The Giant Mountain

Wilderness Area Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

, an

Adirondack Park The Adirondack Park is a part of New York's Forest Preserve in northeastern New York, United States. The park was established in 1892 for “the free use of all the people for their health and pleasure”, and for watershed protection. The park ...

unit of New York's

Forest Preserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

, lies in Essex County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, in the towns of Elizabethtown and Keene. It is roughly bounded by

NY 9N New York State Route 9N (NY 9N) is a north–south state highway in northeastern New York in the United States. It extends from an intersection with U.S. Route 9 (US 9), NY 29, and NY 50 in the city of Saratoga Spr ...

on the north,

NY 73 New York State Route 73 (NY 73) is a state highway located entirely within Essex County, New York, in the United States. The highway begins at an intersection with NY 86 in the village of Lake Placid and ends at a junction with ...

on the west and south and

US 9 U.S. Route 9 (US 9) is a north–south United States highway in the states of Delaware, New Jersey, and New York in the Northeastern United States. It is one of only two U.S. Highways with a ferry connection (the Cape May–Lewes Ferry, betwe ...

on the east. It includes two bodies of water covering , of trails, and a single

lean-to A lean-to is a type of simple structure originally added to an existing building with the rafters "leaning" against another wall. Free-standing lean-to structures are generally used as shelters. One traditional type of lean-to is known by its Finn ...

Geography

The Giant Mountain Wilderness Area topography is steep and rocky with a considerable number of vertical or near vertical cliffs. Repeated landslides have occurred on the west side of Giant, exposing bare rock. Numerous small brooks cascade from the upper slopes. The tops of the higher mountains are bare rock but aspen, white birch, balsam and spruce are slowly filling in the upper slopes. From the eastern boundary of Route 9 several miles south of Elizabethtown to the top of Giant Mountain represents a horizontal distance of about , with an elevation change of nearly , the greatest elevation change per horizontal mile over that distance of any Adirondack Park wilderness area.

Forest

During 1903 one of the major forest fires of the Adirondacks swept over the greater part of this area, burning the topsoil down to bare rock and leaving the two dominant mountains of this area, Giant and Rocky Peak Ridge, practically bald. A few pockets on the lower slopes escaped the intense burn and are easily distinguishable as they now contain old growth white pine and hemlock stands with some mixed hardwoods. Because of the great difference in temperatures and soil conditions between these two elevations, the forest cover type ranges from stunted spruce, balsam and white birch near the mountain tops to excellent quality oak, maple, basswood and white ash at the lower elevations. There are also some excellent stands of hemlock on the Keene Valley side near the

Ausable River Au Sable or Ausable may refer to various places: Michigan *Au Sable Township, Iosco County, Michigan **Au Sable, Michigan, an unincorporated community in the above township *Au Sable Township, Roscommon County, Michigan New York *Au Sable, New Y ...

Water

Giant's Washbowl lies in a small depression near the level on the lower south slope of Giant Mountain and has a surface area of about . The tarn near the summit of Rocky Peak Ridge has been referred to locally by a number of different names, but a sign appeared in the early 1970s with the name " Lake Marie Louise."http://apa.ny.gov/Documents/Laws_Regs/SlmpPDF2001.pdf The sharp col, referred to as Gusty Gap, between Giant Mountain and Rocky Peak Ridge is another attractive feature of the area. Many small brooks cascade down from the upper slopes and one in particular, Roaring Brook, has a scenic waterfall which may be seen from Route 73, about north of Chapel Pond. A number of similar brooks in the area provide scenic spots as well as trout fishing pools.

Recreation

The area is a popular hiking destination throughout the year with

Giant Mountain Giant Mountain is the twelfth-highest peak in the High Peaks Region of the Adirondack Park, in New York, USA. The peak is also known as "Giant of the Valley," due to its stature looking over Keene Valley and St. Huberts to the west. The promi ...

, the Nubble, and

Rocky Peak Ridge Rocky Peak Ridge is the twentieth highest peak in the High Peaks Region of the Adirondack Park of New York, United States. The name of the mountain is due to its geology, a rocky ridge to the east of the better known Giant Mountain. The long, b ...

offering broad views over the area. All 3 of these excursions can be reached starting at the Giant Mountain Trailhead located roadside on NY 73.

Climbing

The area has a number of cliffs which are accessible from NY 73 and popular with climbers.

Roaring Brook Falls Roaring Brook Falls is a waterfall in the southwestern hills of Cheshire, Connecticut in the Northeastern United States. Formed as the eponymous Roaring Brook descends a wooded cliffside on West Mountain, the waterfall is an 80-foot horsetail and ...

is a popular ice climbing route in winter.

References

* Adirondack Park Agency
"Adirondack State Land Master Plan"
Updated 2001. {{dead link, date=August 2012 Wilderness areas in Adirondack Park U.S. Route 9 Protected areas of Essex County, New York