Weld trail, catch Rainbow Falls, then come back over to take the Scenic Trail up Sawteeth, then over to Pyramid/Gothics.

Pick a clear day. You'll be hooked long before the hike is over.

And yeah, originally from Buffalo, now Rochester, pretty much everything north of the Mass Pike and west of I90 is "upstate" to me.

On the other hand, the hike up Pyramid is quite steep, so be sure you are in shape. Another hike with excellent views is Colden. A very typical first hike is Cascade with a side trip to Porter.
As to living in Northern New York, I love it. I especially like the variety of activities that are available including outstanding lakes and rivers for paddling, areas of immense forest such as the Five Ponds wilderness, and of course the high peaks (and I include the Dix and Giant Wilderness areas) with both heavily trailed areas and remote bushwhacks.
There are any number of other great hikes and it will take you years to exhaust them.
As to the mud, my understanding is that the bedrock in the Adirondacks (anorthosite) is not very permeable so water will sink through the thin soil and then percolate along the surface of the bedrock rather than through it.

Silverback said:

Here's another vote for Sawteeth/Pyramid Gothics.

Click to expand...

And another vote here! On one of our trips to Pyramid we were enjoying the summit, and numerous people simply passed through without taking the time to enjoy the stop on the summit rock. One couple was just approaching as we were leaving, about to continue on to Gothics. We simply said, "nice view up there!" and they went up to check it out. As we went further down the trail we heard one of them yell from above, as they saw the Pyramid view, " O H M Y G O D!!" We're hardly that demonstrative, but that pretty much summed it up for us, too! We smiled, glad that we had made at least a part of their day. Yes, it's steep, but if you're not in the best of shape, take it slowly (you'll see more) and eventually you'll get there.

HA! Internet connection fixed... for how long, I know not.

Lots of great advice and replies, I'm really salivating over here in OH, thanks! I spent the other day at the library poring over ADK books- history, guides, pictures, etc. etc. I'm almost there... just hang on... a little longer...

The National Geographic maps have been ordered, and are now on their way.