Vanderwhacker Mountain

I found this to be a very nice hike. It was nothing that I had expected, I compared that to what I had read anyways. Its like reading a book, forming your own vision in your mind, then watching the movie in a theater, based on some others imagination.

The trail is a soft gradual hike, from trail head to the summit it is a 2.5 mile trip, 5 miles round trip. The climb is so gradual that you do not realize the climb is just under 1700" of elevation gain. The mountain itself is at 3386' of elevation. There isn't a lot of climbing until you reach the cabin, from there to the summit, just under 1.5 miles is where you gain your elevation.

The trail crisscrosses a few waterways, which are either covered with a foot bridge, or rock hop-able. Just before the ridge there is a nice switchback that helps easy the climb as well. Which I will assume is fairly new as it is not defined on the maps I have seen. There were a few other areas where the trail has been re-routed.

I left the trail-head at 8:30 and arrived at the summit around 1030, we took out time. The dogs did very well, and this is a dog friendly climb.

The dirt road into the trail-head is in fairly good shape, with a few pot holes. I had brought my truck because I had read that it was a rough road, and a car may have trouble (with clearance) getting into the trail-head. I didn't see where there would be any issues, so long as someone takes their time and watches where they go.

A real gem.

Goodman Mountain

This mountain is located behind what locals in Tupper Lake call Lumberjack Spring and was once referred to as Litchfield Hill and on some older maps can still be found as such, while It may not be ever an official name. A new trail has been developed by the DEC to mimic the one developed over time by users; it now clearly accesses the summit of Goodman.

This 1.7 mile, one way, hike is over easy to moderate terrain. Danielle wanted to do this one first, and she made a good decision as it is an awesome hike. From the parking area located at the old road at the back. This old road used to be Highway 10 between Long Lake and Tupper Lake, back in the day; the old tarmac is still beneath your feet for quite a ways. Just outside of the parking area there is a sign in and a new bridge over Cold Brook. A short distance in you will be to the right of an long ridge that you will follow along the road. The road is in decent shape and a neat way to hike to this peak.

The road soon climbs steadily to a height-of-land where the new trail leaves the old road on your left. This is roughly 1-mile in from the car. Goodman's summit is only 0.25 miles away by the way the crow flies, but the trail swings around the steep slopes to avoid unnecessary erosion and making the hike much more accessible and achievable for almost anyone. Once on the trail you will enjoy a wonderful open hardwood forest, where deep greens of the leaves and ferns are the primary backdrop. The trail will swing gently around the base of the mountain and slowly ascend before it makes a sudden turn toward the peak and climb a bit steeper to the shoulder. The trail then follows a short ridge line before it finally ascends to the summit.

In 1964, Mr. Goodman was a twenty-year-old college student who decided to give up a tranquil Adirondack summer to battle the oppressive heat and prejudices found in Mississippi, where he joined a voter registration drive called Freedom Summer. The aim of the project, which was part of a larger effort led by various civil rights groups, was to expand black voting in the South. Not long after Mr. Goodman arrived in Mississippi, he and two of his contemporaries, Michael Schwerner and James Chaney, were murdered by the Ku Klux Klan. This tragic news reverberated throughout the country, including the town of Tupper Lake, where the Goodmans were well known and appreciated. Many historians note the deaths of Mr. Goodman, Mr. Schwerner, and Mr. Chaney, as a turning point in the civil rights movement, serving as a catalyst for the passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Outstanding views of Coney Mt, Tupper Lake, and the Horseshoe Lake Wild Forest are there to await you.

Elevation: 2,178 feet

Elevation Gain: 570 feet

A beautiful hike, that isn't strenuous. Danielle really liked this.

Coney Mountain

This hike is 1.1 mile, one way, hike is over easy to moderate terrain. Most of the trail is rocky and has a lot of tree roots to contend with. The trail is fairly new and footing is a bit rough in areas, but quickly becoming heavily traveled. The trail sweeps around the steep western slopes of the mountain.

As the trail steepens a bit, it continues to contour its way around to the northern slopes of Coney Mountain and then meets up with the original trail just below the summit. The last section is over slab rock, no scrambling is necessary. The views start to open up with Goodman Mountain to the north and Mount Morris to the northeast. The waters of Tupper Lake can be seen to the north as well and the wooded hills of the Horseshoe Lake Wild Forest to the west. As far as views go, this is one of the best in the area, with the best bang for the buck.

This is a great hike for a family, or someone who may just be getting interested in hiking. This time of year it offers spectacular views and colors, as the leaves are changing. I liked this hike, as it only took about an hour to summit, and the views were awesome.

Goodnow Mountain

I had left the house early this morning for this hike, 6am. I knew there was rain in the forecast for the morning at some point, so my hope was to at least make it to the summit before it began to rain. It was a great idea, and in fact as I was traveling to the trail head I began to wish I had left an hour earlier as it was spectacular with this early morning sun hitting all those multicolored leaves. The leaves are at peak in the Adirondacks, and this mornings sun, from sunrise until it got above the clouds had lit up the entire woods. But alas, I was not going to make the summit before the sun was obscured in the clouds. However, I still had some wonderful views, and It never rained on me.

This mountain is just outside Newcomb, NY. The trail head is just down the road from SUNY Newcomb, who knew there was a college campus in Newcomb? I never realized there was in this small town. As it turns out, it is the college of environmental science and forestry based out of Syracuse (ESF). This same group of students are the ones who take care of the trail, and what a great job they do. The actual summit and tower are considered to be a part of the campus as well. A sign at the summit stated "No firearms allowed on campus property".

Roots, rocks, and boardwalks oh my! This is a gem of a hike that is all gradual incline to the summit. Total distance round trip is 3.9 miles that brings you to a total elevation gain that is just over 1000'.

The tower is a 60' fire tower, that has a 360 degree view, the Santanoni mountain range is to the north east, and right in your face, you can almost reach out and grab it. Seymour mountain and Seward range are beyond to the north. On a clear day I bet this place rocks with its views!

The trail description says there are benches in various places along the way, but I never did see them, a few stacked piles of 4x4 lumber which may have been the benches. There were several board walks and a lot of nice trail work done by this group. Surprisingly there is an old abandoned barn just over the halfway point. As history states, the area was logged and you can still see some of the old remnants of buildings. There isn't a lot of old tree growth on this mountain.

A very nice hike.