Unnamed on most topographic maps, Snake Mountain is actually a pair of locally well known hills sitting directly above the Kinderhook Creek, and just outside of the village of East Nassau in rural Rensselaer County. Until recently, this area sat in private hands and was unavailable for public access, but just this year, that all changed. Along with some help from Scenic Hudson, local conservation group Hudson Taconic Lands purchased Snake Mountain and the land surrounding it, totaling well over 150 acres that will be open to the public as the Gaskell Family Forest. Thankfully for me, this property sits almost in my backyard, less than five minutes from my house and I was graciously granted permission to explore this new area by Jim Bonesteel, the Executive Director of Hudson Taconic Lands. Thank you to Jim for this amazing opportunity.
I set aside a couple of hours this past weekend and headed the short distance down the road to check things out under warm but comfortable conditions. To get started I parked at a gated entrance just off Route 66, less than a mile south of the village of East Nassau and set out west, following a wide woods road. Elevation to start was 625 feet.
Just a few yards past the gate, the woods road passes through a large power line clearing and then a small, almost unnoticeable pond on the right.
The woods road is in remarkable condition and makes for very pleasant walking. Although only about 100 yards away from Route 66 at this point, these woods feel a world away.
While walking the road, I subtly noticed some large objects tucked into the woods just a few yards away. As I got closer, the objects grew in size, as did my interest. What I found were gigantic, stone ruins which are scattered about in these woods and quite impressive.
After speaking with a couple of HTL members it seems that most of these ruins date back to an old Mining operation from about 100 years ago. Attached is a photo of the old Rensselaer Stone Works, from the early 20th century. Notice how clear cut and wide open the woods were back then.
As an interesting side note, Lane Construction, who owned the property at the time, attempted to mine the property once again in the 1990's, but the people of East Nassau banded together and fought against it, preventing it from coming to fruition.
The road slowly climbs up into a saddle between the two summits, where I turned south towards the higher, true summit. As I made my way south, I passed by a dramatic, stunning area of cliffs, which will eventually be open to rock climbers as access is improved.
I utilized another woods road and herd path to access the top of the cliffs, with a precipitous drop below.
From the cliff tops, there are nice views west towards the neighboring unnamed ridge line over Kinderhook Creek as well as Curtis Mountain beyond.
Slightly further along the cliff tops, I caught this glimpse towards Snake Mountain's north summit. While these views were nice, I would venture a guess that they would improve vastly with the leaves off the trees.
Just above the cliffs, I continued climbing up towards the summit through a beautiful mixed forest.
The true 900 foot high point on Snake Mountain sits in a very pleasant, grassy clearing.
Rows and rows of sturdy old stone walls dot the summit ridge.
After enjoying the summit area, I followed woods roads back down the mountain, eventually making my way west, off trail, all the way down to the Kinderhook Creek. This part of the Kinderhook, not far from the Kinderhook Creek Preserve on the opposite side of the water, has a very rugged and remote feel.
I followed the edge of the creek for a little ways, enjoying the serenity, before a steep bushwhack east brought me up towards Snake Mountain's north summit. I soon picked up another good woods road, which brought me straight up to the top. The north summit, while slightly lower than its southern neighbor, is quite stunning and even more beautiful to me.
From a ledge off the summit, a spectacular view unfolds to the southeast.
A great view towards Snake Mountain's true summit to the south.
East views towards Bald Hill(left) and Roberts Hill(right). Just below, to the left, sits the Village of East Nassau, which will be much more visible once the trees shed their leaves.
From the ledge views, a nice and easy descent and road walk brought me back down to the car. Covered about 2.7 miles total with over 600 feet of combined ascent for the day. What an absolutely beautiful area!
A special thank you to Jim Bonesteel, William Lanford, and Annie Jacobs.
Map Below. Red P=Parking. Blue Star=Summit. Red Asterisk=Vista
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