POTASH MOUNTAIN & HARRIS PRESERVE hike, near Lake Luzerne NY

 

April 17, 2024 - Short hike to a lookout in the northern section of LUZERNE CAMPGROUND & DAY USE AREA, from Dunkley Rd (dirt). The trails are shown on OpenStreetMap & newer (2020) NatGeo #743 (not my 2004 version). The trail heads N from the road (730' el) on an old road with horse trail markers. At 0.1 miles, the trail turns R & looks more trailish than old road. Moderate climb thru pleasant woods. Reached the summit of the hill (1090' el) at 0.5 miles. The trail then heads E then S, dropping 140' to the lookout. The view to the S over a widening of the brook that runs into Fourth Lake to Bucktail Mtn (1824'). Could see Darling Mtn to the E & the cut thru the low mountains where the Hudson River passes to the SW. Not much civilization in view other than the Painted Pony ranch, but Route 9N traffic can be heard below. Back down to the old woods road & headed N to the edge of state land & beyond - curious whether this led to the Harris Preserve. Out of state land, there was a long section of wetness, then spotted a path to the L, then soon reached a posted gate 0.3 miles from the trail junction. Back a bit & checked out the unmarked path which did in fact reach the Nature Trail of Harris Preserve after 0.2 miles. Back to start. 2.4 miles, 640' el gain, 1.6 hours. Thanks to Jeff for suggesting this hike. I combined this short hike with a 20+-mile road bike ride in the area.

Nov 2, 2023 - HARRIS PRESERVE (planned) & POTASH MOUNTAIN (unplanned). So this was primarily a bike trip with a break to walk the nature trail at the preserve, but sometimes the brain overwhelms the legs, etc. After miles of biking & elevation, for a change, I took a walk in the preserve. Cloudy. I enjoyed the signs identifying the trees, Potash's silhouette poked thru the mostly leafless trees. I finished the loop & there was some blue sky - I could go partway up Potash. I go all the way - the brain is enjoying this but the legs complain. It gets steeper & rockier the further I go. Love that oak, the view, & take a break. 2 hikers pass by. I hit the major viewpoint. Enjoyed the views but, at times, there was some power tool noise below. Completed the summit area loop, liked the views E. Careful on the way down - slippery leaves - I had all the necessary gear, the 10 essentials+, except trekking poles. Continued biking (saw 1 biker) to Lake Luzerne (saw 2 kayakers & a mallard). Gotta visit the Hudson River, especially Rockwell Falls. Completing the loop, the legs, annoyingly, repeated "are we there yet?". Temp mid-30s to low 40s. ~30 miles, 2200' el gain, 6.7 hours. I was hoping to do a moderate hike tomorrow - TBD.

Wilderness Rescue: On Aug. 21, 2023, at 9:45 a.m., Ray Brook Dispatch requested Forest Ranger assistance for a hiker who fell at Potash Mountain. Three Rangers reached the 57-year-old from Pennsylvania and performed a successful carry-out with Corinth and Hadley-Luzerne fire departments. Rangers brought the subject to an awaiting Corinth ambulance at 2 p.m.

Dec 8 - Short hike on the Nature Trail. 5% chance of rain when I left home - got a 10-minute shower when I got there - dug into my pack for the rain jacket & discovered I had packed my rain pants (same brand/color/etc as my rain jacket) instead! No mud despite lots of recent rain. Went around counterclockwise. Brook crossings were just about doable with rock-hopping. Checked out the new educational signage - not enamored of the ones that require me to get my phone out. Temp in the low 40s. 1.2 miles.

Also did some exploring at the Fourth Lake Luzerne State Campground.

And no trip to the area is complete without a look at the Hudson River at Rockwell Falls.

 

Oct 12, 2022 (Wed) - POTASH MOUNTAIN hike. The first half of the trail passes thru the Harris Preserve then into state land to the summit. The further you go the steeper & rockier it gets - rock steps have been placed in several spots. The trail was dry the whole way & the colors were approaching peak. With my spyglass I could make out the firetower on Hadley Mtn. Had the trail & summit to myself & did not see anyone until I was almost done. Temp rising thru the 50s (60s later in the afternoon). 3.5 miles, 1,050' el gain, 2.8 hours.

Potash Mtn as seen from Lake Vanare:

Potash Mtn seen from Luzerne Campground & Fourth Lake:

 

March 30, 2021 - POTASH MOUNTAIN hike, near Lake Luzerne. Dry trail, almost no mud. Temp rising thru the 50s, a bit windy. After an initial climb thru hemlocks on a smooth gravel path, the trail climbs thru hardwoods, without leaves there were views much of the way up. Included the Nature Trail on the way down - good for tree ID, especially liked a good look at black birch & bigtooth aspen - nice bench at man-made lookout. 3.5 miles, 3.5 hours, over 1,000' el gain.

July 21, 2020 - POTASH MOUNTAIN hike, from Potash Rd in the southeastern Adirondacks near Lake Luzerne. Drove past the trailhead more than once last year, finally got to hike it. Start is in the Harris Land Preserve with smooth trails & optional 0.6-mile Nature Trail. We stayed on the blue trail, easy at first but 2nd half gets steep, much trailwork with stone steps, some switchbacks ease the grade. Just below the summit is a large area of open rock with extensive views S & W. Blueberries & huckleberries. Fourth Lake is seen to the S. The blue trail loops at the summit, there is a small view E, I think all the way to VT. Makes a nice half-day hike. Dry trail, mostly bug-free, 3 miles, 1,055' elevation gain. Covered picnic tables with interesting floor & portapotty at trailhead.

Steve Mackey, one of the principal designers/builders of the Potash trails has many posts on the mentioned FB group documenting his dedicated hard work improving the trail there. Amazing work!!

More info on Harris Preserve:https://www.glensfallschronicle.com/alice-harris-gift-of.../ (Steve Ovitt is a retired ranger who covered the 13th Lake area & is largely responsible for creating the Raymond Brook & Botheration Pond ski trails.)

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