Elephant Mountain

[Akramitis]

I am planning to hike to Elephant Mountain on the east side of Lake George this weekend. So far I found very little information about hiking there. I always assumed that a good start would be the Jeep Trail that starts near the Pike Brook Road Trailhead just south of Sugarloaf Mountain and is shown on the topomap. Recently I saw a post that mentioned the way to the shore as being very easy and I wondered if there is another approach from the shore.

Is there a path to Elephant Mountain? Does anyone knows where such path, if any, starts and its approximate route. I have marked on the attached map what makes sense to me as being the way there. Is this the right way?

Thank you very much for all your help.

 

[Tom Rankin]

I am planning to hike to Elephant Mountain on the east side of Lake George this weekend. So far I found very little information about hiking there. I always assumed that a good start would be the Jeep Trail that starts near the Pike Brook Road Trailhead just south of Sugarloaf Mountain and is shown on the topomap. Recently I saw a post that mentioned the way to the shore as being very easy and I wondered if there is another approach from the shore.

Is there a path to Elephant Mountain? Does anyone knows where such path, if any, starts and its approximate route. I have marked on the attached map what makes sense to me as being the way there. Is this the right way?

Thank you very much for all your help.

I've never been there but your route starts off with a lot of sidehilling, which I dislike when I hike. Perhaps go West a little sooner. Then your route crosses 2 'V' areas, which are probably steep and have water at the bottom. Again, probably best to avoid them by heading slightly west.

 

[iceNsnow]

Some helpful information -

Howdy!
It has been a while since I've been to Elephant Mt. There is a trailhead( or more accurrately a "path-head" off the road (Land's End Rd, I believe) that runs along the lake. Go over the mt. on CR 6. Take a left at the base of the hill. Go past Sheep Meadow Lane on your right. Then look on the left for a drainage that has some white markers. I think they are big white "E"s?! Find some place to park off the pavement and the path was very obvious. It ran alongside someone's back yard/ shed but then went into the woods. After a ways it becomes narrower, contours right and then near the summit it makes a sharp left to the ridge and summit.
Another option is to take the Black Mt t/h off of Pike Brk Rd. Follow the trail until it takes a hard left to climb steeply a short ways from the summit (w/ it's new Wind Turbine!!) At the point where the trail turns up to the left, head Right into the woods and follow the ridge. There was a lightly used path along the ridge that was marked w/ painted red tin can covers. Or maybe they were white? ( I think the path up from the Lake was marked w/ white and these were red, but it could have been the other way around...) I crisscrossed the ridge and came upon this path when I was thinking it would be a nice bushwhack from Black Mt to Hulett's Lndg. The woods were quite open and some ledges provided nice views. Probably more opportunities for views w/ the foliage down.
Just curious......why Elephant?

 

[Akramitis]

Thanks for the info.

Why Elephant?
I hike almost every weekend and have done many many hikes. I want to do every single hike in the ADK guides and I was recently concentrated in the areas around Lake George. I have now finished every single trail in the ADK guide (eastern region) and more (i.e. I bushwhacked to the top of Erebus where I found an old rope with some markers at a small overlook, I went to the shoulder of Pilot Knob, hiked to Spruce Mountain, and many more).

From looking at the topo maps few places places in that area always got my attention and wondered why there weren't any trails there. One was Spectacle Ponds east of Sleeping Beauty and the other was Elephant Mountain. Spectacle Ponds because is the only waterbody in that area that doesn't have a trail. Elephant mountain because is one of the few mountains named on the Topo without a trail (the others were Erebus and Little Buck which I have done both). I am only looking at places in public lands and that excludes Pilot Knob.

That is the reason I want to hike to Elephant Mountain.

Again thanks for the info.

 

[iceNsnow]

thanks for the reply!

It is always interesting to hear why people hike different hikes.
I think your route looks as interesting as the ones I offer, so I hope it doesn't deter you from hiking your own route!
Enjoy Elephant!!

btw, I hike there b/c my in-laws live nearby and it is a Great Escape!
There sure are lots of great trails, peaks and ponds on the East side of Lk George!

 

[Chugach001]

Hi, any updates on finding the trail. I'm renting a house at the end of Land's End road and am ready to head upwards, preferably on a trail.

Thanks!

 

[Peakbagr]

Peak_bgr, Bushwhacker and I and a couple of others from VFTT started on the Black Mt trail, did a 'whack up Sugarloaf Mt and then 'whacked west and picked up Elephant's southern ridge and followed it to the top. Really nice views on Sugarloaf and even better on Elephant. There is a sorta-marked, sorta-herdpath down Elephant's northern ridge right down to CR6a West of Hulett's Landing.
Just a super hike and it has what can easily be described as 'Lake George open woods' for easy bushwhacking.
Inge gave us some route tips on Elephant - she knows her way around there.