Goodman Mountain and Sargent Ponds

There is no inherent connection between the two hikes discussed in this post. Other than both are close to Long Lake and Elle and I walked the trails on successive days in late April 2016.

Goodman Mountain

Goodman Mountain is a small mountain near the southern end of Tupper Lake. Approaching on Route 30 from Long Lake the trailhead is on the right a half mile before you reach the intersection with Route 421. Both the mountain and the trail are named to honor Andrew Goodman. In 1964 Goodman and fellow civil rights workers James Chaney and Michael Schwerner where murdered by members of the Klu Klux Klan while working in Mississippi to register African Americans to vote. Goodman's family had a camp nearby and he was known to have climbed to the top of this mountain to enjoy the great views. The USGS renamed the mountain in 2002 and the new trail was dedicated in 2014.

The route covers just 1.6 miles and about half that distance is on what used to be a paved road (the first half mile is handicapped accessible). From the point where the trail leaves the old road to the top it is generally easy walking with just a couple moderately steep stretches. The trail passes through a very attractive and rapidly maturing second growth forest and the views from the summit are outstanding. This is as nice a short hike as you'll find anywhere in the Adirondacks and it's a great family-friendly route.

Views to the south, southeast and southwest are unobstructed and by seeking out openings in the trees you can see east towards the high peaks and into the wild country west of Tupper Lake. Prominent in the foreground is the sharply contoured summit of Coney Mountain just a couple of miles away. We owe our visit to Goodman Mountain to the extreme popularity of the Coney Mountain trail. We had intended to make the short walk (.75 miles) to the top of Coney. But arriving at the trailhead we found the parking lot full with a half dozen additional cars parked along the road. Coney is a small mountain and that seemed like a bit much. Continuing on and considering our options the sign for the Goodman Mtn. trail soon appeared. Coney has unmatched views but the trail is overused and not particularly attractive. We'll take Goodman any day.

Looking south from Goodman Mountain. Coney Mountain in the foreground and Blue mountain in the distance. 

Sargent Ponds

We planned to hike the Sargent three, 

lower, middle, upper.

But one we'll see another day

or we will miss our supper.

Two trails reach the Sargent Ponds from the north (access from Northpoint Road; intersection with Rte 30 in Deerland south of Long Lake Village). The two trails are connected and the trailheads are separated by just a mile and half of lightly-used rural roadway. Combining the trails with a walk along the road makes for a very pleasant loop hike of just over seven miles.

The second trail (further west) covers 2.2 miles to Lower Sargent Pond. A 1.7 mile connecting trail then takes you to a short spur trail that leads to the shore of upper Sargent Pond. From the intersection the trail returns to the road at the more eastern of the two trailheads.

Sargent Pond Loop. Map image from Google Earth.

Much of the route passes through hardwood forests with the canopy provided almost exclusively by large Yellow Birch (many reaching 30 inches diameter). This species is common in hardwood stands throughout the Adirondacks but the absence of the Birch's close friend the Maple leads me to think that this area was selectively logged. In any case, it's a generally attractive route.

Lower Sargent Pond

Fungus never sleeps. That's something you should keep in mind.

Upper Sargent Pond

Elle and one of the large Yellow Birch that dominate the forests seen along much of the route. This tree has a diameter just  over 30 inches at four feet.

Pine Orchard from Girards' Sugarbush

I'm dedicating this post to my Dad. He turned 82 yesterday. Thanks Dad for instilling my love of the Adirondacks and of hiking. Even though you'll have trouble believing this, given all the trouble you had "getting me off my duff" when I was a kid. I just want you to know that I was saving my energy for these crazy hikes. Thanks for everything. I owe it all to you.


Three separate marked trails reach the Pine Orchard east of Wells. The route from the north starts on Route 8 and leads initially to the site of a long abandoned maple sugaring operation. This is known as the Girards Sugarbush trail (Note: There are two possible starting points for this route; I'm describing the shorter one. See the notes at the end for details on the shortcut).

Route to the Pine Orchard starting at the Girards' Sugarbush trailhead on Rte 8, northeast of Wells. 

