Moreau Ledges(Moreau Lake State Park, Saratoga County)

With only a limited amount of time today, I was looking to hike something short, steep and sweet...and preferably off trail.  Looking at satellite images there appeared to be a large rocky outcrop on the north side of the Hudson River in the Moreau Lake State Park(w/ no trails) which would certainly fit the bill of what I was looking for!  I parked in an unmarked pull off on the north side of Corinth Road near a bend in the Hudson River.  State Park signage is clearly visible in the pull off and this would be my starting point for the day at an elevation of 370 feet.

I headed north through the woods, ascending a steep spine up the ridge.

 The spine was very skinny with extremely steep slopes falling off each side. 

The elevation gain is pretty constant, gaining over 900 feet in less than 9/10 of a mile.  Soon enough I spotted the rocky ledges that I was aiming for!

The only ice I spotted all day was on some of the jumbled boulders high up on the ridge.

I kind of angled to the east first, where the slopes weren't quite as vertical.  The woods were very open and inviting.

I dropped over to a small opening on the steep SE corner of the ridge, with a view towards the southern slopes of West Mountain and the Hudson River near the Northway.

Wandering over to the west side of the ridge was certainly the highlight of this bushwhack.  A wide open set of rocky ledges provides spectacular views south over the Hudson River towards the Palmertown Range and Moreau Lake State Park.  

I wandered around the open ledges soaking in the great views.  What a wonderful little perch!!

A steep descent brought me back down the skinny spine I had come up on.  Skies looked like they wanted to clear out, but unfortunately never quite did.

Really enjoyed this great, short bushwhack just outside the Adirondack blue line.  Just what the doctor ordered with my limited time available.  Round trip distance was just under 2 miles with 950 feet of ascent.