The Three Brothers are a set of three peaks that rise up above Brant Lake to the northeast and can be accessed from either the First or Third Brother depending on your approach. Having previously hiked Third Brother last year, my game plan today was to hike up First and Second Brother from state land along Pallisades Road. Parking can be a bit of a challenge as there is no formal parking area, but luckily all the snow has melted so I
was able to park my car along the shoulder of the road. There is an informal trail that leaves Pallisades Road(elevation 850 feet) and heads generally east up the spine of First Brother's west ridge, so I hopped onto it. After starting in a dark evergreen forest, the trail begins to climb steeply, quickly transitioning into a much more open hardwood forest with screened views to the south.
A biting NW wind and temps in the upper 30's had it feeling a bit wintry, although almost all the snow and ice has disappeared.
The first knob on the way to the First Brother is sometimes called "Little Sister" or "West Brother". It is a nice and open little bump with pleasant views to the west. Gore Mountain's ski slopes can be seen in the distance, with Brant Lake in the foreground.
The state land becomes just a sliver on its way towards the summit, but there are good views of Brant Lake to enjoy.
The route up First Brother is quite frustrating, as there are numerous open views that sit just off state land. Thankfully, the wooded 1667 foot summit is on public land, however. Through the trees, Second Brother can just be made out.
Just off the summit, in a shaded area, I spotted a fresh bit of snow. As I mentioned, signs of winter were few and far between on these peaks.
A nice and easy descent off First Brother soon lead me to the west slopes of Second Brother, where I continued following a hit and miss red blazed unofficial trail.
As I climbed Second Brother, state land begins to finally open up, affording me the chance to do a bit more exploring. There certainly aren't as many views on this peak as First Brother, but I did find some small view points.
The very pleasant woods on my up Second Brother.
Arriving at the wooded 1854 foot summit of Second Brother, which is marked with a red stake.
Just south of the true summit sits a false summit that looked sort of open, so I thought I'd give it a look. From here, at the very edge of state land I found fantastic views. A look east, with Route 8 threading its way through the mountains.
South facing views. There was a ton of open rock just below here, which would've offered up incredible views...but it was all on private land.
I continued my bushwhack west below the summit area and managed to find an awesome view back towards First Brother and Brant Lake.
A zoom view down towards Brant Lake.
From the same vantage point, looking out over First Brother to the NW.
The cold winds kept me moving along on my return route back to the car. Hiked just over 4 miles round trip with 1450 feet of total ascent.
Today's route below. Red=Route in Blue=Return route
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