Watch Hill/ Auger Falls(Central Adirondacks)

Visited the beautiful Route 30 corridor near Speculator and Indian Lake in the Central Adirondacks today, and while this is indeed a popular recreational area, it is nowhere near as crowded as the Lake George or the High Peaks.  My first stop was in the new DEC parking lot for Watch Hill, located 1.1 miles south of the Snowy Mountain trail head and 8 miles south of the 28/30 intersection in Indian Lake.  From the kiosk you will follow a recently cut connector trail, which soon meets up with an old woods road.  The woods road is wide and easy to follow.

After about .6 miles the foot trail turns right, away from the woods road and then meets another trail junction.  The marked trail heads left and follows an easier grade, while the right ascends a much steeper grade.

 

 After about 1 mile, you will arrive at the first rock ledge, which affords nice views west towards Snowy Mountain and Griffin Brook Slide.

 A zoom view towards Snowy Mountain.

Continuing past the first ledge for another .1 mile, you will arrive at the next rock ledge marking Watch Hill's 2125 foot summit.  The excellent views south and west.

To the south there is a beautiful but only partial view of Indian Lake.

 The view from the ledges.

There is a very steep drop off from the rocks here, so you must be careful walking.

After enjoying the summit views, I continued east where the trail drops sharply down half a mile to Indian Lake's shores.  Just before reaching the water, a large, beautifully hand crafted fire place stands.

 Just feet away from the fireplace you will arrive at a small beach along Indian Lake's west shores.

 Enjoying the cool, but sunny and comfortable weather as the waves crash in.

Southeast views over the sun drenched waters.

Explored the shoreline for a while, before heading back up the steep slopes to Watch Hill and then back down to the car. 

A fairly easy 3.3 mile RT.  I then grabbed some lunch and headed back down Route 30 south to Auger Falls.  The parking area for Auger Falls is 1.7 miles north of the Route 8/30 intersection near Wells.  From the large parking lot you can walk either left or right to start a loop.  I began walking south on a rough gravel road .1 miles towards another smaller parking area.  From there a marked trail heads east into the woods and towards the falls.

 After about .3 miles you will begin to hear the loud, thundering crashing of Auger Falls. 

 The sheer power of the falls creates a large area of mist dancing on the water.

 Crashing water along a long chute just below the top falls.

 I climbed up onto a large rock which provides one of the best views of the powerful falls.

 A view of the mist in the sun from just above the falls.

A small camp spot with fire ring is found just downstream.

 After exploring downstream for about .1 of a mile, I headed back upstream past the falls where an informal path follows the river completing a 1.2 mile loop.

 Most of the river is fast flowing with strong current along this section.

 A footbridge on the east side of the river, where Macomber Creek flows in.

 A small beach near a more tranquil spot on the river.

 After leaving the river, the trail arrives back at the gravel road and parking area. 

A nice, quiet day in the Central Adirondacks.  Hiked about 4.6 easy miles RT total.