Ampersand Mountain Trail is a 4.9 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Saranac Lake, New York that features beautiful wild flowers and is only recommended for very experienced adventurers. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from June until March. Dogs are also able to use this trail.
dog friendly
birding
hiking
nature trips
snowshoeing
trail running
walking
forest
views
wild flowers
wildlife
muddy
rocky
scramble
This hike is not one of the 46's but at 3352' Ampersand is a fun, challenging hike with great views from the top. Some steep, tough areas with rockface and some bouldering but it is well worth it.
Ampersand is a must.
Be ready to get your butt kicked on this mountain. This is the stair master 3000 on steroids. Starts off like an ole walk in the woods and then it's steep steep steep for what feels like forever. I had to take a lot of breaks and it took a lot of motivation to complete this. You will be pulling yourself up huge boulders using tree roots and branches. I went up this with my dog so I did not have anyone help me up. My dog didn't have any issues but she's also a crazy boxer/lab. I'm 5'3 but was able to do it with some extra effort. It took me about 2 1/2 hours round trip and I tracked 6.3 miles. Absolutely worth the huffing and puffing and questioning if you'll be able to complete this. Stay motivated and keep pushing yourself!
Tough second half, but quite a feeling of accomplishment once you get to the very windy top! Trail markers could be more frequent about 3/4 miles out. It's easy to get off the trail.
Definitely easy first half. Second half is muddy, steep and includes a lot of bouldering through wet areas. My 4 kids ranging from 10-16 joined me and we made the round trip in 4 hours including 20 minutes on the summit taking in the spectacular views.
Great trail that is very strenuous at some points. Many places are very swampy and buggy so bring bug spray. The view at the top is marvelous.
Was qualified as easy on another website, found the last half pretty steep and difficult, but worth the effort. Wear appropriate shoes ;)
great trail
The lower trail is quite easy and pleasant; but it's very buggy... be sure to pack some spray. We hiked the day after a rainstorm so it was quite muddy, but there are rocks in place to help traverse the muddy spots. The second half of the trail is brutal (says this casual hiker of less challenging trails). It is incredibly steep... you'll be bouldering a lot, climbing tree roots, and pulling yourself straight up rock faces. Up and up you hike; the ascent seems like it's never-ending. Pack lots of water and pace yourself. We made it to the summit in under two hours. It was totally worth it! Beautiful vistas and an incredible sense of accomplishment! Coming down took half as long as getting up - so much easier! Parking at the trail head can be challenging... there are not many spaces and dozens of cars park along the road. Some gripes about the summit... loud parents screaming at their kids, loud kids yelling for cookies, unleashed dogs sniffing my food, and (worst of all) cigarette smoke. Beautiful mountain air and someone lights up a cigarette. Really?! I know people are people, but I had hoped for more serenity at the peak of this magnificent mountain.
Not an easy hike but I've done it twice. I loved the view at the top and the trail!
Last half of hike is difficult. Definitely worth the view!