On a recent day hike I walked up Gore Mountain with a small group who I’d never met or hiked with. I tend to go solo most of the time, so the group dynamic added something new to the experience. Well more recently, I met up with one of the guys from the Gore hike group to take on a 12.2 mile loop that leads up Pharaoh Mountain, down along the shore of Pharaoh Lake, which then returns around the eastern base of Pharaoh Mountain. We were both beat by the end but unanimously happy with the whole thing.
Distance: 12.2 miles (loop)
Estimated Hrs.: 6:15-7:15 hrs. (non-winter)
Avg. Moving Speed: 2 mi/h
Elevation Gain: 1,550 ft. (approx.)
Peak Elevation: 2,556 ft.
Difficulty: Difficult
To begin, there is some confusion about parking and I’m probably not going to clear it up much, but there are some useful tips to know. The official parking area is at the bottom of a logging road that, like most logging roads, is an easy hike. At just short of two miles, it’s a long approach that feels twice as long on the return (they all do). Cars can drive the road, though online information says they maybe shouldn’t. Maybe is key. Much of the land around Pharaoh Mountain’s base is marsh land. Depending on the time of year, it could be pretty easy to get your car stuck in mud. It’s also likely that unless you’re in a 4×4 with adequate clearance, you could strike (and possibly hang up) your car’s undercarriage on a rock or two along the way. That being said, there is a small “parking” turnout (maybe) about a mile in where mud and rocks are of little concern. Further in there are two large parking areas. The second of them is right at the trailhead, but reaching it means you’ve taken on the risks mentioned above. Keep in mind, the road is one lane wide with no shoulder.
[singlepic id=397 w= h= float=none]Taking on the full length of the approach you’ll be treated to some nice little falls along the stream that the road follows about half the way toward the trailhead. When you finally make the trail proper, the going is pretty easy. All along the way water is always close by, and there are some nice wood bridges to make crossings. Blow down obstructions are likely to be a given when it’s early in the season, but if you wait long enough, most should be cleaned up.
It was early May when we went on our hike and the weather was absolutely perfect. As you pass through the lower marshes, keep your eyes alert for frogs, fish, large birds, and snakes. I got my first look at a non-venomous, Eastern Water Snake, though it had unfortunately been killed, perhaps a week earlier, by one of the cars driving the dirt road.
As you make your way up the mountain the trail will get a little steep at times. When you are within a few hundred feet in elevation from the peak, it gets daunting steep. My hiking partner is an Adirondack 46’er and he commented on how the slippery, rock scrambling was reminiscent of some of the Adirondack High Peaks trails.
[singlepic id=401 w= h= float=none]On the summit of Pharaoh Mountain the views are great. To the north, you’ll be able to look out over some of the land you just hiked through, with a slightly obscured Schroon Lake not far away. The view south toward Pharaoh Lake is obscured until you make it over to the southern summit area of the mountain.
The descent toward Pharaoh Lake doesn’t waste any time and it includes a climb/scramble down about a six-foot shelf of rock. There were two other hikers just ahead of us who had a dog with them, and I’m not sure how they navigated the climb to lower the dog, but they did.
Down at Pharaoh Lake there are a number of spots to rest and enjoy the water. As the trail follows the shore for a while, you’re sure to find a spot you can’t pass up.
[singlepic id=408 w= h= float=none]From the lake there isn’t much left in the way of ascent or descent for the remainder of the way back to the trailhead, but you won’t know that from the way things begin once leaving the lake’s shore. This is where a few hundred feet in elevation gain happen pretty quickly.
Once gaining the top of this final ascent, the trail remains fairly flat. As you move along you’ll hear some significant noise from falls that are too distant to see from the trail. It was tempting to go on a bit of a bushwhack to check out what all the noise was about, but energy reserves were running low this time.
I always enjoy looped trails and this one ranks high on my list of Adirondack hikes. It’s definitely recommended.
http://alltrails.com/trail/us/new-york/pharaoh-mountain-and-lake-loop