3 Point Scrambling, with Great Views: 3,168'
September 2003
Wendy on Catamount Summit, with Esther and Whiteface over her shoulder
| The summit of Catamount is said to be only 1.8 miles from the
trailhead, and it is truly
only 3,168 feet above sea level. So......why
does this smaller
mountain, with some of the best views anywhere in the Adirondacks, feel
like one of the high peaks? Catamount starts out with a short,
level
hike through a beautiful, sandy, conifer forest where mosses and lichen
fill in the spaces where spruces, pine and larch aren't
growing.
The trail then heads up at a fairly steep grade through a thickly
canopied birch forest, before breaking out into some serious, but
enjoyable scrambling, rewarded by great
views. Here, Catamount's tease begins, as you think you are nearing the
summit
(it feels like you've already hiked a couple of miles!), only to
discover the scrambling has only brought you to a brief rocky respite,
with
the summit rising another third of a mile after a brief, shallow drop
in
the trail. The last leg consists mainly of walking up bare rock and
scrambling through the occasional spruce tunnel, again
with continually good views. The summit rewards you with 360 degree
vistas, so choose a sunny day, and bring the camera. The Catamount
trailhead is about 20 minutes from Otter Chalet and Deep Woods Cabin:
head north on Springfield, left briefly onto Route 86, continuing
straight
across four corners, and up the Veterans Memorial Highway, right onto
Franklin Falls Road (just below the Whiteface toll gate), right
again after 3.3 miles, right onto Forestdale, where you begin to see
Catamount in the distance. The trailhead is poorly marked, with
vertical
red paint striping on a couple of thin trees, about 2.2 miles up on the
left. Have fun! |
Wendy in front of Catamount, after all that scrambling to get this far! The view east from Catamount Summit
Views North......... and South
Yes, this
vertical chimney is part of the
trail! Lichens & Mosses (beard lichen
above) abound
in sandy forest at start of the trail.
