So every time I have driven up to Inlet or Raquette Lake I drive down 28 and I see a trailhead sign for Sawyer Mountain and each time I say "I have to look up that hike!". I love that area of the Adirondacks so after doing the Fulton Chain Trifecta and the Tupper Lake Triad I was eager and excited to finally check out this peak.
Sunday 12/6, my mom and I headed back up to Long Lake (my fiancé and I having just done the Tupper Lake Triad the day prior) around 7 am. We reached the trailhead right around 10 am and were the only ones parked on the road.
The trail is a 2.1 mile roundtrip hike climbing approx 625 ft of elevation. It starts out winding through the woods gaining little elevation on the dirt path and then begins to climb. Some small scrambles, some small incline sections but nothing too challenging, a fun little climb up to the summit.
Once you gain a good chunk of the elevation, you hike through the trees which I really enjoyed. It was a fresh snow, lightly resting on the trees and it was so peaceful … regardless of how chilly it was outside (13 degrees at the time).
The final section of ascent features a slab climb. This was a bit slick and there were some patches of ice. We had spikes in case we needed them - but we opted out since the whole slab wasn't covered in ice and there were ways to climb up it safely without!
I had read online prior to starting the hike that the summit was a wooded summit, and if you continue a couple hundred feet past, there is a look out spot with rocks where you can sit and enjoy the views - so this is exactly what we did!
We reached the official summit, snapped a few photos and continued on to the look out. The view was just gorgeous. I enjoyed a peanut butter and nutella sandwich for lunch, and opted out of sitting on a rock since it was incredibly cold at the summit. Popped a few hand warmers in my gloves and 15 minutes later we were headed back down the trail.
Back to the car and the trailhead by 1 pm, no other hikers, no other cars, just a nice peaceful day in the woods with my mom and I!
This was a really cute, fun little hike - if you're in the Long lake area, I'd totally recommend checking it out. Just remember, if you want views, you have to go PAST the summit!