Unnamed Dunham Reservoir Peak(Grafton Lakes State Park-Town of Grafton, Resnsselaer County)

Took advantage of a brief window of free time by visiting an obscure, unnamed 1667 foot peak in the Grafton Lakes State Park.  The sun was shining bright, but there was a crisp bite in the air to remind me that winter is still here(especially on the Rensselaer Plateau) as I parked along the south shore of the Dunham Reservoir(Elevation 1335 feet).  A few feet away from the parking area I enjoyed my first glimpse of the Reservoir, which was completely frozen over-but didn't see any ice fisherman out there.

A short distance up the road, a marked trail meanders along the east shore of the water, but I chose to jump directly into the woods to begin my bushwhack instead.  A short distance in, I crossed over the first of several small streams that flow downhill to the Res.

I headed basically NE, crossing over the trail at one point, but maintaining an easy bushwhack climb through a few inches of snow.  As I gained the main ridge, I caught filtered views down to the Reservoir and the small peak just SW of the water across Dunham Road.

Once up high, it is an easy walk along the spine of the ridge, eventually arriving at the wooded summit, where more screened views can be found to the north.

A small but steep drop brought me down to a clearing just below the top, which provided a neat look back up at the summit.

A straight drop west down the slopes of the peak, eventually brought me down near the waters edge, which I closely followed SW all the way back to the car.  This is a view from a small bay and inlet area, with the late afternoon sun casting long shadows on the ice.

An easy bushwhack brought me back to the car, where I saw a lone ice fisherman heading out onto the water.  Covered a little under 2 miles RT, with 400 feet of ascent.

Map below.   Red P=Parking   Red X=Summit