MacNaughton

Difficulty:
The round trip from Adirondack Loj (Heart Lake) to MacNaughton's summit is a very strenuous combination of diverse terrain in a 15.4 mile hike, better done as an overnight. The first segment on the RED Indian Pass Trail from Adirondack Loj to the start of the Wallface and Scott Ponds Trail is rated as moderate over very good trails. For photos and description of this 4.0 mi. segment of the hike, visit the Indian Pass Trail Page. The BLUE trail to the ponds is steep and difficult in its beginnings; flat and marshy thereafter. The trip is a long one at about 14 hours r/t .

Trip In A Nutshell:
A climb of MacNaughton via the Wallface and Scott ponds is a good adventure with a lot to see and enjoy. The summit is just under 4000 feet at 3983 feet. MacNaughton offers excellent diversity from the very civilized and scenic hike on the Indian Pass Trail to the marshy pond-to-pond traverses at 3150 ft. It even has a breached dam or two. MacNaughton has no maintained herd path over the last mile. It is, therefore, not a place to go alone; days or weeks may pass between visits to the summit.

Views:
Views pop up as soon as you finish the steep climb from Indian Pass Brook to the ponds. Views of the MacIntyres are good. From the summit there are several views as you walk along the ridgeline.

USGS Topo Maps:
These maps trace the route of this hike from the Heart Lake trailhead to the summit of MacNaughton Mtn. Maps may overlap.

The Wallface Ponds and Scott Pond Trail (ADK #76, McM #35)
NOTE: This hike starts at the Heart Lake (Adirondack Loj) trailhead and follows the Indian Pass Trail (ADK #75, McM #34) 4.0 miles to the start of the Wallface Ponds and Scott Pond Trail covered here. Visit the Indian Pass Trail Page to see the start of this hike.
Intersection 1		Look for this sign on the Indian Pass Trail. It marks the start of the BLUE Wallface Ponds and Scott Pond Trail. You'll find it not far after Scott's Clearing. The trail ahead climbs sharply for about 0.4 mile after crossing Indian Pass Brook, then turns S into a draw at a height of land just before the first of the ponds. Some corduroy and some mud on the relatively flat trail.
2		Old dam in Scott's Clearing.
Beaver dam 3		The trail curves around the outlet of Scott Pond and heads W toward Wallface Ponds over wet ground. A destroyed dam lies in rubble at the Scott Pond outlet. Crossing the brook here is circuitous and time-consuming.
MacNaughton from Wallface Ponds 4		Muck characterizes the route from Scott Pond onwards to the Wallface Ponds. This is marshy land; you walk from marsh to marsh. MacNaughton from Wallface Ponds. You pass a few ponds on both your right and left. The trail continues to its end at the shore of the largest of the Wallface Ponds. Here you have a choice. You can take the bushwhack following the outlet from this pond down to the RED trail and either loop back through Indian Pass to Heart Lake or continue S to Upper Works. Alternatively, you can do as we will do and climb MacNaughton via its herd path. Keep your eyes open for the shift in watershed direction. Scott Pond and the ponds connected to it upstream flow into Indian Pass Brook which flows NE to join the West Branch of the Ausable River and thence into Lake Champlain, then the Richelieu River, and the St. Lawrence River. Wallface Ponds, on the other hand, flows into the other Indian Pass Brook (there are two), which flows into Henderson Lake, which is the source of the Hudson River, and you know where that goes.
Herd Path to the Summit of MacNaughton Mtn
Pam on Herd Path 5		The maintained trail ends at the ponds and the herd path starts, making its way to MacNaughton's summit, approximately 7.7 miles from the trailhead at Heart Lake. Pam makes headway on the herd path which shows little sign of use. It's a gradual, but difficult, 1.0 mile, 850 ft climb on a steady compass bearing of 240 degrees.
Wallface Ponds 6		Views from the summit ridge are fairly good in a variety of directions. The herd path to the summit hooks around to the north to get to the sign. Round trip from Heart Lake took 11 hours. All in all, this is a mountain worth climbing if you want to avoid crowded peaks and want a more wilderness experience. It's extremely unlikely that you will encounter anyone else going up, coming down, or on the summit! And make sure somebody knows where you are; otherwise, if you break your leg they won't find you until the stink of your decaying body alerts a hound dog!
Summit 7		Oddly enough, the name of the mountain is misspelled. Someone once told me that "Mc" is Irish and "Mac" is Scottish.
Summit view NE 8