Moxham Mountain Cliffs via Route 28N(New State Acquisition-Adirondacks)

If you've ever driven along Route 28N north from North Creek towards Minerva, then you have undoubtedly seen the rocky cliffs that make up the long ridge of Moxham Mountain.  Although Moxham Mountain's true summit is public and even has a marked DEC trail, the entire south part of the mountain has always been, until recently, privately owned and off limits to the general public.  This all changed in the last couple of years, as the Adirondack Land Trust purchased this land back in 2019, before transferring it to the NYS DEC this summer.  What this means is that there is now public access to these cliffs, which can be reached via logging roads and a short bushwhack from Route 28N.

I parked on the west shoulder of Route 28N, just north of Del Culver Road, and directly above a clearing with an RV down below and a view of Moxham's cliffs above.(Elevation 1140 feet at car) 

Just a few paces beyond the clearing and the RV, I picked up a logging road that enters the woods with occasional pink flagging.  The road is obvious and in good condition, but does split a short distance in. 

The main route heads left, but I wanted to make this a loop hike so I stayed on a lesser road, which breaks more north.  This road was quite muddy and a bit hard to follow, so at some point I simply opted to head straight up through the open woods.  A bluebird day with some lingering fall color made it a great afternoon to be in the woods.

I found some on again-off again pink flagging further up on some overgrown logging roads, which I followed part of the way up before bushwhacking through some crazy cliffs.

A break in the trees provided a glimpse up at some of the open cliffs on Moxham's ridge high above.

A fun, steep scramble brought me up to the first of several open cliff bands, where I was able to capture a nice look back down at my car along Route 28N.  While the views are nice through here, they only get better and better a bit further along, following the edge of the cliffs to the west.

The rocky cliffs are extremely steep and nearly vertical, so I actually had to climb around and then back down to the open ledges.

Unfortunately, just as I began to crest the open ledges the battery died in my camera.  I usually carry a backup battery but no such luck today!  Quite frustrating!!  The rest of the photos from the hike are via my I-Phone.

The walk along the cliffs is pretty incredible, with a bit of a herd path and some really awesome views.  My favorite shot was the view SW towards Gore and the open rock along Moxham's ridge.

There are several many spectacular views along the way such as this perfectly framed view of Gore Mountain to the south.

SE views stretching nearly 180 degrees.

South views towards Gore and Pete Gay Mountains.

Broad views and gorgeous weather found me lingering on these ledges for quite a while, soaking it all in..  This is the view SE towards North Creek.

West views from an open area of ledges.

The view west towards Moxham's nearby summit, which is trailed from the north side of the mountain.

The descent west/ southwest off the open ledges is actually quite pleasant through open hardwoods.  Within a short period of time I hit a very good logging road, which I followed dropping SE, following occasional pink flagging. Arriving in a clearing I enjoyed a pretty nice view back up at the open ledges I had just been on, nearly 400 feet above.

The logging road was in great condition and made for a very easy, scenic walk descending gradually SE.

While the forest floor is buried in fallen leaves, there are still plenty of trees hanging on their fall color as we near the start of November.

After a nice and easy descent, I arrived back on the original logging road I had started on, which I followed back out to Route 28N and my waiting car.  An absolutely spectacular 4 mile loop, with 1200 feet of ascent and a perfect half day hike.

Map below.  Red Area=Ledges and Cliffs    Blue X=Parking