Hikers love loop routes. And the Tongue Mountain Range, on the western shore of Lake George, offers just such an option. From the Clay Meadows trail head (on Rte. 9N) a trail ascends 1.5 miles to a junction with the Tongue Mountain Range trail. Heading south from that intersection, towards Montcalm Point, the trail crosses three named summits and 6.5 miles before reaching the Lake George shoreline. At Montcalm Point the trail intersects the Northwest Bay trail which can be followed for 5.5 miles back to the starting point.
Lake George from French Point Mountain. The late November light was attractive but the 30 mile per hour breeze was chilly.
This view from Google Earth exaggerates the three dimensional relief of the Tongue Mountain Range. But, it provides a good perspective on how you should approach this route. These peaks appear rounded when viewed from a distance but that belies the steepness of this rugged terrain.
Few hikers would expect a route that covers 14 miles to be easy, but distance tells only part of the story for this hike. If you have not walked this trail you will underestimate the difficulty of this route.
The trail moves up or down continuously as it crosses the summits, knobs and bumps that make up the Tongue Mountain Range. And the terrain is raw and jagged, with a few really steep pitches thrown in for good measure. On my shortened version of the loop I racked up a cumulative elevation gain of 3500 feet.
The Tongue Mountain Range trail system. The orange lines represent marked trails and the blue line is route I followed. I bailed out half way down the ridge and bushwhacked down to the lake shore where I was able to pick up the Northwest Bay trail for a return to the car.
Getting a mid-morning start --in late November-- I knew that walking the entire route before dark was going to be a stretch (I do carry a good flashlight, and it has seen a lot of use). But I figured there would be easy sections where I could motor along and cover some of the miles quickly. However, a lunch-time check of the GPS revealed that I was mistaken. With the ground left to cover I would not complete the entire loop before dark. I could have turned back but that would have required going back up and over the steep little summits I had already crossed. My old knees were not crazy about that idea.
The Tongue Mountain Range juts into Lake George creating the 'Narrows' and separating the heavily developed lower lake from the wild and attractive northern section.
So, enter alternative option 'C', a shortcut!. From the map it looked to be easy to travel cross country from the low point in the ridge between French Point Mountain and First Peak and to intersect the Northwest Bay trail a couple of miles short of Montcalm Point. I never forget that shortcuts do not always work out as planned, but this was an easy decision. It would be downhill all the way and the trail I needed to find follows the shoreline of Lake George for several miles, so it would be virtually impossible to miss it. Not surprisingly, the terrain was rough, and the mile of bushwhacking needed to make the connection took nearly an hour. But, hoofing it back along the relatively flat Northwest bay trail did get me back the car at 4:30, with light to spare.
The ski Slopes on Gore Mountain were visible to the west. The recent cold weather has allowed for snow making.
The Tongue Mountain range is comprised of a half dozen modest summits with the highest point, the summit of Five Mile Mountain, at just over 2200 feet. But don't be deceived. The trail not just challenging, it also provides stunning views at numerous points. The eastern side of the ridge drops steeply to the shore of Lake George and the summit of Black Mountain, on the far side of the lake, is just three miles away (as the crow flies).
Looking across the lake, towards Black Mountain.
While the terrain is reminiscent of much larger mountains to the northwest, the forest composition reminded me of a favorite haunt that is much closer to home. The western slopes of the ridge bear a typical Oak-Hemlock forest and the wind-swept areas on top, and on the east side of the ridge, are forested with Chestnut Oak and White Pine. This is the same combination seen along the Palmertown Ridge in Moreau Lake State Park but not commonly seen elsewhere in the Adirondacks. I'm planning to go back for a closer look at the forest composition; the Tongue Mountain Range is worth another visit from that perspective alone. And next time I'll be better prepared. To complete this loop you need to take it seriously.
A closer look at Black Mountain on the Eastern shore of Lake George.
The Narrows, looking south
Looking southwest. Northwest Bay lies between the range and western shore of Lake George. The return trail for the full loop follows along this shoreline. Descending into the col between where this picture was taken, and First Peak, I turned left and headed down to the lake.
