Pharaoh Mountain

By Rich Macha

The 46,283-acre Pharaoh Lake Wilderness Area is located east of Schroon Lake. The wilderness area contains many ponds and small lakes as well as numerous small, rocky-topped mountains, but only two of those mountains have trails to their summits – Pharaoh Mountain (elevation 2,556 feet) and Treadway Mountain (2,208 feet) – both are worth hiking.

Pharaoh Mountain used to have a fire tower on it, but in 1990 it was vandalized and the state removed it in 1992. At the risk of sounding old, my first ascent of the mountain was when there was still an observer up in the tower. Soon after I had arrived at the summit, the observer called down to me and invited me up. He was quite chatty after spending most of his days with little company, but for me, it was great to have someone point out and name all of the sights.

There are two trails to Pharaoh’s summit – one from the north and one from the south – either way, the elevation gain is about 1,600 feet.

Pharaoh from the North

This 4.9-mile, one-way route starts at the end of the maintained portion of Crane Pond Road, where you will find a parking area and sign-in kiosk. Some people with high clearance, four-wheel-drive vehicles can continue to drive on the unmaintained road all the way to Crane Pond – motor vehicles are officially not allowed on state lands that are designated as “wilderness” but DEC is being tolerant of their use here. For the hiker, it is an easy two-mile walk with some interesting sights along the way.

After walking less than a mile, there are some lovely, photogenic waterfalls and cascades on Alder Creek down below to the left. Soon after, the 0.9-mile trail to Goose Pond is reached and there is also a path that runs close to the marshy shore of Alder Pond. Our route continues along the old Crane Pond Road for another half-mile, and then veers off to the left to avoid a section of the road that is always flooded. The depth of the water is dependent on recent rainfall, and how well the beavers have dammed the outlet of Alder Pond, but it is usually about two-feet-deep. The marked route soon returns to the road and the Long Swing Trail enters from the left. There is then a good view of Pharaoh Mountain across the pond before Crane Pond is reached near its outlet.

To get a good view of Crane Pond, you need to follow a path along its north shore, where there are a couple of popular campsites. If you are backpacking, this unmarked but obvious path eventually reaches two more campsites. The route to the mountain, however, crosses the outlet on a bridge and continues toward Glidden Marsh for 0.6 miles. Before reaching the marsh, our route makes a right turn at a junction and soon crosses the outlet of the marsh. The trail is fairly wide here and the grade is easy at first but slowly gets narrower and steeper as woods change from open hardwoods to closed-in areas of spruce and fir.

Finally, the summit area is reached and there are branching paths to several large areas of open rock with excellent views. There is not one spot with all-encompassing views so I recommend that you scout around for all of them. There is also a designated campsite up here but there is no water source so you must bring it with you if you decide to camp. From about mid-July through mid-August, you can gorge on blueberries that grow around the open rocky areas – just don’t forget that blueberries are also a favorite food of bears.

Summit views include Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains to the east, Pharaoh Lake to the southeast, Schroon Lake to the west, Mount Marcy and the High Peaks to the northwest, and Crane Pond to the north.

Pharaoh from the South

This longer 14-mile round-trip route is at least as interesting as the northern route, and because of the mileage, makes for a good three-day backpacking trip. There is a good, well-used parking area on Pharaoh Lake Road about 0.1-mile from Beaver Meadow Road, north of Brant Lake. As on Crane Pond Road, some folks with high clearance vehicles choose to drive the first 1.1 miles to Mill Brook, but the road has become more of a challenge throughout the years.

Unfortunately, hikers are often met with large puddles on the first mile of this old road, but after Mill Brook the trail is much nicer. Beavers have flooded this attractive brook and the trail crosses it on a bridge with a long boardwalk. The trail slowly gains elevation over the next mile, and at 2.3 miles, reaches a bridge over Pharaoh Lake Brook. Just before the bridge, a path to the left soon reaches a piney campsite, with a wonderful view across a wetland to the cliffs on Pharaoh Mountain. Across the bridge, the trail passes through lovely hemlock woods with peeks of the wetland area through the trees.

The outlet at the southwest end of Pharaoh Lake is reached at the 3.6-mile mark. At 441 acres, Pharaoh Lake is the third biggest lake in the Adirondack Park, that’s totally surrounded by land designated as wilderness. The scenic lake, ringed with white and red pines, is a popular destination in itself. The trail left crosses the outlet and is the route you want if headed up the mountain. The trail to the right runs along the south shoreline and is the best route to reach lean-tos #1, #2 and #3 – there are some great views of Pharaoh and Treadway mountains along the way.

The trail along the north shore soon passes lean-to #6, and reaches a junction 0.9 miles from the outlet. The route to the mountain takes a left here. If you go straight, you will reach Watch Rock and its double-wide lean-to – the view from Watch Rock is especially nice.

From the junction, we continue north to another junction where we take a left, and start some real climbing – the piney shores of the lake give way to hardwoods, mainly beech. At one spot, you have to scramble up a vertical eight-foot wall of rock – I had to use all four limbs to get up. Higher up, the narrow trail twists and turns through spruce woods, and finally arrives at the summit area.  

Whichever route you decide to take, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Find out more about the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness here: www.dec.ny.gov/lands/107648.html.

A lover of wild places, Rich Macha of Albany has led many trips for the Adirondack Mountain Club, and has spent 20 years in the paddlesport/snowsport business. More of Rich’s adventures can be found at northeastwild.blogspot.com.