Scarface Mountain lies in Ray Brook, just east of Saranac Lake, NY. Leesa and I decided to hike this mountain on a day when the weather wasn't at it's best. It was a good choice weather wise. The thunder started right as we reached the summit and light rain started shortly thereafter. It was kind of nice though. The storm front ushered in cooler air and the light rain took the bugs away.
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| Foot Bridge over Ray Brook |
We were under a canopy of trees the entire hike so we hardly got wet. This hike supposedly has a side trail near the summit that leads to a ledge with good views, but we couldn't find it. We did pass one ledge on the trail and had some views there. The summit itself is in the trees.
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| Mike and Rev on the wooded summit |
The hike was 7.2 miles roundtrip and took us 4 hours, The trail is generally flat the first two miles through a beautiful red pine forest. As the trail starts to get steep, the red pines give way to hardwoods before returning to pines near the summit. The 3rd mile was steep, with a vertical gain of a thousand feet before reaching the summit ridge.
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| Pine forest with lots of moss |
We didn't linger at the top since we didn't know how bad the storm was going to get. We retraced our path to trailhead and then went to Saranac Lake for lunch.
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| View from the ledge along the trail. You could tell the rain was coming. |
After lunch, the weather cleared. Leesa wanted to climb Baker Mountain in Saranac Lake, so we headed back into the woods. I forgot the camera, and I'm sorry I did because Baker Mountain had great views of Saranac Lake, all the lakes and some of the high peaks. It is a great short trail. It is only 1.6 miles roundtrip, but don't skip it. It is well worth the trip. See the route map below.
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| Leesa and Rev on the same ledge |
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| Why are you taking me out here in the rain... I want a snack! |
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| Red Pine forest for the first two miles |
Hike Stats:
Scarface Mountain
Hike Distance: 7.3 miles
Hike Time: 4 hours
Vertical Gain: 1730'
Scarface Summit Elevation: 3058'
Baker Mountain
Hike Distance: 1.6 miles
Hike Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Total Vertical Gain: 960'
Baker Summit Elevation: 2457'
Hike Time: 4 hours
Vertical Gain: 1730'
Scarface Summit Elevation: 3058'
Baker Mountain
Hike Distance: 1.6 miles
Hike Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Total Vertical Gain: 960'
Baker Summit Elevation: 2457'
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| Our Scarface Mountain route shown in blue (click map to enlarge) |
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| Our Baker Mountain route shown in blue (click map to enlarge) |
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