Principal Adirondack Trailheads  

Adirondack Mountain Reserve 
(AMR)
(aka Ausable Club)

Hats off to the Ausable Club trail crew that does the trail  maintenance.  These are the best maintained trails in the Adirondack Mountains.   

51 Photos

(Numbers in parentheses such as (ADK #123, McM #456) on these and all other pages of Adirondack Journey, refer to trail numbers assigned by the McMartin and ADK guidebooks.  References to "NYSDEC" or just "DEC" appear frequently on these pages.  For all of you visitors to New York's forests these cryptic letters stand for "New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation"  more commonly referred to as DEC ("deck").  You'll see uniformed rangers with some frequency if you spend much time in the forest.  All my life I have found these guys and girls to be very friendly and courteous.  By all means, say "hi" or ask them any question you may have.  They are EXPERT. 

Finding the DEC Parking Lot for the AMR:   From the Ausable Inn in the center of the tiny town of Keene Valley, drive South on Rte 73 a distance of 2.54 miles where you will pass by the  entrance sign for the Ausable Club on the right side of the high- way.  It's huge; you can't miss it.  DON'T ENTER HERE.  Instead, continue another 0.55 miles south on Rte 73.  As soon as you see a DEC trail sign for "Roaring Brook Falls" on your left, hit the brakes!  Immediately to your right across the highway will be the entrance to the DEC parking lot for the AMR (see photo #1, at the thumbnails near the bottom of this page).  Turn right and drive less than 100 yd. to the parking.  There will be a standard street sign at the turn-off, but the bigger "Roaring Brook Falls" sign on your left is much easier to spot from the highway than the standard metal street sign that marks the AMR parking on your right.  Incidentally, the sign says "Ausable Club Rd".

"The Gate" separates the AMR from the Ausable Club proper.  Lake Road passes through.  (photo courtesy  Charlie Hoffer.)

It's a very big lot so you should have no problem finding a spot to park.  It's also the only place on the Ausable Club's land that you can legally park for accessing this trailhead.  You might be tempted to drive up the dirt road that heads uphill out of the north end of the lot.  Don't!  This leads to the trailhead itself, which is on  the Ausable Club's grounds.  You are permitted to pass through the AC grounds on foot, but your vehicles would be trespassing.  

Getting to the Trailhead from the Trailhead Parking Area
After parking, walk from the parking area up the aforementioned dirt road 0.9 miles across the Ausable Club's manicured grounds to the trailhead.  The dirt road you started out on shortly becomes paved and will pass through the golf course on your right.  On your left you'll see a few summer homes and the tennis courts.  As you approach the impressive main lodge of the Ausable Club, the road will branch left just at the end of the tennis courts.  Follow the road left  and you'll be at the sign-in shack/trailhead in a minute or two.  

Registry by all hikers is now a legal requirement at any trailhead in the Adirondacks.  This includes filling out a registration form that you must carry with you on your hike as well as putting your name and address and a contact person in the log book at the trailhead.  You'll notice a few postings that explain the rules for hiking in the AMR.  They are very serious about these rules.  I know!  Once you leave the sign-in booth you'll quickly come to the Gate shown in the photo above and enter the AMR.  The Gate is the starting point of Lake Road which runs to the Boathouse at the foot of Lower Ausable Lake.  Lake Road provides you with access to all of the main trails out of the Ausable Valley.   

Peaks directly accessed via this trailhead:  Colvin, Blake,  Dial, Nipple Top,  Haystack,  Basin, Saddleback,  Gothics, Armstrong, Upper and Lower Wolf Jaws,   Sawteeth, Pyramid, Round Mtn, Noonmark, and the Dix Range.

Getting to where you're going via the AMR and Ausable Club
The links just below take you to the main arterial trails in the Adirondack Mountain Reserve (AMR).  These three take you from The Gate (above) to the trails you want to hike. All three begin at the trailhead shack near The Gate and then converge at the dam at Lower Ausable Lake.  Which you use depends only on preference, time available, or destination.  Each has advantages and disadvantages.  You can click on the links below, or just scroll down this page.  

 The Trailhead Parking on Route 73 

1	Driving from Keene Valley on Rte 73 headed south, watch for this street sign, but you'll be coming from the direction that truck is headed so the street sign will be on your right as you approach.	2	This is the smaller of the two parking lots here at the Ausable Club, DEC trailhead parking.  This is the only one of the two that's usually full.
3	You'll turn off the highway (photo above) onto this short road.  Two large parking lots are located immediately to the left where you see the sun on the road in the photo.	4	After you leave your vehicle, you'll walk up Ausable Club Rd. and get this view of Sawteeth as you're headed toward the trailhead.

