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Adirondack Aerial & Ground Imagery Showcase Page, Ticonderoga, NY (2026)

06/25/2026

I have started slowly but steadily chipping at another challenge, the FORTY-SIX ADK High Peaks. Oddly, for a long time, I never thought once about getting my Forty-Six for many reasons/excuses I could conjure up. I was young in my 20s and 30s, and hiking was something I did when time was available and if I felt like it.

However, over the course of time, and that started in my late 40s, the "never" became a "maybe," and then a "maybe" became "possibly." I started a few years ago with hiking Cascade and then Marcy (October 2024), followed by the Wright, Algonquin and Iroquois trio (October 2025).

On May 18, 2026, I decided to finally get Porter Mountain, which is a peak I did NOT really want as there weren't great views from the summit. However, it is part of the forty-six challenge, so begrudgingly I needed to bag it.

I got to the Cascade/Porter parking lot off NYS Route 73 in Keene, NY, around 6:00am, but I had to wait about a half hour for a nasty storm to go by before I could get going. It wasn't even hot or humid, which really helped me with overheating, which I do a lot in late spring weather. The weather did clear up to mostly partly cloudy and then overcast, but no rain.

The Cascade Mountain Trail which is the same as Porter, is basically a HIGHLY eroded path of exposed tree roots, large to small cobbles and boulders, and then as you get further up, exposed bedrock slabs. I did cross a few running streams that were going down the trail at the time, as it did rain.

I will say this: the trail up to the Cascade/Porter Junction was a complete and utter muddy mess. However, the Porter Mountain trail was just as bad, even to the point of deep standing water. The Porter Mountain trail, much like Cascade was HIGHLY an eroded path of exposed tree roots, large to small cobbles and boulders, and then as you get further up, exposed bedrock slabs.

Now, once you get past all those muddy and wet areas, there is a rock overlook with primarily a south, southwest, west, southeast and east viewpoint of the High Peaks. I would say that this is the best open area before reaching the actual summit of Porter.

Once you did reach the summit, there was NO signage that you were on the summit; I didn't even locate a USGS Survey Bolt. However, I did see some signage (blue sign) that the trail to the Garden Parking Lot was closed due to a "landowner issue."

The views are not totally panoramic like its neighbor Cascade to the northwest, but you do get views over the treetops from the North, northwest, west, and southwest. The southeast, east, and northeast have no views except for the evergreens.

I did make a quick trip to Cascade but didn't stay long. I have done Cascade THREE times already, and I have posted those photos here over the years. I did speak with the Adirondack Mountain Club summit steward for a bit; he even told me about the new hiking trail that is being constructed, which will be longer, starting at Mt. Vanhovenburg, but there could be another secondary trail to shorten the distance some time soon.

Glad I got these done now!!

This peak makes number SIX, so I now have forty left to do.

Location: Porter Mountain, Keene, NY - Adirondack High Peaks Region
Date: May 18, 2026

06/21/2026

I have been taking on the NINETEEN Adirondack waterfalls of Hamilton County, NY, since last year (2025). This challenge spans a combination of roadside, hiking, and even some paddling adventures to reach these waterfalls for the big completion patch.

I have many waterfalls already completed, like Christine, Whiskey and Dug Mountain Brook Waterfalls in Speculator; Austin, Auger, Cold Brook, West Stoney Creek, East Jimmy Creek and Griffin Falls in Wells; Tenant & Groff Creek in Hope; Buttermilk Falls in Long Lake; and Squaw Brook and OK Slip Falls in Indian Lake NY.

The goal is to totally complete the challenge this year, and I am right on target for completion.

This waterfall is known as Death Brook Falls in Raquette Lake, NY, and is the number FIFTEEN most visited. I must add that this waterfall required NO hiking, as it was basically a one-mile out-and-back trek. The walk to the falls only takes about five to ten minutes.

