Capital District Wildlife Management Area(Rensselaer County)

After a day and a half of torrential rainfall and being locked up indoors, I wanted to get out for a local excursion to stretch my legs.  With earlier sunsets now combined with a late start I was fairly limited on options, so I settled on the Capital District Wildlife Management Area, a 20 minute drive from my house. The CDWMA is a large 4,000 acre tract of land that encompasses all of Cherry Plain State Park and its surroundings high up on the Rensselaer Plateau in eastern NY.  I parked at the south entrance to Jiggs Highway(just north of Cherry Plain State Park) and began hiking along the blue blazed Waterfalls Trail.  The tops of most of the trees at this elevation(about 1500 feet) have been stripped of their leaves, while down low, some color remains.

A mere 2/10 of a mile north along the trail, a short side path brings you down to the first of two falls on the Black River.  This first falls splits around a large boulder, dropping down near the site of an old mill.

Just a few yards upstream from the first falls is another waterfall.  Neither set of falls are particularly high, but the sheer power of the crashing water is impressive.  Especially after a large rainstorm like we just had.

Upstream from the falls, the trail closely follows the beautifully wild Black River as it tumbles its way south, eventually emptying into the Kinderhook Creek downstream.

According to the trail map, it appears the trail crosses the Black River somewhere around this area.  Impossible to cross today day with the raging water, but I did find this small informal firepit which sits beside the river.

At about 4/10 of a mile, at the water crossing, I left the trail and climbed steeply up through a dark hemlock forest, shortly arriving back at Jiggs Highway.

The name Jiggs Highway may give the impression of a high traffic two lane freeway, but this "highway" is more of a seasonal maintenance road that passes through the quiet, handsome woods of the WMA.

You are almost guaranteed solitude on these tranquil back woods roads. 

I decided to hike the entire length of the Jiggs Highway, where yesterday's storm left behind some damage.  Two downed trees mean that no vehicles will be coming through for now.

At the far north end of the road, I passed by a gorgeous beaver pond, where I paused to relax for a few minutes.  A family of deer crossed the road here in front of me, seemingly unaware of my presence.  I do love these types of days!

I used the beaver pond as my turnaround spot, passing by colorful hardwood forests on my back to the car.

The return road walk back was very nice, and to be honest, the overcast conditions were almost perfect.  Really added to the sense of solitude.  A peaceful half hour, 1.3 mile walk brought me back to the car.

Hiked about 2.8 miles total for the day.  New York State's CDWMA Trail Map is captured below. 

Mill Pond & Second Pond-Grafton Lakes State Park(Rensselaer County)

Didn't really plan on hiking today but after running some morning errands I found that I had some free time and conditions couldn't be better.  With only a few hours of free time though, I decided to stay somewhat local and headed to the Grafton Lakes State Forest high up on the Rensselaer Plateau.
I parked at the Mill Pond parking area on Long Pond Road and started by road walking around beautiful Mill Pond.

Although many leaves have already fallen at this elevation, colors continue flourishing for now.

I'm not generally a big fan of road walking, but when conditions are this good, and Tuesday afternoon traffic is this light in the state park, then why not?

My road walk really just turned out to be a walk in the woods, as I only saw one car the whole time.  Picture perfect.

A dazzling display of foliage.

After a very pleasant road walk, I finally ducked into the woods, heading east onto the Spruce Bog Trail.

Took both the Spruce Bog trail(southern section) and the Spruce Ridge Trail, which pass through the eastern highlands above Second Pond and are lightly used in comparison to the other trails by the lakes.

At the junction of the Mill Pond Trail and Spruce Bog Trail, I came to the old Snyder-Williams Cemetery, a small family plot.

From the cemetery, I decided to take the Mill Pond Trail north back towards Second Pond.  Once at Second Pond, I followed a rough, informal path along the pond's east shore, enjoying phenomenal water views.

Looking west across Second Pond.

The NE cove of Second Pond is chock full of weeds, but a very pleasant little spot.  I was even a little surprised to find an old picnic table sitting in the woods. After soaking in the tranquility and views, I chose to make this my turn around point.

A nice and easy walk back along the water's edge followed by another road walk brought me back to my car.  Hiked about 3 miles total.

Ross Mountain(Wilcox Lake Wild Forest-Adirondacks)

Headed north Monday to the hike 2687 foot Ross Mountain in the southern Adirondacks on a perfect fall day.  Ross Mountain is another trail-less peak located north of Garnet Lake in a quiet little corner of the Wilcox Lake Wild Forest.  Getting to my starting point was half the fun today, as I drove seasonally maintained but beautiful Armstrong Road(just SE of Bartman Road in the town of Johnsburg) to a spot where state land meets the road.

Parked in a small unmarked pull off across from a snowmobile trail that heads east. From there, I entered an absolutely gorgeous hardwood forest, ablaze in vibrant yellows heading west.

I was looking for and soon picked up an old road that heads SW deep into the wilds.  The old road came and left several times but was mostly obvious if you are being careful.  A couple times, however, it was totally obliterated by blowdown and time.  I also left the trail briefly, climbing steeply up to stay on state land, before dropping back down onto the road.  This was a pleasant stretch, where a golden canopy above, and golden ferns below make for a magical walk.

