Adirondack Sports November 2020

HIKING & SNOWSHOEING
VIEW FROM ELEVENTH MOUNTAIN.
NOVEMBER 2020 7
PHOTOS & MAP BY BILL INGERSOLL
THE Secret Views
of Eleventh
Mountain
By Bill Ingersoll
The Eleventh Mountain trailhead on
NY Route 8 is one of the most popular
access points for the Siamese Ponds
Wilderness, and it is used by hikers almost
every week of the year. Although this is not
a region with many routes to choose from,
the one excellent route that begins here –
leading over the shoulder of the mountain,
along the East Branch of the Sacandaga
River, and up to the Siamese Ponds – is one
of the most enjoyable backcountry hikes in
all of the Adirondack Park, at any time of
year. Within just a few hours of walking, it
transports you from the side of a busy state
highway into the wilderness core.
However, despite the official name of the
trailhead, there is no trail to the mountain
itself. This is an important point that has been
known to confuse some first-time visitors!
Eleventh Mountain is a sprawling ridge
bearing multiple summits, with a peak elevation
of 3,290 feet. Its name derives from
the fact that it is located in Township 11 of
the Totten & Crossfield Purchase, one of the
original great land transactions dating to
1771. (It has alternately been called Cataract
Mountain due to the high-elevation waterfall
on the east side of the mountain, visible
from Route 8 near Bakers Mills.) It is an
enormous mountain – if not in height, then
in pure geographic sprawl – and even I cannot
claim to have explored the whole thing.
However, the bushwhack suggested here
is not to the mountain’s main summit, but
to its southwesternmost bump. This is the
portion of the mountain that dominates the
view from the trail to the Sacandaga Lean-
To. For a while as you hike that trail, you are
passing very near the foot of its cliffs, and
if you venture out to the banks of the East
Branch Sacandaga River north of Diamond
Brook you’re sure to find an enticing view
of the mountain.
This outermost shoulder of the mountain
has a maximum elevation of about
2,500 feet, but my favorite views are well
below that point. They overlook the interior
wilderness valley of the East Branch
Sacandaga, all the way to a distant Snowy
Mountain.
Diamond Brook
East Branch Sacandaga River
But lest you think I’m about to describe
an easy hike to the shoulder of a shoulder of
a mountain – not even the main summit! –
let’s be clear: getting to the ledges requires
some basic off-trail navigation skills, and
there are places where the slopes are steep.
But as wilderness bushwhacks go, this one is
comparatively short, and it makes for a fine
snowshoe outing.
Getting There
You will find the Eleventh Mountain
Trailhead prominently located on Route 8
Eleventh Mountain
P
EAST BRANCH
SACANDAGA RIVER.
about 3.7 miles from the hamlet of Bakers
Mills and 13.5 miles from NY Route 30 near
the town of Wells. The trailhead can easily
accommodate a dozen cars, and it is maintained
all year long.
The Trail
There are several ways to approach these
ledges, but unfortunately all of the most
direct routes are very steep. The shortest
way to the top is to bushwhack right from the
trailhead. This entails a 730-foot climb in the
space of just 0.5 mile – an exceedingly steep
8
slope that will seem all the more daunting
if the rocks are at all icy. I’ve never tried this
approach, but a friend who did came back
with a less-than-glowing recommendation.
My preferred approach is to follow the
main DEC hiking trail over the height-ofland
and down toward Diamond Brook,
the first major stream crossing on the trek
to Siamese Ponds. As the trail wanders
away from the foot of the cliffs, leave it and
contour around the westernmost corner of
the mountain, well above Diamond Brook.
From this angle you can then bushwhack up
the ridgeline to the summit, exploring each
of the ledges that you encounter.
With that in mind, begin the same way
everybody else does: hiking the state trail
as far as Diamond Brook. Following blue
markers, the trail begins at the far end of
the trailhead parking area and begins to
ascend the shoulder of the mountain within
minutes. Steep, rocky slopes rise to your
right, and these are often covered in icefalls
in the winter. Parts of the old roadbed have
become eroded from water runoff. This
may not be a new development, because
as observant hikers will note there are multiple
parallel roadbeds ascending the hillside,
suggesting that the road builders were
quick to cut a new route whenever the old
one became unsatisfactory.
At 0.5-mile you reach the height-ofland,
having ascended 260 feet from the
trailhead. After a brief level stretch, the trail
gradually begins to descend. During the
cold half of the year, you can see the ledges
on the southwest side of Eleventh Mountain
to your right. Assuming that your sole destination
are the tops of those ledges, then this
is a good point to begin your bushwhack;
as the trail veers away from the mountain,
stray in the other direction, following the
foot of the slopes.
The idea is not to go straight up the
mountain – most people would agree that
way is too steep. Instead, you want to round
its corner, seeking out the somewhat more
moderate slopes closer to Diamond Brook.
Then double-back up the mountain, parallel
to the ledge tops.
There are two openings you want to
find, both with open views to the west –
the panorama is astonishing! The views
extend southwest through the Square Falls
gorge and northwest across the heart of
the Siamese Ponds Wilderness. You cannot
see the ponds themselves, but you can
guess their location in relation to the nearby
landmarks County Line, Puffer and Siamese
mountains. Humphrey Mountain is visible
through the gap between County Line and
Puffer, and beyond it you can see the distinctive
profile of Snowy Mountain on the
horizon, over 16 miles away.
The recommended descent is essentially
the same. However, since you no longer
need to hug the edge of the mountain to be
sure you’ve found the best views, you can
keep a short distance to the east and enjoy
the open hardwood forest that extends
much of the way to Diamond Brook.
Bill Ingersoll of Barneveld is publisher of
the Discover the Adirondacks guidebook
series: hiketheadirondacks.com. For more
info, consult Discover the South Central
Adirondacks or his recently-published
50 Hikes in the Adirondack Mountains
(Countryman Press).