The driving directions start on the south side of Route 28, near the southern shore of Raquette Lake. A yellow gate marks the path’s start about 10.0 mi. west of Blue Mountain Lake or 3.6 mi. east of Sagamore Rd. in Raquette Lake. Parking is sparse, but you can park at Golden Beach State Campground. From the gate, walk on a flat trail to a clearing and cross to the other side. The trail goes straight through a wet area to the falls, 0.2 mi. from the road.

The path's terrain is primarily flat with a short travel through both wooded areas and an open grass field. You cross over a wet area along the way, but there is a wooden plank to help not get your feet wet/muddy. After, you cross a stream, and the falls are now in sight.

It is that easy!!

Also known as “Secret Falls,” this cascade is on a tributary into Death Stream and drops almost 70 feet high, tumbling down a stair-like series of rock ledges.

Location: Death Brook Falls, Raquette Lake, NY
Date: May 12, 2026

06/18/2026

Adirondack Springscapes from Buck Mountain near Lake George, NY, from May 11, 2026.

There are two different trails to get to Buck Mountain. On this trek, I took the Buck Mountain Hogtown Trail (2.2 miles one way), which starts from Shelving Rock Road; the other trail starts at Pilot K**b right near Lake George itself.

The weather at the time was warm with atmospheric conditions as part cloudy to overcast. I did not experience any wind at the summit, and no black flies were encountered.

The trail terrane started with the typical loamy forest topsoil, with many exposed roots. There were a couple mountain stream crossings along the way. The trail is well marked with blue disks and maintained.

Once at the 1.3-mile mark, the ascent really begins with the terrain changing to more rocky and rooted surfaces that follow along another stream that is a nice oasis for water filter container replenishment.

I saw tons of glacially derived erratics. In fact, you come across two of these directly on the trail as you go right between them. The ascent continues with more of the same terrain, which is typical of the areas here in the Adirondacks known as glacial till, now accompanied by exposed bedrock surfaces that can be slippery, I noticed.

Once you get to the summit, there are two viewpoints, both of which are not totally 360-degree views, unfortunately. The first viewpoint is a little spot that you can see down Lake George looking towards the northeast to north from a little path in the tree line.

The second viewpoint (northwest to southwest) is from the "main" overlook where you get some great views of Lake George front and center with many of the Lake George Twelveester mountains in view (Cat, Thomas, Brown, First, Fifth, Huckleberry, and French). The High Peaks of course, are also seen in the background along with other mountains like Shelving Rock. Additionally, I can see The Sagamore Resort in Bolton Landing, right from the summit.

I now have FOUR mountains down for the Lake George Twelvester Challenge.

Location: Buck Mountain, Lake George, NY
Date: May 11, 2026

06/14/2026

NON- Adirondack fire tower here on this sharing page.
This fire tower, known as Mount Utsayantha is located near Stamford, NY.

The terrain to the tower is primarily a sand and gravel service road primarily for the cell/radio towers located right alongside the tower. Of course you can drive up the mountain during warmer seasons, but it is not passable during the colder months.

I need to stress that recently, this tower has been added to the 2026 Catskill Fire Tower Challenge (CFTC) list patch. However, this tower is NOT part of the Adirondack Mountain Club Challenge Unfortunately.

However, to get credit for the CFTC, you must walk up, just as I did in order to get credit towards it. Walking up the road, which was steep but not too strenuous, there were a few interesting observations I saw along the way up.

First was a possible gravestone of sorts, as Utsayantha Mountain is named after Utsayantha, the daughter of Chief Ubiwacha. Chief Ubiwacha was the chief of the Lenape Indians. Utsayantha had a baby fathered by a non-tribal settler. The chief, being furious killed the settler by driving a hatchet in his skull. The chief then threw the newborn into the lake. Utsayantha drowned herself in the same lake Utsayantha Lake after seeing her son thrown in. In 1862 a grave was discovered on the mountain that was believed to be the grave of Utsayantha. The identity of the person in the grave still remains unproven to this day.

