With fall foliage beginning to creep in around home, I figured the colors up north would be a bit further along. Boy was I right! As I arrived in the East Branch Valley of Route 8 in the Adirondacks, I was stunned by the vivid fall colors. If anything, the colors were further along than I could've imagined! This was an after work hike so with limited time, I chose to do a short excursion up to Shanty Cliffs and then maybe do some exploring along the ridge.
I parked at the trailhead for Cod Pond, where a large pull off can be found on the south side of Route 8. Elevation to start was a little bit over 1300 feet, meaning it would be a 700 foot climb up to Shanty Cliffs. I crossed Route 8 and followed it north for about 1/10 of a mile, crossing over Stewart Creek, with views NW towards the Blue Hills.
At the end of the guardrail over Stewart Creek, I turned left, following a rough road down towards a campsite on the East Branch of the Sacandaga River.
Once at the campsite, a faint herd path heads down to the East Branch. This is where things have the potential to get dicey, because a ford of the river is necessary to continue up to the cliffs. Luckily, water levels are pretty low meaning an easy crossing.
The deepest the water got where I crossed was not even shin deep. With temps in the upper 70's, it actually felt nice.
Once across the East Branch, I picked up a very good herd path, which is used by rock climbers to access the impressive cliffs.
The herd path actually continues up through a cleft all the way up to the summit, which sits a little over 2000 feet in elevation, but feels like you're on top of the world. The views from here are absolutely breathtaking.
The fall colors on the East Branch were spectacular. The reds, especially, were quite brilliant!
I explored the entire ridge, which actually consists of three separate high spots. The herd path ends at the first set of ledges, but I bushwhacked the rest. All three offer great views. From the second and third high knobs, the views towards neighboring Blue Hills are incredible. On this day, the Blue Hills would've been more appropriately been named the Red Hills.
Stunning early fall colors provided many heart stopping views.
From the last clearing on the north knob of the three peaks, I found one more up close view of Blue Hills.
SW views towards Corner, Moose and Georgia Mountains.
A large rocky perch made a fun spot to enjoy the scenery.
I could've taken pictures for days...the conditions couldn't have been more perfect.
A look back up at the cliffs that make up Shanty Cliffs.
A nice and easy bushwhack brought me back to the herd path, which I followed back to the East Branch crossing and eventually the car. A very nice 3 mile RT, with a lot of bang for the buck. 1100 feet of total ascent for the day.
I love that hike! You had the perfect day for it. The colors in that area always pop a lot sooner than the rest of the region. I don't know what it is about those hills, but mid September is always peak. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI was up near there on Wednesday and the colors did seem early.
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