While looking for a moderately demanding trail that didn’t rise too high above sea level to worry about the mercurial nature of winter weather found on the Adirondack’s higher peaks, I came across the Cat & Thomas Mountains loop. I took a snowshoe hike up Thomas Mountain first, as I had a weekend free but not enough time to complete the full two-mountain loop. With more time the following weekend, I stepped back into my snowshoes for the full experience. Last time here, the sun was shining but it was colder. On returning, the mid-20 degree weather alternated constantly from sun to snow, until I reached the peak of Cat Mountain. That’s when the winds picked up, guiding an ominous looking wall of snow right toward me. But, that’s near the end, so let’s start at the beginning.
Trail Info
Distance: 7.5 miles
Estimated Hrs.: 4.5 to 5.5 (winter) / 4 (non-winter)
Max. Elevation Reached: 1,965 ft.
Elevation Gain: 1,826 ft. (approx.)
Peak Elevation: 2,031 ft. (Thomas Mtn.), 1,956 ft. (Cat Mtn.)
Difficulty: Moderate
History
These mountains are found in the town of Bolton Landing, in New York just a few miles away from Lake George. The lake was called Andia-ta-roc-te by the residing Indians, and the town, originally called Thurman, was founded in 1799, though the area has been populated by various people since 5,000-10,000 B.C. According to a town descendant, “the area of Bolton Landing in the early 1800s was comprised of mountains and valleys that were covered with trackless forests where a substantial number of Indians roamed.” It was some of these Indians who, for a time kept farmers from extending their lands down to shore of Lake George.
In the Spring of 2013, New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation bought the Cat and Thomas preserve from the Lake George Land Conservancy, adding it to the greater Adirondack Forest Preserve that makes up about 2.6 million acres of the Adirondack Park’s six million acre wilderness. While it may seem like this is all bureaucratic baton passing, among other things, it means the land is now “afforded constitutional protections that prevent the removal of timber.”
It was Saturday, and I am used to trails being busy on weekends, meaning that I expect to pass at least one or two people along the way. As I signed the trail register with my contact information and planned hike, I could see there was at least one party of two or more people ahead of me. The small, six car parking area had only one car in it, aside from my own, backing up what the register was telling me.
While researching the trail I read conflicting information concerning whether it was alright to camp or have fires in the preserve. According to posted signage at the trailhead, not only is it now okay to camp there for up to two nights, it’s also just fine to warm your nights with a fire. All the usual guidelines in terms of how far to pitch your tent from trails and water apply of course, and of further course, you’ll also want to follow Leave No Trace principles.
[singlepic id=317 w= h= float=none]Bolton Landing, as with much of the U.S. Northeast has a long history with the timber industry, so logging roads are everywhere. From the trailhead you’ll amble along one of those old roads, and if you like, can follow it all the way up to both Cat and Thomas mountains. On my visits, I wanted to hike up Thomas Mountain by the Two Brothers Trail, and then take the Richard Hayes Phillips (aka, Ridge) trail over to Cat Mountain.
There are two key trail additions that lend to this preserve being worth the miles; The Two Brothers and Richard Hayes Phillips trails. The Two Brothers trail is the most recent, and it winds through some nicely demanding ups and downs on the way toward the peak of Thomas Mountain, beginning about a half mile up the Yellow (logging road) trail.
When Richard Hayes Phillips was a young boy he used to trespass on the land that is now the preserve and as a result, knew it well. When he offered to cut a trail from Thomas Mountain to Cat, the Lake George Land Conservancy readily accepted, so he spent a little more than a month cutting and marking what became his eponymous trail. In his own words during a 2012 interview with The Huletts Current, Richard stated that the “trail from the Thomas cabin to Cat Mountain is the original route, exactly as I cut it, with hand tools, in 2005.”
There is a cabin on Thomas Mountain, so if tent camping isn’t your thing, or if you’d just rather leave the tent at home this time, you’re in luck. The cabin is a four-walled structure with a great view of Cat Mountain to the south, and Lake George to the east.
[singlepic id=308 w= h= float=none]Inside the cabin there are chairs and a small couch, all facing a large window, with a second floor sleeping loft reached by a rustic wooden ladder. You’ll need to bring a sleeping bag, or whatever you use for sleeping comfort. Just like a lean-to, the cabin is first-come-first-get, but if people are there already and there’s still room, they can’t refuse you. There is no exclusive use of the cabin, a rule clearly stated at the trailhead. Perhaps it’s just because of winter, but on my two weekend visits to the cabin, I found it empty.