Second there were two spots where I read that hang gliders take off, as it's an open area that has a nice overlook view. I did not see any hang gliders on this day, of course.

Once I did reach the summit, I noticed a company working on one of the cell/radio towers. They even had two workers at the very top doing some work. They did not bother me, and I did not bother them; it worked out just perfectly.

At the summit is a four story Observatory, which is nothing like I have seen at other fire tower locations where they still exist. This structure is quite unique in that it's four stories with a type of cupola on it. The structure acted as a tower constructed by the town of Stamford after a larger observation tower burned around 1910 as per fire tower historians. The Observatory is situated near an open vista where there is a porch and even a bench to sit and enjoy more views after climbing the tower.

The other thing I noticed is a little kiosk area adjacent to the Observatory that has a small picnic area but also four bulletin boards with information on the history of the mountain, the observer's house, and, of course, the fire tower.

Now, once you've taken all that in, it was time to climb the near SIXTY-foot (59.3 feet) Fire Tower to get the 360-degree views. The panoramic views of South Giboa, Mayham Pond, Michael Kudish Natural History Preserve, McGregor Mountain, Stamford Forest Preserve Detached Parcel, and, of course, the Catskills were all visible.

This was a great tower to visit and has a similar vibe to that of Blue Mountain (Adirondack Fire Tower) in Blue Mountain Lake, NY, minus a four story observatory.

Location: Mount Utsayantha Fire Tower, Stamford, NY
Date: April 16, 2026

06/11/2026

A large swath of seasonal pine pollen moving north along a current on Lake George towards the narrows where the La Chute River begins in the Ticonderoga NY area.

So if anyone has sinuses swollen and eyes itching, then this is the culprit. So far, it has been a terrible season of it so far. Ugg.

Location: Northen Lake George from Ticonderoga Ny
Date: June 11, 2026.

06/09/2026

I started on another hiking challenge called the Chester Challenge. The Town of Chester in Warren County designed this challenge to help people explore the area's trail systems.

I had already done Kipp Mountain a few years ago; Dynamite Hill, Stewart Mountain, Meade and Beckman Mountains; Chester Creek; and the Cunningham Cross-Country Ski Trails. I chose the Panther Mountain Trail next to get done; this is basically a short (1.3 miles one way) hike up to an overlook in Chestertown, NY, from Theriot Ave.

The day at the time was partly cloudy and warm, and the trail was effortless to follow and EXTREMELY well marked and maintained. Terrane was typical forest loam soil with more exposed root areas than rocks, although I did encounter rocks from time to time. I also noticed some minor logging operations happening when I was there. I could see where a logging skidder was being utilized for expediting tree removal to a staging area down at the base of the mountain which was neat to observe.

The views from the rocky overlook are fantastic but limited to the northwest, west and southwest, with Chestertown being front and center. Additionally, Gore Mountain is taking complete command. The overlook also shows other named mountains, for example, Crane, Eleventh, Moxham, and others.

This makes number SEVEN to the addition of the Chester Challenge list completed.

Location: Panther Mountain, Chestertown, NY
Date: May 4, 2026

06/04/2026

NON- Adirondack fire tower here on this sharing page.
This fire tower, known as Roosa Gap, is located in the Roosa Gap State Forest Preserve in Wurtsboro, NY.

The terrain to the tower is primarily a rocky hodgepodge of soil-lodged gravel laid on a solid base of rock as you get to the top near the fire tower. The terrain where the tower is located is mostly exposed bedrock, isolated conifers and shrubs.

Once I reached the thirty-five foot tower, I had it all to myself. The panoramic views of Wurtsboro Ridge State Forest, Basha Kill, Sam's Point, Wurtsboro Airport, Minnewaska State Park and of course the Catskills.

