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 Reporter |
Summary: The fire tower on Vanderwhacker mountain provides a spectacular view of the Adirondack High Peaks. The trail is marked with red disks. Sign in at the trail register. Within the next mile, you will cross several small creeks and pass around a wetlands. Then, the trail splits. The old road (now a snow mobile trail) continues to the left, while the path you want bears right. After passing two cabins used by the fire observer, you begin a strenuous climb. After another mile, the climb becomes more moderate. Soon you reach the fire tower. Climb the tower and enjoy the panorama to the north. Trailhead: From North Creek, take Rte 28N north for 16 miles. Immediately after the highway crosses the Boreas River, there is an unmarked gravel road on the left. Take this road for 2.6 miles to the point where it splits. The trailhead and parking is on the right. *CAUTION* This is a rough road in spots. It is best driven with a high-clearance vehicle (ex. pickup truck). It is possible to drive this stretch with a typical sedan, but you must drive VERY SLOW. You can optionally park off Rte 28N at the pulloff on the right just before the bridge. (Lat:43.88 Lon:-74.058) Trail Guides for Vanderwhacker Mountain: 50 Hikes in the Adirondacks by Barbara McMartin (Backcountry Guides) Best Seasons: Fall, Spring, Summer, User Groups: Hikers, Dogs, Ranger Contact: NYS DEC Region 5 Forest Ranger (518) 251-3418 Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by George Senft, who has posted 26 other hikes on this site Trail Reviews Submit your own review 
Reviewed by The_O on 6/26/2009 Hiked Vanderwhacker on June 6th. Good hike, steep past the lodge. Great view from fire tower on the top. Some of my fiends were too intimidated to climb it though, they really missed out. Make sure to drive slow if you take the dirt road, I bottomed out a couple of times.
Reviewed by Amy on 9/2/2008 Nice hike. It is tough after the cabin though and if you're kinda out of shape like me... you'll definitely go slow with many rests. Nice view at the top! 
Reviewed by Andrea on 9/27/2007 Hiked this on 9/23/07. Have to say that it has was one of my top favorite hikes. View was spectacular, trees changing already and the hike itself was gradual. Highly recommend this trail.
Reviewed by Mark on 7/4/2006 I hiked Vanderwhacker on 7-1-2006. Like anyplace in this part of NY right now, it was extremely wet. At the moment I would strongly recommend high-top hiking boots. I nearly went over the top of mine in some of the mud. It was a pretty hike - the view from the tower at the top is great. I had lunch on the rocks beneath the tower. Even though it was July, with the wind blowing I quickly became chilled (continued hiking fixed that, though). On a holiday weekend I expected to run into more people, but I only ran into one person about 1/2 way down, then a family of 3 near the trailhead. I'd like to do this one again when it's not quite so wet.
Reviewed by Peteygo on 6/1/2005 Me and a friend did this hike on May 30. We had camped the night before near Vanderwhacker Brook then drove up to the trailhead. Great birding near wetlands. The trail gets moderately steep after this. Had lunch in tower. The view, espsecially of the high peaks, is awsome. We saw a few other hikers on the way back down. Altogether a great half day hike. Compares closely to Pharoah or Crane Mts. in difficulty. 
Reviewed by DSH on 12/21/2004 We climbed Vanderwhacker on December 19, 2004. Five hikers. We started at Route 29 and hiked back to the sign in area. The old road was snow covered (6 to 8 inches) and easy to follow. Many trees were down across the road from a previous ice storm. The climb got much worse after the cabins. Snow was deeper with many trees and branches down and very slippery following the trail. It was about a 6 hour hike with lunch.
Reviewed by Christopher on 11/8/2004 I thought that the hike was very nice but really cold. I would love to hike the mountain again, only this time i hope its not that cold. One thing i did not like about the hike was the amount of rocks on the trail. you should try to remove a lot of the small loose ones so the hikers and hunters won't get hurt, especially on the steep parts. Thank you Notice: Traveling in the backcountry can be hazardous. You are responsible for informing yourself about these hazards and taking necessary precautions. Information on this web site comes from volunteer reporters and may contain errors or omissions. A current guidebook and proper equipment are essential for safe enjoyment of the hikes posted on this site. Keys: New York Hiking, New York Trails, New York Hikes, Essex County Hiking, Essex County Trails, Essex County Hikes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||