With an easy logging road leading back down the mountain it would be ideal to hike in and ski out in winter. Mountain biking is also allowed. When I was there the weekend before, outside was in the low 20s (Fahrenheit) with a brisk wind, but the temperature inside was easily ten degrees warmer and infinitely nicer without the breeze. The only downside to the cabin is its placement. It only takes 1.4 miles of hiking to reach it from the trailhead. Still, it’s there, and if used as free lodging to get a predawn start on exploring other nearby trails, I can’t see a downside, unless you need free wi-fi and a continental breakfast. Though I can neither confirm nor deny its existence, the nearest “bathroom” is a pit privy somewhere close to the cabin, perhaps near the peak of Thomas Mountain from what I’ve heard, about a half mile walk away. Closer than that of course is where you choose to dig a hole. Just dig a good distance away from the cabin.
If you’re interested in staying at the cabin while exploring this area of the Adirondack wilderness, don’t wait. According to an article in the Lake George Magazine Mirror from July of 2013, “the cabin atop Thomas Mountain will in all likelihood be removed.” Stating “it was situated at the site by a developer and a Realtor who hoped to market Thomas Mountain as an Adirondack ‘Great Camp’ after the property had been heavily logged.” In fact, around 1800 there had been a busy timber mill at the outlet of Trout Lake, a small body of water visible from the peak of Cat Mountain.
[singlepic id=307 w= h= float=none]A short distance from the cabin there is clear signage pointing the way toward Cat Mountain. It is here, heading toward Cat that the trail drops dramatically into a ravine from where it slowly rises and winds 2.3 miles along the spine of the Cat Mountain range. During most of the year it just begins with a steep descent, but in winter, the challenge ante is raised a bit. When they’re covered in snow, trails are just harder. Steep drops and ascents offer more of an obstacle to carefully negotiate than they do in summer, when the same would be little different from walking up or down stairs. Though I had no trouble keeping traction in snowshoes, there was a spot or two where water flowing across the trail turned into icy boulders that needed to be completely worked around, so just be aware of your steps.
All along the way, on either side of the packed trail was almost two feet of powdery snow. On the trails themselves, there was a solid pack that made the going easy most of the time, though without snowshoes on, I would have been leaving intermittent post holes and would have struggled for traction at times.
I could see tracks from other recent hikers that left mixed imprints of bare boots, microspikes and snowshoes. Being able to see tracks is one of the great things about winter hiking. Though I never passed, or even saw another soul, giving the impression that the forest was a wasteland. I could see from tracks however that I was surrounded by deer, mice, squirrels, and a few other animals.
[singlepic id=313 w= h= float=none]During this hike I anticipated some wind, and the weather was forecast to be snowy, but mild. As I made my way along the Cat range I enjoyed a constant tug-of-war between snow flurries and sunshine, and mildness certainly seemed the order of the day. However, the mild forecast didn’t really look, or feel that mild from the peak of Cat Mountain. The clouds had all organized into a solid sheet of grays from dark to light, and the wind was growing stronger by the minute, which is no surprise for a mountain peak.
I snapped a few photos and enjoyed an excellent view over almost the entire length of Lake George while waiting for a peek of sunshine to break through. Eventually, I decided to give up and get down into better tree cover ahead of the increasing wind and dark wall of snow rolling in. Naturally, about a quarter-mile down, after the snow and wind had arrived in full and moved on, everything back up on the peak turned to sunshine.
I never did spot markings for the Red trail leading down steeply to the east from the peak of Cat Mountain. It would have taken me past a frozen Edgecomb Pond before a side trail linked back up with the logging road. Instead, I followed the Yellow markers to the trailhead, passing by a beaver pond along the way.
In better weather, I would definitely make a point of spending as little time as possible on the Yellow trail. Logging roads just make for boring hikes.
The Conservancy has done a great job defining and maintaining the preserve’s trail system and are said to be continuing that effort despite the lands current owner being New York State. Markers are readily visible, while overgrowth, blow-down, and saplings seeking to impede the existing trail are few. It all adds up to an easy hike to go on with a minimum of orienteering preparation. There are trail maps available at the register kiosk, but as you should always do anyway, bring your own map of the area’s trail system.
http://alltrails.com/trail/us/new-york/cat-and-thomas-mountain