The tower is in desperate need of some maintenance to include a locked hatch to keep vandals away, as you can see from the photos of the graffiti.

Once back down, I then continued along a trail that was a mix of rock slabs, variable gravels, and mountain top soil terrain to the John Hennessey memorial, who was a dedicated volunteer trail maintainer for this area. There are tons of other trails leading to other spots/destinations, but I just didn't have the time or motivation to hike at the time, not to mention it was very TICKY!!

This was a great tower to visit and has a similar vibe to that of Belfry Mountain (Adirondack Fire Tower) in Mineville (Moriah), NY, basically being short and sweet.

Location: Roosa Gap Fire Tower, Wurtsboro, NY (Rosa Gap State Forest)
Date: April 16, 2026

06/02/2026

I have been taking on the NINETEEN Adirondack waterfalls of Hamilton County, NY, since last year (2025). This challenge spans a combination of roadside, hiking, and even some paddling adventures to reach these waterfalls for the big completion patch.

I have many waterfalls already completed, like Christine, Whiskey and Dug Mountain Brook Waterfalls in Speculator; Austin, Auger, Cold Brook, West Stoney Creek, East Jimmy Creek and Griffin Falls in Wells; Tenant & Groff Creek in Hope; Buttermilk Falls in Long Lake; and Squaw Brook Falls in Indian Lake NY.

The goal is to totally complete the challenge this year, and I am right on target for completion.

This waterfall is known as Ok Slip Falls and is the number FOURTEEN visited. I must add that this waterfall required hiking approximately 3.6 miles one way to reach it.

The driving directions are 7.5 mi. east of the intersection of Routes 30 and 28 in Indian Lake on the south side of Route 28. If you are traveling from the east, the parking area is located 4.4 mi. west after crossing the second railroad bed in North River along Route 28 as the highway leads away from the Hudson River. The trailhead is located on the north side of Route 28, west of the parking area. Hikers will walk along NY Route 28, which was a surprise to me, for 0.2 mi, and then you cross over the road to the actual trailhead and sign-in kiosk.

The hiking terrain was surprisingly easy to a point. The surface was the tropical forest loam soils with the usla tree roots, stream crossings and rocks along the way. The trail is well-maintained and marked with wood plank pathways over the west muddy and stream areas. I was also surprised that you do reach a PRIVATE open dirt road (OK Slip Road) at the 2.5-mile mark that services a boys' camp at OK Slip Pond.

Now, for the remaining 1.5 miles to the falls, it was still about the same terrain encountered until you reached the "End of Trail" sign. This spot is where the falls can be viewed from a distance via a rocky ledge overlook. There is a side trail that leads to the top of the falls, but I was not really interested in seeing it at the time.

Now, when I mentioned the term "easy to a point," I came to the point. Yes, the trail ends at the overlook as I mentioned. However, the adventure does NOT have to end right there. If you are crazy enough and have good stamina, there is a way to get up close and personal with OK Slip Falls.

Of course, that requires going down a nearly vertical pathway. I knew I could do this going down, but going back up was going to be BRUTAL!! I started down the pathway to where I saw some ropes tied to trees. The ropes do help, but YOU have to know how to use them properly, or you could get hurt or worse. It is basically a vertical drop to the bottom on one side with an approximate 20- to 30-foot cliff of rock on the other.

Now, once you do get down, it is easy street, and you get up close to these falls. There is a huge area of open water that you can swim or wade in during warmer months but not when I was there which was late APRIL. I splashed my face with some of the water and it hurt with COLD!

I will say that once climbing around the falls, the rocks are very slippery, so be aware of this; I almost lost footing a few times. I ventured on the opposite side of the falls, which is kind of grassy, and it was neat getting the cold water spray on me. That must be utterly fantastic in the heat of summer, depending on if there is even a waterfall pending drier conditions. I saw thick Ice still hanging around the falls, even for late April, and you will see that in the photos.

