Crane Mountain Loop Hike

On Saturday, June 15th, I left the Lake Durant Campground, where I was spending the weekend.  Before I headed down to hike Crane Mountain, I decided I would do the short hike up Sawyer Mountain.  This is a short mile long hike to its summit.  It had modest eastward views off of a ledge just prior to the summit and another view to the west just past the summit.  It was nice for the effort.  I returned to the trailhead and drove down to Johnsburg/Thurman for the hike on Crane Mountain.

I arrived at the Ski Hi Road just before 9:30AM.  This road was fairly well-graded; however, towards the top the road becomes rough and rutted.  It was not possible to drive all the way to the parking lot (except with higher-clearance vehicles), since the road was flooded by beaver activity about a quarter of a mile from the trailhead.  I parked along the road and hiked around the flood area and up to the trailhead, where there were only three 4x4 type trucks parked here.  It was 9:40AM and I started up the trail for the summit.  It immediately became steep and persisted at a fairly aggressive grade for most of the way up.  As I climbed there were a number of rocky ledges, which provided nice views to the south.  In about a half an hour I reached the first of two ladders set up to provide an easier way to get up the rock faces...the second one being a 25+ rung straight ladder.  In a short distance after this I reached the summit ledges.  The views are predominately to the south and west, but the High Peaks to the north are also visible.  The views are fantastic and as I proceeded along the series of ledges in order to descend the other side to the pond, Gore Mountain, Garnett Lake and the Crane Mountain Pond were all nicely seen...the pond itself was only visible from the final ledge, that might be easily missed, just before descending.  I took my time and by 10:50 I reached the edge of the pond.  The trail turns southwest here; however, there was a herd path which headed north up to ledges on the west side of the pond and I decided to explore this.  The views over the pond and back to Crane Mountain were wonderful from the top.  After passing a number of campsites, the trail just ended.  I looked for a way off these ledges, but it was steep and it didn't look like there was a convenient way to descend and complete a loop around this side of the pond, so I backtracked to the trail and went around the south side of the pond...very nice!  At 11:30 I reached the point where the trail turned and followed the outlet of the pond.  Also here was the start of another herd path which headed up the ledges to the north of the pond.  This path was not always very well-defined, but it headed up to the top of a small peak, which provided nice views back to Crane Mountain and to Garnet Lake...and towards a spectacular rocky ridge known as Huckleberry Mountain.  There was no trail over to this ridge, but it looks like it would be a wonderful spot to explore someday.

I headed back down to the trail and by the time I returned to the shore of the pond, I took another herd path, which hugs the shore and found a nice spot to have lunch.  It was noon and this spot had a perfect view of the mountain.  It was a bit buggy out, but the breeze and sun felt fantastic!  After lunch I took the blue-blazed trail down the steep descent to the Putnam Brook.  This at times coincided with the effluent waters from the pond and so it was moss-covered and slippery in spots.  After completing the steeper sections of this, views opened up again before it descended into the woods.  Just prior to meeting up with the return trail, I hiked over what was identified as a natural stone bridge.  It was a deep hole on either side of the trail with water rushing through the rock between the sides.  It didn't appear that it would be practical to climb down and explore it further, so I just continued back to the parking area to complete the loop.  It was 1:15PM when I reached this and still had about another quarter mile to get back to my car along the road.

Afterwards, there was plenty of time, so I did the Rock River Trail between Indian Lake and Blue Mountain Lake.  I didn't have the time to make it all the way to the river, but I reached the area near the lake and bushwhacked to a beach with beautiful views of this spectacular lake and Blue Mountain towering over it.

Having done many other significant peaks in the Adirondacks, Crane Mountain sure offers alot in the way of challenging terrain and views.  It was well-worth it!  It was too bad that noone else signed up, but the weather was absolutely perfect and I did get to add about 3 more miles in exploring the major herd paths around the pond (from the original 5 mile loop).  It would be highly recommended.

Join me for a modest 5 mile loop hike taking in the summit of Crane Mountain (3255') and the shores of the picturesque Crane Mountain Pond.  This is a very popular mountain given the views from the top and its relative proximity to more populated areas in the Adirondacks.  Along the way, there will be a very steep approach to the summit using a ladder (for those not wanting to try the raw rock scramble).  On the summit there are good views into the surrounding area, as well as to the High Peaks to the north.  We'll return off of the other side of the summit and descend down towards the shore of the pond and then return via the Putnam Brook Trail, where the trail goes over a natural stone bridge.

Distance and Elevation Gain:  Approximately 5.0 miles and 1155 feet in elevation gain.

Rain or harsh weather will postpone until Sunday or another date, as appropriate. 

What to Bring:  Typical late spring/summer hiking gear should be appropriate:  convertible hiking pants or shorts, good sturdy hiking boots with thick socks, extra layer(s) and a windbreaker/raingear (just in case).  Also bring along lunch, snacks and plenty of water.  Optionally, pack bug repellent and sunscreen and anything else that you may require for a day hike.  

Afterwards:  We should be completed with the hike by 2:00/2:30PM.  If there is sufficient interest, we can get drinks or ice cream somewhere locally.