Black Mountain | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Elevation | 2640+ ft (805+ m) NGVD 29 [1] |
Prominence | 2,280 ft (690 m) [1] |
Listing | |
Coordinates | 43°36′23″N73°31′51″W / 43.6064548°N 73.5309496°W [2] |
Geography | |
Location | Washington County, New York |
Parent range | Adirondack Mountains |
Topo map | USGS Shelving Rock |
Black Mountain is a mountain located in Washington County, New York, of which its peak is the highest point. Isolated from the rest of the Adirondack Mountains by Lake George, Black Mtn. has the seventh highest topographic prominence of all the mountains in New York. Black Mountain also has the highest elevation of any of the peaks which surround Lake George and offers unobstructed views of the lake from its summit.
Black Mountain is within the Lake George Wild Forest and New York's 6.1 million acre Adirondack Park. It is part of the Adirondack Mountains, which have been dated to the Precambrian time – the Earth's earliest period of history—and range in age between ca. 1 to 1.35 billion years old. [3]
On the top of Black Mountain is a weather station, a wind turbine, as well as a fire tower, which was decommissioned and fenced off in 1988 after 77 years of service by New York State fire observers and forest rangers. [4] A well trafficked trail to the summit is the Black Mountain Summit Trail which is a 5.7 mile out and back trail located near Huletts Landing, New York which offers the chance to see wildlife and is rated as moderate, according to the hiking app AllTrails. The trail is primarily used for hiking, running, nature trips, and bird watching. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash. [5]
The origin of the mountain's name is not conclusive. According to Thomas R. Lord in Stories of Lake George: Fact or Fiction the mountain was named after a violent thunderstorm and forest fire, which occurred in the 1600s, which left the entire mountain a charcoal black. [6] A map of Washington County published in 1853 annotated the peak as Black Mountain although an earlier 1829 map did not name the peak. [7]
John Frederick Kensett an American painter and a founder member of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City included Black Mountain in a composition of Lake George in 1869 which is displayed at the Met.
The mountain stands within the watershed of Lake Champlain, thence into Canada's Richelieu River, the Saint Lawrence River, and into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. The northwest and south sides of Black Mtn. drain into Lake George, thence into La Chute River, and Lake Champlain. The northeast side of Black Mtn. drains into Pike Brook, thence into the South Bay of Lake Champlain.
In May 1911, the Conservation Commission built a wood fire lookout tower on the mountain. In 1918, the Conservation Commission replaced it with a 35-foot-tall (11 m) Aermotor LS40 steel tower. Due to increased use of aerial detection, the tower ceased fire lookout operations at the end of the 1988 fire season. In early 1989, the tower was officially closed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The tower is currently being used as a location for radio repeater antennas for various police agencies. The site is open to the public but the tower is closed off to the public. [8]
Just north of the tower, is an etching on a rock that reads: "R. Rogers 1763". This was done by Robert Rogers of the colonial era "Rogers' Rangers" and has been authenticated by the New York State Education Department. [8]
Whiteface Mountain is the fifth-highest mountain in the U.S. state of New York, and one of the High Peaks of the Adirondack Mountains, located in the town of Wilmington in Essex County. Set apart from most of the other High Peaks, the summit offers a 360-degree view of the Adirondacks and clear-day glimpses of Vermont and Canada, where Montreal can be seen on a very clear day. Because of its relative isolation, the mountain is exposed to prevailing winds from the west and frequently capped with snow and ice, making it an area of interest to meteorologists. Weather data has been collected on the summit since 1937. The mountain's east slope is home to a major ski area which boasts the greatest vertical drop east of the Rockies, and which hosted the alpine skiing competitions of the 1980 Winter Olympics. Unique among the High Peaks, Whiteface features a developed summit and seasonal accessibility by motor vehicle. The Whiteface Veterans Memorial Highway reaches a parking area at an elevation shortly below the summit, with the remaining distance covered by tunnel and elevator. The peak can also be reached on two hiking trails.
Slide Mountain is the highest peak in the Catskill Mountains of the U.S. state of New York. It is located in the town of Shandaken in Ulster County. While the 4,180-foot (1,270 m) contour line on topographic maps is generally accepted as its height, the exact elevation of the summit has never been officially determined by the U.S. National Geodetic Survey or its predecessors, and many informal surveys suggest the mountain may actually top 4,200 feet (1,280 m) above sea level. Geographically, it is the highest natural point within the New York Metropolitan Area.
The Tongue Mountain Range Trails are a series of hiking trails located within the Tongue Mountain Range, a subordinate range within the Adirondack Mountains of New York. The trails, 25 miles (40 km) in total length, vary from easy walks along the foot of the mountains on the shore of adjacent Lake George, to more rugged ascents of mountain peaks within the range.
Phelps Mountain is a mountain located in Essex County, New York. The mountain is named after Orson Schofield "Old Mountain" Phelps (1817–1905), who cut the first trail up Mount Marcy and named several of the Adirondack peaks. It is the 32nd highest peak in New York. Phelps Mountain is flanked to the southeast by Table Top Mountain.
Street Mountain is a mountain located in Essex County, New York, named after Alfred Billings Street (1811–1881), a poet and New York State Librarian. The mountain is the high point of the Street Range of the Adirondack Mountains. Street's northeast ridge is Nye Mountain.
Lyon Mountain is a 3,820 ft (1,160 m) mountain located in Clinton County, New York, the county’s high point. It is named for Nathaniel Lyon, an early settler of the area who moved from Vermont in 1803 and died circa 1850. The mountain is within New York's Adirondack Park.