I spent quite a bit of time there, getting photos and dreading about going back up. That being said, I did make it up begrudgingly even with my legs near entropy back up to the overlook. It was not easy, but the ropes and some free-standing trees did help.

Once back up and drinking a full bottle of water, I did see other people thinking about heading down while resting at the overlook. I gave them my typical brutal honesty of the situation, and needless to say, I saw many of them catch back up to me after I left. I guess my words got heeded after all.

I took my time heading back with a total milage of 7.9 miles. Needless to say, this was the second waterfall hike in the cahllenge that was both long and with some tricky spots involved.,

Location: OK Slip Falls, Indian Lake, NY
Date: April 24, 2026

05/29/2026

These photos are from Thompson Pond Preserve located in Pine Plains, NY, just below Stissing Mountain. I took a trek up Stissing Mountain where you can see the pond from the fire tower (I shared photos both of and from the tower recently).

The trail is stewarded by the Nature Conservancy who maintains the trail for public use. There is plenty of parking at the trailhead with a map of the trail that goes all around the pond. I noticed that part of this trail before it becomes more wooded is comprised of a pea stone base for those that use wheelchairs from approximately half a mile.

As per Nature Conservancy, https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/eastern-thompson-pondstissing-mountain/

The pond has quite a bit of history, from its 15,000-year-old glacial geological past to being placed as a natural historic landmark by the US Department of the Interior in 1973.

I took the entire loop around the pond that starts as the BLUE trail, comprised of that pea stone base for wheelchair accessibility to the one area of the pond. After reaching part of the pond, the trail stops as pea stone and becomes the typical forest terrain of uneven loam surfaces of roots, rocks, streams and other wet/muddy areas.

The trail is well maintained with stone benches, wooden plank walkways over muddy areas, and even a wood observation deck. I could see the Stissing Fire Tower numerous times from spots along the trail, looming over Stissing Mountain. I even walked along an active farm with dairy cows; go figure.

I enjoyed this extra trek after hiking up Stissing Mountain to visit the fire tower. I got to see Thompson Pond from two different perspectives, which doesn't happen all the time. The entire mileage from start to finish was THREE miles.

Location: Thompson Pond Preserve, Pine Plains, NY
Date: April 6, 2026

05/24/2026

These photos are from the Cunningham Cross-Country and Hiking Trail from April 20, 2026, in Chestertown, NY. The trailhead is on the side off Cunningham Loop which is just off the Little Tannery Road.

The trail is part of the Chester Challenge and is well marked and maintained. Just follow the yellow arrow tags and signs to lead the way, as it is only 2 miles from start to finish.

This, like Chester Creek is a nice little trail that is short and sweet and basically a great walk in the woods with terrain that is mostly forest soil with some exposed tree roots and a few rocky areas along the way.

I noticed a few side trails not associated with Cunningham and did not take them at the time. However, these trails did have signage as to what they were called and I am sure had adequate markings like Cunningham and even Chester Creek.

Now, for the interesting part of this trail report. At approximately ONE mile into the hike/walk, a trail closure sign is encountered. The closure is right at a side loop trail (Cunningham Circle Trail) that you can take instead of taking the return back on the main trail. This loop does connect back into the Cunningham trail, leading you back to where you parked, of course.

I noticed that the section after the closure sign does eventually connect into the Chester Creek Trail in at least two sections as per trail mapping. However, that has all changed apparently now, and there is a sign that says where the new section of the Cunningham Trail will be rerouted in the not-too-distant future (see photos).

I took the Cunningham Circle/Loop Trail where the terrain was again forest soil with some exposed tree roots and little rocky areas along the way. However, I did encounter a small rocky stream that has a nice flow of running water at the time.

Note: I did have at least TWO ticks on me even with spray on clothing, so be aware of this and take all necessary precasutions.

Location: Cunningham Cross-Country/Hiking Trail, Chestertown, NY
Date: April 20, 2026

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