 A Sample of the AMR 

courtesy of Bruce Anderson 5	A view of Sawteeth from the Ausable Club.  Sawteeth offers the best close-up view of the Great Range.  It may be the most unique hike out of this trailhead.  Visit the Sawteeth Page. Features:  this hike provides superb views: during the ascent of Sawteeth from Lower Ausable Lake; from a ledge just L of trail as you descend Sawteeth's N face	courtesy of Bruce Anderson 6	This view of Indian Head can be seen from Fish Hawk Cliffs, which is a short detour from the Gill Brook Trail.  A good destination all by themselves, Fish Hawk Cliffs and Indian Head can be add-ons to a day on Colvin and Blake if you're a brisk hiker, but if you want to stop and gawk (worthwhile to do) then do these as a trip up the Lake Road followed by a descent to the Boathouse and return on the East River Trail.
courtesy of Bruce Anderson 7	A great photo of Lower Ausable Lake taken from Indian Head.  Excellent views of the lake and Indian Head are also available on the Sawteeth hike.	courtesy of Bruce Anderson 8	Pretty much the best shot of Indian Head we've ever seen.  Also taken from Fish Hawk Cliffs.

Access to the Trails of the AMR and Various Trail Options
 

Lake Road (ADK #25)
Lake Road starts at The Gate and runs to the Boathouse.  It is by a good measure the fastest route to any of the trails that start along the Lake Road.  Naturally, it is very easy.  There are a few crossover trails  from the Lake Road to ERT and WRT, but we have found these difficult to spot.  You may feel that Lake Road, being a road and not a trail, is less the kind of experience you want, but if you have planned a long hike, say, to Colvin & Blake or to Nipple Top & Dial, then Lake Road may be an aid for you.  The blue line on the maps below is Lake Road, although we have started it at Rt 73, at the DEC parking lot.  

 Lake Road & East River Trail USGS Maps 

Lake Road maps
These maps show Lake Road as well as The Gate, the parking areas, and the Ausable Club itself.

 East River Trail USGS Maps 

East River Trail  maps
These two maps overlap on their white edge.  East River Trail is shown in blue.

9	Trailhead and sign-in shack at the Ausable Club.  Walk 0.9 miles from  the DEC parking on Rt. 73 (see map and photos, above, of the parking lot) to get here to this shack, turning left at the tennis courts..  This is the place for signing the register.  It is the entrance to the AMR, and it is the start of Lake Road.  Those wanting to hike West Side Trail will see a sign marking the way staked into the grassy lawn just to the right of and prior to the shack. Those wanting to follow either  East Side Trail or  Lake Road will continue past the shack, through the Gate, and onwards.
10	The Gate.  After sign-in walk in a few hundred yards and pass through this beautiful gate done in Adirondack style.  The Lake Road starts at this spot.
11	Lake Road  This is the fastest, most boring, route to Lower Ausable Lake,  the trailheads for  Colvin and Blake, and for  Sawteeth, Gothics, and the Upper Range.  It's  3.5 miles long and very gradually gains about 700 vertical feet before its terminus at the shores of Lower Ausable Lake.  The whole route looks just like this and the next photo.
12	Lake Road, while dull compared to the trails, has its moments.  The occasional deer is visible through the forest and the mossy banks of the road are inviting.  There is no traffic on the route except for maintenance vehicles and the Ausable Club's private bus that hauls members from the lodge to the boathouse on Lower Ausable Lake goes by about every half hour or so.

West River Trail (McM #77, ADK #28) and optional side trip on the Lost Lookout and Rainbow Falls Trail (McM #79, ADK #30) 

WRT is one of the outstanding trails in the Adirondacks, offering idyllic views of falls, forest, occasional views of peaks, and all kinds of oddities and natural wonder.  We like it best after a shower when it is pristine.  Moreover, it is a very accessible trail that beginners might use and enjoy.   Our favorite aspect of the trail is the flora to be seen close up.  From its start just before you reach the gatehouse, the WRT runs 3.8 miles to the wooden bridge that crosses the Ausable River at the dam at the bottom of Lower Ausable Lake.  Trails off WRT lead into the Great Range to the west.  The WRT follows the hilly west side of the Ausable River, often in sight of and always above the river.  As it traverses the base of the Great Range the WRT does a fair amount of up and down, more so than the ERT which follows the floor of the valley.  It is easy over most of its distance, but slower going than East River Trail or Lake Road.  Beaver Meadow Falls at its intersection with the Weld Trail is one of the most beautiful waterfalls to be seen in the Adirondacks.  Rainbow Falls on a side route off of WRT is very worthwhile.  There are excellent views of the Ausable River flumes from WRT, more so than those available from the East River Trail.  You will find WRT well marked on the maps below.

