Little Sawyer Mountain(Blue Ridge Wilderness-Adirondacks)

After finishing our hike to McGinn Mountain, we found that it was still early in the afternoon and the conditions were still optimal, so we decided to pay a visit to a small, unnamed summit bump just SE of Sawyer Mountain.  Although this drive only took us a few minutes north and west of Indian Lake, we could notice a slight advancement in the foliage here.  We parked at the trailhead for Sawyer Mountain off Route 28, and started on the trail.

We left the trail almost immediately, diving into the hardwood forest.

The route was pretty straightforward, heading almost due south with a gentle ascent.  After about 1.3 miles, we made our final push up the summit ledges on Little Sawyer Mountain.

Fall colors creeping a bit further along just below the ledges.

Although only 2365 feet in elevation, the views from the summit ledges are five star.

The Balance Rock on Little Sawyer with Sawyer's main summit overhead and Blue Mountain "peeking" over the shoulder.

The intimate views of Squaw, Burgess, Panther, Brown Pond, and Wakely Mountains are glorious

The viewshed off Little Sawyer is quite spectacular, especially on the brink of fall's brilliant display.

Although Sawyer Mountain is a well known trailed hike, with a nice view of its own, Little Sawyer's view puts it to shame.

The incredible "balancing rock" sits precariously on the side of the steep ledges.

A last look back at the summit ledge and its views with the balancing rock.

Our route to and from Little Sawyer Mountain, the unofficial name we gave to the summit bump just SE of Sawyer Mountain.  About 2.75 miles and over 500 feet elevation gain.