This northern route to the Pine Orchard follows an abandoned woods road through the heart of the Wilcox Lake Wild Forest. The route has its' own unique appeal but it's a tough walk. The entire 5.5 mile route is marked as a snowmobile trail and for much of the way it is wet and rough. Not surprising really; in the Adirondacks snowmobile trails tend to be wetter, rockier and more in-grown than well-used hiking trails. On the plus side snowmobile trails generally have good bridges and the two major brooks you encounter along this route are crossed by solid bridges. Adding to the fun is that whomever originally picked this route somehow managed to cover the entire distance without crossing any level ground. My GPS recorded the total elevation gain for the round trip as over 3000 feet. And trust me; that's an underestimate. This is a tough route.

In mid-march I wrote that Spring had arrived in the southern Adirondacks. In mid April, following a stretch of unusually cold weather it's fair to say that Winter has made a last stand.  On April 12th, ponds and swamps were frozen over and a dusting of snow remained in shaded areas. Spring is coming, but not quite yet.

So why walk this trail? For starters, the Pine Orchard never fails to impress. If not for the existence of the easy route to the orchard from Flatters road this trail would see a lot more traffic. But that route does exist; so why walk this trail? The main appeal is that this is wild county with forests that are rapidly approaching what we imprecisely refer to as 'old growth'. Some of the best stands of old growth forest in the Adirondacks are located in the the southern third of the Park and the forests you pass through along this route are representative of that.

Barbara McMartin offers an explanation for why these forests exist in her The Great Forest Of the Adirondacks. And it starts with the timing. The first settlers and loggers who headed north in the decades following the revolutionary war were naturally drawn to the more accessible areas in what is now the southern portion of the Adirondack Park. Some land was logged or cleared for farming during that first wave of settlement but the rough terrain limited the extent. On top of that, areas logged before 1850 have now had over 150 years for the second growth to reach full size and for the forests to assume characteristics that we associate with old growth. There is no definitive point at which a forest becomes "old growth" but, in the southern Adirondacks, areas mostly undisturbed for more than 150 years exhibit many old-growth characteristics. There are additional successional steps between 'old growth' and a climax forest, but forests left to their own devices for 150 to 200 years are getting there.

The second reason that old growth is found in the southeast is that the industrial loggers of the 19th century were primarily interested in softwoods; spruce and pine for pulp and lumber and hemlock for the tanning industry. Much of the southern portion of the great Adirondack forest was dominated by hardwoods: Maple, Beech, Ash and Yellow Birch with a half dozen other species mixed in.There were softwoods in the southern Adirondacks but those stands tended to be smaller and more scattered. McMartin states that while selective logging for softwoods did take place in the south the hardwoods were commonly skipped over. This helps to accounts for the mature hardwoods seen all along the route described here.

This route lies entirely in the Wilcox Lake Wild Forest. Wild Forest is a land use designation that permits some uses not allowed in Wilderness areas including limited motorized access. Still, coming upon the fireplace and outhouse pictured above was surprising and amusing. The fireplace is of the style commonly seen at DEC campgrounds, so maybe there was some easier access to this spot in the past. As it stands today these "facilities" sit idly in the middle of nowhere. 

Forest scene just north of the Pine Orchard.

McMartin's hypothesis that some of the best old stands of Adirondack forest are in the south is borne out by what we see today. Mature hardwoods are seen all along this route and there is a stand just north of the Pine Orchard where the canopy trees are mostly Maples with diameters greater than 30 inches with some even larger trees mixed in. This is what an old growth hardwood forest looks like.

Notes:
There is a marked trailhead for Girards' Sugarbush on NY Route 8 two miles north of the intersection of Routes 8 and 30 (on trail signs this is referred to as 'Griffens'. From this spot the trail passes over rough terrains for over a mile to the point where it intersects the route I've described less than 100 yards from Rte. 8. To bypass this section, pass the formal trailhead (assuming you are approaching from Wells), and drive an additional 1.5 miles (approximately) and watch for an overgrown woods road on the right. It can be hard to spot but there is a sign announcing Sacandaga River Access Parking at the point where the trail enters the woods. If you reach that parking area (also on the right) you have gone to far. There is plenty of parking alongside the road right at the trailhead or you can pull into the parking area and walk back the .2 miles to the start of the trail. There is a trail register 100 yards in so you'll know for sure that you are the right spot.