If you hike the West River Trail we believe you would be making a mistake to not take the side trip to Lost Lookout and Rainbow Falls described below.  If, on the other hand, you will be combining this with a climb to the Great Range, it may be excessive.  

 West River Trail USGS Maps 

West River Trail maps
Note that near the SW end of the trail we took an optional side trip, indicated by signs, to Rainbow Falls and Lost Lookout.   Don't miss these!

13	We walked up Lake Road to Lower Ausable Lake hoping the low ceiling would clear so we could climb Gothics.  It didn't, so we decided to explore West River Trail.	14	The E end of the dam on Lower Ausable Lake, September, 2002.  The East River and West River Trails start here and head back to the sign-in shack at the Ausable Club's grounds.
15	Low ceiling!  But the alternative route we will take, the West River Trail, will prove very rewarding and enough of a hike after our two previous days of hiking.	16	The spillway.
17	Something about the gray day makes the photographs more compelling.	18	This sign on the east side of the river at the bridge directs traffic across the bridge to WRT, downstream on the E side to East River Trail, or up to Lake Road.   We cross the bridge.
19	Before crossing the river to its N bank, we look down the East River Trail that follows the E side of the river downstream.	20	At the dam this bridge crosses the Ausable River, or, more properly, the East Branch of the Ausable River, and takes us across the start of the river which is one of the state's longest.
21	We see a sign when we reach the WRT on the other side of the bridge and grab at the opportunity to take a side trip to Rainbow Falls and Lost Lookout.  (This side trip is #79 in the McMartin guidebook and #30 in the ADK High Peaks guidebook.)	22	It's a nice short climb up to Rainbow Falls where a promontory offers a very nice view upwards to the top of Rainbow Falls and downward into the chasm at its bottom.  It's very beautiful so we stop to munch gorp and beef jerky.
23	Best friend, hiking buddy, and woman extraordinaire, Elaine.  The day previous she had reached #46 on East Dix.	24	Still on the side trip, we leave Rainbow Falls and follow a delightful trail towards Lost Lookout.
25	Hiking along our side trip we parallel WRT and get some good views of the lake from Lost Lookout.  Unfortunately, the mist and low clouds are not clearing.	26	Lost Lookout.  Beaver Meadow is visible at the bottom
27	Lower Ausable Lake shrouded in clouds has an aura of mystery.	28	Flora along the trail abounds.
29	Perfect trail continues along the side trip as we parallel WRT, but from about 500 ft higher up.	30	This sign points the way back down to WRT.
31	Onward through the sunlit woods, the side trip ends as the trail dead-ends into Beaver Meadows Falls Trail (ADK #34, McM #96)	32	Another waterfall.  We are at its top making the short descent back to the West River Trail via Beaver Meadows Falls Trail.
33	We are at the bottom of a small waterfall that feeds Beaver Meadows Falls.	34	Beaver Meadow Falls is at the intersection of Beaver Meadow Falls Trail and West River Trail.  One of the most beautiful of the Adirondacks' waterfalls.
34	Sign on West River Trail  at base of Beaver Meadow Falls.	35	Beaver Meadow Falls
36	Base of Beaver Meadow Falls	37	Continuing downwards on WRT past Beaver Meadow Falls.
38	WRT is soon well above the river again as the river drops towards the canyons.	39	The flora is maybe the most important part of this trip.  While some plants are starting to take on sienna and crimson hues, others appear lush and green in the September shade.
40	Yet another falls, this one on Wedge Brook (?).	41	WRT continues.
42	One boulder and one rock.	43	The river far below.
44	We invested the better part of an hour to visit Cathedral Rocks.  The name suggested something spectacular, but we were disappointed	45	WRT finally comes down to the flowing river again.  We are near its end..
47	Another sign along WRT	48	And finally, as we cross the Ausable River at the Ausable Club, the final sign.

East River Trail (ADK #26, McM #78) 
The sign below is on Lake Road.  When you come through the Gate, you'll come upon this sign on your right just off the road about 0.3 miles The Gate.  The path will take you past a few cottages and toward the Ausable River where it turns SW to follow the river.  For the most part, the river will remain within sight.  The trail continues 3.4 miles to the Boathouse at the bottom of Lower Ausable Lake.  This trail is quite beautiful, never more so than at Beaver Meadow shown below, but ERT is inferior in that regard to West River Trail.  ERT is a faster route than WRT, but considerably slower than Lake Road.  ERT provides open woodland views reminiscent of the game preserve on a European nobleman's estate.  There are a number of modest flumes to be seen along the river and you might catch sight of a deer or two.  ERT is an easy walk.  

49	Sign to look for on Lake Road if you want ERT.
50	Beaver Meadow from East River Trail
51	Beaver Meadow and the Ausable River

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This page was last updated 09/11/06 08:28:26 PM