Several popular Adirondack guidebooks include descriptions of the trail to Ampersand Mountain. And with good reason, Ampersand offers great views, an attractive open summit, and the effort required is relatively modest. Even so, "modest effort" is not exactly the same as easy. The hike up Ampersand covers 2.7 miles with approximately 1800 of elevation gain. The kicker is that nearly 1500 feet of that climb comes in the last mile.
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| The Seward Range looms over Ampersand Lake. That's Seymour on the left and Seward on the right with the Santanoni range visible in the distance. |
The Ampersand Mountain trail is also noted for being very popular and heavily eroded. And, no question, this is one of the most popular hikes in the Adirondacks. But significant work has gone into hardening the trail, and by High Peaks standards, the Ampersand trail is not bad at all. New trail sections have been built to bypass the worst parts of the old trail and much of the steepest terrain has stair-like stepping stones. Plus, the first mile and a half of the route passes through an attractive, mature, forest on a well maintained path.
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| The many summits of the Sawtooth Mountains dominate the view to the east. Van Dorrien Mountain is in the foreground on the left. Algonquin is visible in the far distance left of center. |
With great views, a pleasant trail, and steep sections that ensure that you'll know that it's a real mountain, Ampersand's popularity is likely to contine. Enjoy.
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| Looking south along the Ampersand Ridge. |
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| Middle and Upper Saranac Lakes are visible to the southwest. |
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| Lower Saranac Lake is to the northwest. Lake Colby is visible in the distance. |
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| This large log was cut out of the trail the old fashioned way, with an ax. The entire Ampersand route lies in the High Peaks Wilderness Area. |
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| As mentioned in the story, lots of work has been done to reduce the effects of many many boots on the Ampersand Mountain trail. |
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