Snowy Mountain is a mountain located in Hamilton County, New York. Initially known as 'Squaw Bonnet', its summit is the highest point in the county. While most maps show the elevation as 3899 feet, some suggest that more recent surveys have it as 3904 feet or even 3908 feet.
Gore Mountain is a mountain located near the village of North Creek in Warren County, New York, of which its peak is the highest point. Gore is flanked to the north by South Mountain, and to the southwest by Height of Land Mountain. The mountain is the site of the popular Gore Mountain ski resort. The mountain is the site of the Gore Mountain Fire Observation Station which was built in 1918.
Hadley Mountain is a mountain located in the southern Adirondacks in the U.S. state of New York and is the second-highest peak in Saratoga County after neighboring Tenant Mountain. The Hadley Mountain Fire Observation Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 23, 2001 for its role as a Fire lookout tower with the New York State Forest Preserve. Hadley Mountain is the highest of the three peaks that form the West Mountain ridge.
Balsam Lake Mountain is one of the Catskill Mountains, located in the Town of Hardenburgh, New York, United States. It is the westernmost of the range's 35 High Peaks. Its exact height has not been determined, but the highest contour line on topographic maps, 3,720 feet (1,130 m), is usually given as its elevation.
Alander Mountain is a 2,241-foot-tall (683 m) part of the south Taconic Mountains in southwest Massachusetts and adjacent to New York. The summit is grassy and covered with scrub oak and shrubs; the sides of the mountain are heavily forested. Several trails traverse Alander Mountain, most notably is the 15.7 mi (25.3 km) South Taconic Trail, which passes just beneath the summit.
Ampersand Mountain is a 3,352 ft (1,021.7 m) mountain in Franklin County in the High Peaks Wilderness Area of the northeastern Adirondacks, west of the High Peaks proper in New York State. The trail up the mountain begins on New York State Route 3 8.1 miles (13.0 km) southwest of the village of Saranac Lake, near Middle Saranac Lake; it is a popular day hike. The mountain takes its name from nearby Ampersand Creek, so named because it twists and turns like the ampersand symbol. The summit is bare rock, with extensive views of the High Peaks to the east and the Saranac Lakes to the west. Stony Creek Mountain is located west-southwest of Ampersand Mountain. The mountain is notable as the land surrounding its hiking trail's initial ascent is generally acknowledged as unlogged old growth forest.
Hurricane Mountain is a 3,688-foot-tall (1,124 m) mountain near Keene in the north of the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks in New York, United States. It is considered to boast some of the most impressive views of any of the lesser peaks; this is due to its prominence, and because its summit was cleared by Verplanck Colvin in the course of his early survey of the Adirondacks. On a clear day, the length of Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains of Vermont are visible to the east, and many of the High Peaks can be seen to the south through the northwest. There is a disused fire tower on the top.
Blue Mountain is a peak in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State in the United States. Located east of Blue Mountain Lake, Hamilton County, the peak reaches a height of 3,750 ft (1,140 m). For hiking, the elevation gain is 1,559 feet and the trail length is four miles. The trailhead elevation is 2,200 feet. It is the location of the Blue Mountain Fire Observation Station, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.
Prospect Mountain is a mountain located in the town of Lake George in Warren County, New York. New York State Route 917A, an unsigned reference route also known as Prospect Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway, is a toll road maintained by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and is the highway by which one reaches the summit at 5.88 miles (9.46 km), where a view for one hundred miles (160 km) can be seen.
The Balsam Lake Mountain Fire Observation Station is located at the summit of the mountain of that name in the Town of Hardenburgh, New York, United States. It comprises a steel frame fire lookout tower, the observer's cabin and privy and the jeep road to the complex.
Poke-O-Moonshine Mountain, spelled Pokamoonshine on U.S. Geological Survey maps, and sometimes known as just Poke-O, is a minor peak of the Adirondack Mountains. The name is believed to be a corruption of the Algonquin words pohqui, meaning 'broken', and moosie, meaning 'smooth'. It is located in the town of Chesterfield, New York, United States, on New York state Forest Preserve land, part of the Taylor Pond Wild Forest complex within the Adirondack Park. Due to its location next to the pass through which most travelers from the north enter the range, it has been called the "gateway to the Adirondacks".
Kane Mountain is a mountain in the Adirondack Mountains region of New York. It is located north of the Hamlet of Canada Lake. The Kane Mountain Fire Observation Station is located on top of the mountain. Sheeley Mountain is located south-southwest, Canada Lake is located south, Camelhump is located east and Pine Lake is located north of Kane Mountain.
Goodnow Mountain is a 2,664-foot-tall (812 m) peak in the Adirondack Mountains of New York in the United States. It is the location of the Goodnow Mountain Fire Observation Station. In 1922, the Civilian Conservation Corps built a 60-foot-tall fire tower on the mountain. The tower closed at the end of the 1979 season. The tower was later transferred to SUNY College of Forestry and is now open to the public.
Tomany Mountain is a 2,589-foot-tall (789 m) mountain in the Adirondack Mountains region of New York. It is located northwest of Arietta in Hamilton County. In 1912, the Conservation Commission built a wooden fire observation tower on the mountain. In 1916, wooden tower was replaced with a 50-foot-tall Aermotor LL25 tower. The tower was closed at the end of the 1970 fire watching season, and later dismantled.