I generally avoid the Eastern High Peaks. Many areas lack the solitude and wildness that I find appealing. But you can't beat a great view and I've long been intrigued by a small peak south of Mt. Marcy named the Pinnacle. The Pinnacle sits at the western end of the range that includes Nippletop, Colvin and Blake. At just 3400 feet Pinnacle avoids the 46er curse, and there's no easy way to get there, so even on a gorgeous late summer day crowds seemed unlikely.
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| View from near the top of the Pinnacle. The Great Range (L. to R.): Mt. Marcy, Haystack, Basin, Saddleback, Gothics. Ausable Lakes in the foreground. |
The route follows the Panther Gorge Trail from the Dix Mountain Trail head at Elk Lake. The Panther Gorge trail starts across the road from the parking area (the Dix Trail goes off separately) and provides a southern approach to the highest peaks. Using this trail it's ten miles to the summit of Marcy and this is probably the least used approach to the Great Range. After five miles on the Panther Gorge trail you reach the junction with the Pinnacle Trail and it's an additional 1.8 miles to the top from there. The Pinnacle trail is rough, but relatively level, until after a mile you reach a junction with a private trail coming up from the Adirondack Mountain Reserve. That's where the climb begins. From there you'll gain 1300 feet of elevation in the remaining eight tenths of a mile to the top.
This route does not get a lot of use. I walked it on a perfect late August day and met two people on the trail for the entire day. However, I did see plenty of other hikers. I got a late start and by the time I got to Elk Lake the Dix trail head parking was full (no parking is allowed along the road). This meant that I (and many many others) had to park two miles back along the road at Clear Pond. The extra two miles on both ends of the hike meant that my planned 14 mile hike was going to be an 18 miler. The two extra miles went by quickly in the morning but, at the end of the day, walking slowly back along the road with darkness falling, I was afraid to stop. Not afraid of the dark, but afraid that if I sat down I might not be able to get started again. I got back the car at 8:00 pm after 10 hours of continuous hiking. In addition to the distance, the trail crosses the Colvin Range ridge (in both directions) so total elevation grain for the day was 4300 feet. All in all, one of toughest hikes I've done in recent years.
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| The lay of the land (screen capture from Google Earth). |
One of the highlights of the day was catching glimpses of what I believe were several (two, possibly more) Bicknell's Thrushes near the summit of Pinnacle (3400 feet). This secretive bird breeds at high elevations in the northeastern U.S. and Canada and, with a very limited breeding range, it is rather rare. Bicknell's is not easily identified in the field but these birds were definitely thrushes and, given the location, Bicknell's Thrush is the likely ID.
Viewed on a map, or in Google Earth, the Pinnacle is a non-descript bump on a ridge surrounded by much bigger mountains. But, as for views, this is a giant. There are fantastic views of the Great Range and crossing the summit there are views of the Dix Range and Elk Lake. The pictures tell the story.
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| Elk Lake. Looking southeast from the Pinnacle. |
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| The ADK Guidebook says that the trail climbs steeply at times. This nearly vertical ladder near the top qualifies as "climbing steeply". |
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| Mount Marcy (left) and Haystack. The rocky knob of Little Haystack is seen on the far right. |
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| Mt. Macomb. The other Dix range peaks are visible though the trees from the summit of Pinnacle. |
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| Looking south towards Hoffman Mountain and the peaks of the Blue Ridge Range. |
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| Another shot of Marcy and Haystack. With the Upper Ausable Lake just visible in the foreground. |
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| The Pinnacle trail (1.8 miles from the Panther Gorge Trail to the top) passes though a magnificent hardwood forest. Ancient Yellow Birch with diameters approaching 4 feet are seen along with old growth Maple. The Spruce near the summit appear to be untouched by loggers or fire with numerous large trees present. |
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| No Adirondack hike is complete without encountering an odd fungus along the trail. Despite the distinctive color, and an unusual foul odor, I've not been able to identify this particular variety. |
