Blue Mountain Lake Camping Weekend

On Friday, May 23rd, we all congregated at the DEC Lake Durant Campground in Blue Mountain Lake.  Tim and I had carpooled up and arrived around 3PM.  David and Brian had come up the day before and were already settled in...having spent an extra day at the campground.  Michael showed up around 10PM having enduring a frustrating drive up from the city.  

The evening had been mostly overcast with periods of rain while we set up and had dinner.  Afterwards we all got a chance to get to know one another a bit better around a short-lived campfire...some rain put a damper on things just before bedtime.

In the morning (Saturday, May 24th), it was a foggy and overcast start to the day.  As such, it was difficult to get everyone excited about starting the day.  We finally left the campground around 11AM.  We had thought about climbing Blue Mountain; however, the consensus was for something a little easier.  We headed to Indian Lake and chose to do Watch Hill.  This was a hike with a slightly shorter distance and less elevation gain.  It had turned partly sunny by the time we reached the trailhead on Rt. 30 just south of Sabael (it was the same trailhead as for Snowy Mountain).  The trail was not signed, but we found it leaving the parking area to the south.  The initial part of the trail was wide and easy to follow as it finally reached a sign in the woods for Watch Hill (this trail was not maintained by the DEC, but by the Timberlock Camp instead).  After this trail junction, it wasn't long before the trail started to climb up to the first of two granite ledges, which provided wonderful views over to the West Canada Lake Wilderness and most prominently towards Snowy Mountain with its firetower and new slide.  We enjoyed a nice snack break at the second ledge before deciding to continue down the other side of the ledges towards the shore of Indian Lake.  It was obvious, that this part of the trail was not well-used, as it was hard to follow in several spots.  Still we made out way out to the shore, where there were remnants of an old stone fireplace, which was part of an old camp.  The views of the lake were nice, but the skies darkened while there.  It was 1:45PM and shortly after reaching the shore it also began to rain with some thunder.  We started back and by the time we once again reached the ledges the sun had returned.  We descended off the ledges again and made it back to our cars by 3:30PM.

We headed into the village of Indian Lake to pick up firewood and a snack.  Afterwards we hiked the short trail to Rock Lake, which was on the way back to camp.  This trail was mostly flat and it was about 0.8 miles to get to edge of Rock Lake.  With all the rain, the final portion of the trail was very marshy, but provided beautiful views of Blue Mountain and the Stark Hills across the lake.  We finished by 5:30 and headed back to our campground to relax and start preparing our dinners.

In the evening we attempted to have a campfire, but rain later in the evening cut this short and we all went to bed.  Still David (who was a very good camp cook) brought a pumpkin cheesecake by to share!  There had been a nice sunset across Lake Durant earlier in the evening though.

Sunday morning (May 25th) was absolutely stunning with blue, mostly clear skies.  We got ready and headed out to the hamlet of Blue Mountain Lake.  We arrived at Blue Mountain Outfitters at 9:15AM and shortly after this we rented our kayaks for a day out on Blue Mountain Lake.  It was 10AM and we all headed out (except for Brian, who wanted to poke around the area on his own).  We headed out towards Rock Island, a popular spot for sunbathing and jumping off its 11 foot ledge, and then headed to Long Island, where we took a break...seeing a pair of loons along the shore while there.  Afterwards we contined around Long Island and headed for the lakeside trailhead for Castle Rock.  We reached this by 11:45 and after securing our kayaks we climbed the modest 0.75 mile long trail to the top.  The ledge on this rock outcropping provided spectacular panoramic views over the entire Blue Mountain Lake and the surround Sargent Ponds Wilderness.  There was only one couple there when we reached the top; however, after about a half an hour it was getting crowded with another couple of dozen people showing up (it's a very popular, family-friendly hike).  So after a snack, we descended back to the lake and headed back out on the lake.  We kayaked to the far end of the lake and followed the southern shore through a number of islands as we started to make our way back to Blue Mountain Outfitters (I had also taken a short detour to the bridge on the western end, where Eagle Lake met Blue Mountain Lake).  By about 2:30PM we all started to make our way back.  Out again in the middle of the lake it was a little difficult tracking with a slight wind and some choppiness to the water.  By 3:30 we were back and after returning the equipment, we checked out the store before heading back to the campground.

We relaxed abit before preparing dinner...Tim even took a dip in Lake Durant!  After everyone ate we hung out by the campfire...it was finally a really nice starry night!

In the morning on Monday (May 26th), we woke up to periodic rain showers.  We had planned to do another short hike, but noone was very excited about that, and after breakfast and breaking camp, everyone called it a weekend and headed home.  We had all left by 10AM.  On the way back home, Tim and I stopped by Lake George to walk around and have lunch.  It was still mostly overcast, but was warm.

What a great way to kick off the summer camping season!  Despite some rain each day, that wasn't serious enough to dampen our spirits, the entire weekend was good with great comaraderie.  Thanks David, Brian, Tim and Michael for joining me on this special weekend to what I consider one of the most beautiful areas in the Adirondacks!

Join me for a relaxing camping weekend over Memorial Day in the Adirondacks.  This will hopefully be an opportunity to meet some new GayOutdoor members!  We'll use the Lake Durant Campground as our base.  This campground sits on the southern shore of Lake Durant just east of the hamlet of Blue Mountain Lake.  The campground includes basic amenities, including hot showers.  

This weekend is meant to be social and fun with no specific itinerary.  That said, there are plenty of possibilities.  I'm thinking the following:

• Canoe/kayak Blue Mountain Lake with a short hike from the shore to Castle Rock (rentals available)
• Hike Blue Mountain (4 miles roundtrip and 1673' elevation gain)
• Visit the Adirondack Museum ($18pp) or the Sagamore Great Camp ($16pp)
• Nightly campfires

The group will decide by concensus or coordinated beforehand.  All planned activities will have ability levels of MODERATE or LESS.  Any water activities would require decent swimming ability.  There will be plenty of opportunities to relax or to take one of many short trails out to wilderness ponds.

Camping:  We'll camp at Lake Durant DEC Campground for the 3 nights.  Reservations can be made online at ReserveAmerica.com (I've already booked Site 44 and there are plenty of nearby sites available).  NOTE:  You will be responsible for your own site reservation, but I encourage and will help coordinate sharing of sites.  A maximum of 2 tents/cars and 6 people are permitted per site.  If you would like to join the weekend, but aren't a camper, there are plenty of cabins nearby in Blue Mountain Lake.

Food:  There are limited choices for food in this area...aside from a convenience store and deli.  The last opportunity for a grocery store will be in Old Forge or in North Creek.  Bring most of what you will need or want.

What to Bring:  Some of the camping supplies to consider would include cooler with food, camp stove, clothing, toiletries, tent, sleeping bag, pad/mattress, camp chair, swim suit, towel(s), aqua socks, hiking boots/shoes, daypack, etc.  No firewood should be brought into the Adirondacks.  All firewood must be sourced locally.