Silver Lake Mountain
(Not one of the 46 high peaks)
This is a beautiful, short, (but steep) hike in the northern Adirondacks. It is located about 15 minutes north of Wilmington, NY, on Silver Lake Road. The hike is only 0.9 miles from the trailhead to the summit, with an ascent of around 900 feet. It is family-friendly, in that there are no major boulders to scale, or areas where you have to scramble with your hands, but it is pretty steep, especially the second half. I’d be more specific, and say it’s family friendly for kids 6 and up to climb themselves, but anyone younger than that will likely need to be carried, at least part of the way.
The views from the summit are fantastic, because the summit is basically an open cliff facing south. There is a 180-degree panorama looking out over Silver Lake and Taylor Pond, with a view of distant Whiteface Mountain as well. I recommend this hike highly!
Topographic map courtesy of Garmin BaseCamp.
TRAILHEAD
October, 2012
SUMMIT
Nate and Jen show off their big climbing muscles!
A happy dog on the summit.
Look for this sign on Silver Lake Road.
Hooded and bundled up Alex, Jen and Nate heading up the trail.
Nate negotiates some boulders that form a water bar/run-off.
Nate likes to stop periodically for a photo op.
Alex on his way up the steep section.
Getting high enough now to start seeing a great view...
The views are opening up!
The view from the summit. The tallest blue peak on the right side, off in the distance is Whiteface Mountain. The big lake in the right half is called Taylor Pond.
Alex with the pointy light-blue peak of Whiteface in the far distance.
Nate discusses the benefits of hydration on hikes such as this, while holding his water bottle that we filled with Gatorade.
Family portrait atop the summit.
A boy and his dog...
The End.
