Decided to take advantage of the beautiful spring weather we are experiencing by heading up to the east side of Lake George to do a little exploring. My goal for the day was to check out the unnamed ridge and ledges just northwest of Inman Pond(and SW of Crossett Pond) and Inman Pond itself. Circled below is the ridge and ledges I wanted to check out.
I got started from the trailhead for Inman Pond on Sly Pond Road(elevation 1115 feet) and was quite shocked to have the woods to myself! I took the blue marked Inman Pond Trail, which heads west, then northwest quietly gaining elevation on the way. Our recent lack of rain or snow has left the trails pretty dry for early spring, although there were a few wet spots.
There is one section of the blue trail, where beavers have been hard at work, redecorating the woods and leaving low spots under water. Some parts of the trail are literally under water, but can easily be avoided by going around.
Just before the trail starts losing elevation, about 1.3 miles in, I began my bushwhack heading north through the open woods. There are some serious ledges to contend with here, but I was able to easily find a route up.
After a tough, steep climb, I circled down to an impressive set of ledges. From here there is a nice, unique view towards Lake George and the lower ridge of Pilot Knob(left).
A bit further along the ledges, with great views west.
From these same ledges, neighboring Pilot Knob rises dramatically above to the south.
From the first dramatic view point, I continued NW, following the ridge and its multiple ledges and cliff bands. There are several more good views towards Lake George, but all are pretty similar to the first-and best view-in my opinion.
I tagged the furthest bump NW before the terrain began dropping off, and then turned back SE. From the high spot on the ridge(elevation 1835 feet), the woods remained very open and offered screened views towards Buck Mountain and nearby Crossett Pond.
The southeast ridge coming down off the high spot was wide open and grassy. Simply wonderful... bushwhacking paradise right here!
I followed the ridge SE down to a very steep set of ledges. I carefully poked around these ledges in search of a view and lucked out when I found this impressive look down towards Inman Pond. The drop off below here was almost vertical.
A short distance away from the Inman Pond views to the west, I found another open area, and more views towards the Pilot Knob ridge.
After carefully making my way down from the ledges, I made my way over to Inman Pond, which was beautifully aglow in the early evening sunlight.
I explored the red trail around the pond, checking out some pretty nice fire pits and designated campsites near the water's edge. I really liked these spots!
I also checked out the open rock lookout directly above the NW end of the pond, which can easily be found via a well trodden herd path.
After checking out the rocky view over the pond, I dropped back down to the red marked pond loop trail on the west side of the pond. A nice and easy trail hike brought me back to the car in no time at all. Much to my surprise(and delight), I didn't see another soul all day. Got back to the car and it was still 68 degrees!! Good stuff. Hiked about 6 miles round trip(about half bushwhack/ half trail) with 1600 feet of total ascent.
Awesome explore! I've seen those ledges from Inman Pond and wondered what the view was like from up there. Very nice indeed. Did you have any issues with the private property? Looks like your route avoided it.
ReplyDeleteYeah, private property is definitely tough on this one. The easiest route up or down these ledges is from the north end of Inman Pond, but there is no public access there so you have to be backtrack to the west facing ledges and find a way there(which can be done). Awesome ridge up high!
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