St. Regis Mountain

Name: St. Regis Mountain
Location: Rt 30 to Paul Smiths, N of intersection left on Keese Mills Road, trail head in 2.5 miles, New York in the Adirondacks
Type: In and out
Necessary permits: N/A
Pets allowed: ? I didn't have one so don't remember what signs said
Recreation Guidebook: Adirondack Regional Tourism "Adirondack Great Walks and Day Hikes" (7 miles RT, moderate) Hike through a mixed hardwood forest to a south-facing rocky summit with an abandoned fire tower. The view includes the many lakes of the St. Regis Canoe Area and the distant High Peaks.
Recreation Map:
Directions to Trail Head:
Date: April 18, 2010
Trail Distances: 3.4 miles to peak from trail head
Distance Hiked: 7.0 miles
Depart Time: 9:15 am
Return Time: 1:30 pm
Total Hiking Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
Terrain: winding, wooded trail, rocky peak
Elevation gain/loss: gain 1235 feet
Difficulty (scale 1-5): 2
Trail Conditions: some wet areas but mostly dry
Water Availability: Small mountain streams but short length of our hike made use for drinking unnecessary
GPS Coordinates: N/A
Specific Equipment Needed: none
Local Supplies:
Local Knowledge:
Grub and Grog: just the PB and honey I packed :(
Sightings: Snow falling at peak
Weather:

• Temperature 39F at base
  
• Sky - partly cloudy
  
• Precipitation - snow began to fall as peak was reached, only sticking at very top
  
• Wind - little
  

Hiked/Camped with: Paula
Met along the way: one single hiker headed up as we ascended

Elephant Head

Name: Elephant Head
Location: Route 30 between Duane and Malone, New York in the Adirondacks
Type: In and out
Necessary permits: N/A
Pets allowed: ? I didn't have one so don't remember what signs said
Recreation Guidebook: Adirondack Regional Tourism "Adirondack Great Walks and Day Hikes" - (1 mile RT, moderate) Climb to an isolated hilltop with views looking north over Lake Titus and Titusville Mountain.
Recreation Map: http://www.trails.com/usgs-topo-elephants-head-summit-topographic-map-949471.html
Directions to Trail Head: From DEC Trail sign on Route 30 that is 10 miles south of Malone - sandy gravel road travels in 1.5 miles to trail head beyond rock barrier - parking at several points along the way (but beware road conditions are not for the family van)
Date: May 2, 2010
Trail Distances: 1.53 miles from parking area at edge of Route 30 to trail head, 0.4 miles one way on woods trail to peak
Distance Hiked: 3.86 miles
Depart Time: 12 pm
Return Time: 2:30 pm
Total Hiking Time: 2.5 hours at steady pace with brief rest at peak
Terrain: Gravel road with easy grades/woods trail moderately steep with soggy areas, wooden stairs near peak
Elevation gain/loss: gain 464 feet from Route 30 start
Difficulty (scale 1-5): 2
Trail Conditions: Some puddles, drainage along the road, soggy Adirondack soils on trail, black flies on the lee side of the peak
Water Availability: Small mountain streams abound but short length of our hike made use for drinking unnecessary
GPS Coordinates: N/A
Specific Equipment Needed: none
Local Supplies:
Local Knowledge:
Grub and Grog: Dinner of homemade sandwich at Jon's in Malone followed by delicious piece of homemade apple pie.
Sightings: Heard but not seen, lots of songbirds - odd to see small snow piles on a 71 degree day
Weather: air very warm for this time of year, humid, thankfully breezy

• Temperature 71F
  
• Sky - partly cloudy
  
• Precipitation - no rain but needed to be prepared just in case
  
• Wind - quite breezy for most of hike
  

Hiked/Camped with: Paula
Met along the way: one single hiker who have braved the road with his truck