The old road bed ends after about 2 miles on the north side of Ross Mountain.  From there it is a steep bushwhack climb up 7/10 of a mile to the summit.  There was some of the typical undergrowth on the slopes but nothing too menacing.
Just off the summit facing south I found a large, rocky clearing filled with blueberry bushes.  The views from here are nothing short of breathtaking.  Garnet Lake and Mount Blue take centerstage.

The crown jewel of this hike is the spectacular view down over Garnet Lake, which spreads out before you. 

An incredible up close view SW of Mount Blue, another peak with good views.

A look back up at the 2687 foot summit area, which sits just beyond the rocky clearing.

After enjoying the summit area, I hiked back down the steep north slopes of Ross, arriving in a spooky, dark conifer forest.

As I made my NE in search of the old road, clouds and wind began to pick up.  Crossing through this small wetland felt kind of eerie as low clouds rolled in.

Once I picked up the old road again, I made good time, enjoying the solitude of the quiet forest.

A nice 6 mile RT hike with over 1500 feet of ascent for the day.  A spectacular little gem and an area that doesn't receive the attention that it should.
Route below.  Red=Ascent  Blue=Descent

Mount Institute and Hawks Mountain(Northern Berkshires)

Headed up to the northern Berkshires today to hike a pair of small peaks that were both quite different, but also both had much to offer.  My first stop was 1538 foot Mount Institute, otherwise known as Berkshire East Mountain Resort, located in the town of Charlemont.  Spoke to staff there first, then headed up to the Mohawk Trail, which is actually a lightly used access road to the summit.  Elevation at the base was quite low, at just 590 feet.

Even though it was a holiday weekend, I was still quite surprised by the sheer amount of mountain bikers, but they mostly stayed in the woods on the extensive trail system that the resort has created.  Almost immediately the access road heads east, swinging around to the NW slopes of the mountain.  Views of Mount Peak to the west begin to rise above the trees.

A perfect fall day for a hike.  The access road weaves its way around the NW slopes before finally turning south, following the mountain's north ridge to the top.

At a bend in the road high up on the mountain, a fine view to the north opens up.

As I arrived at the summit area, the ski lifts were unloading groups of mountain bikers, while several others were riding or just hanging around.  Couple all of that with loud music playing, and I chose not to stick around there long.  About 15 yards away, the true summit sits in the woods, with mountain bike trails all around it.

After hitting the wooded summit, I headed back down towards one of the ski lifts, which was not being operated.  The slopes here were very steep and offered spectacular views to the NW.

The Deerfield Valley of Route 2 sits below, with Mount Peak to the left.

A slightly different angle provides a great view down towards the main lodge as well as Warfield Mountain and the peaks of the Monroe State Forest beyond.

The descent was quite steep, but enjoyable.

The perspective looking up a bit lower down the ski lift slopes.

Colors were excellent today.

The descent was spectacular, with peak foliage and great views.  To the NW here, the Warfield House Inn can be seen sitting high up on the slopes of Warfield Mountain.

Enjoying one last view and a few last moments of solitude prior to arriving back down at the base near the crowds of mountain bikers.

A nice and easy 2.4 miles RT with over 950 feet of ascent.

After enjoying the great views on Mount Institute but not the crowds, I decided to head over to nearby Hawks Mountain, which is a peak that sits in the Mohawk State Forest, but has no trails.  The short drive between the two mountains on Route 8A was extremely scenic, with great views of Mount Peak across the open fields.

I parked in a small unmarked pull off on Route 8A in the town of Hawley, which provides back door access to the Mohawk Trail State Forest.  Elevation to start here was a little below 800 feet.  Within just a few feet from the car, the terrain begins to climb steeply right away.

The slopes on the east side of the mountain are very steep, gaining over 800 feet in under 4/10 of a mile.  There were a few rocky cliff bands to negotiate, but I managed to find a way around them.  Once on the ridge the canopy above was vibrant and made for very pleasant hiking.

Wasn't really sure what to expect on this peak, but was quite surprised to not only find old woods roads but also a well built old rock wall.

The woods were mixed but mostly very open as I made my way north along the ridge.

After nearly 2.3 miles of bushwhacking, I arrived at the wooded 1853 foot summit.  I checked out the steep NW end of the summit area in hopes of finding views, but it was covered in thick conifer.

Basically returned south via the same ridge I took up, but decided to drop down to the steepest slopes on the east side of the peak in search of potential views.  I did manage to find one good view east from a small perch at about 1600 feet.  Unfortunately the footing was tricky and the terrain dropped away vertically below so I carefully made my way back up to the ridge before making my way down a bit further away.

The descent was actually quite steep and fallen leaves made footing slick, but I managed.  This was the final drop down towards the road, with a small drainage accompanying me.

About 4.5 miles RT with 1300 feet of ascent.  Not a popular peak, but challenging.
Today's route to Hawks Mountain.   Red=Ascent    Blue=Descent

 My drive home passes through the quiet and peaceful Berkshire hilltowns.  While the scenic pull offs and hairpin turn were packed with crowds, I chose to visit the more stoic Town of Florida church and cemetery, which sit high on a hillside just off the road.

A bit further along and much closer to home, I enjoyed this serene view of Brodie Mountain at peak fall color, high above Starobin Pond in the town of Hancock.