3,340 feet, 10 Miles east of Whiteface Mountain
September 18th, 2006
4 Month-old Cree, in only his 2nd serious hike, on Jay Mountain with Whiteface Mountain to the West
Left, Giant, Dix, Nippletop, Sawteeth
& High Peaks to the South, and right, Cree finds a rain-filled
crevice.
| The Jay
Mountains flank Route 9N east of Whiteface Mountain and the High Peaks,
and comprise some of the lesser hiked mountains of the northeast
Adirondacks. Jay Mountain is the 3,340 foot jewel in the Jay Mountain
Wilderness, and makes for a good introduction to intermediate, unmarked
trail hiking, as the trail is clearly defined and in a mile and a half
of up, down and up-again hiking, takes you to the summit of the
mountain, and the beginning of a lovely 1.5 mile ridge hike through the
Jay Mountains. The summit offers excellent 360 degree views, which take in not only the Jay Mountains to the North, northwest and east, and beyond the Green Mountains of Vermont, but Whiteface Mountain towering over Ebenezer and Rattlesnake Knob to the west and the High peaks to the southwest. There is a touching memorial to Shawn Coarding, a well-liked young man from Wilmington, who died while hiking on Jay Mountain in May 2006. Heading south on 9N or Springfield Road, make the left onto Trumbulls Road, immediately south of the bridge crossing the East Branch of the Ausable in Upper Jay (which, oddly enough, is south of Jay!), continue until Trumbulls Bridge passes the Glen Road intersection, and becomes Jay Mountain Road. After the Prestonia Road intersection, look on the left about 150-200 feet up the road, and you'll see a raised sandy bank, a small DEC Forest Preserve sign, and some small yellow-blazed rocks. Drive real slowly or you'll miss it. That's the trailhead, and you can park along Jay Mountain Road. If you continue east up Jay Mountain Road, and you have a serious, raised 4WD vehicle, you can drive over the mountains into Lewis, NY and the Lake Champlain area. |
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Enlarge.
Memorial to Shawn Coarding, young man
from Wilmington, who died hiking on Jay Mountain.
North Ridge of the Jay Range, Wendy & Cree take in the sun, and more Jay Mountains to the northwest.
