Potash Mountain Trail

Great hike through the forest. There’s a water fall toward the beginning. Followed the tan markers until we hit State land then we followed the neon ribbons. We got a little turned around on the way back down. Can get a little confusing. The view at the top was amazing. Definitely worth the hike. I would agree with it being a moderate difficulty level.

Has a nice waterfall and a great view at the top. Someone stacked rocks along the way as well, very cool. Not a lot of traffic either, so it was a peaceful and enjoyable day out.

2hr total hike for me and my 9 year-old husky mix. A bit muddy and slippery in spots, but not bad. There was a nice payoff at the top and only three cars in the parking lot at the trailhead.

A nice easy hike with some lovely views. The climb was not difficult and I enjoyed several small creeks on the walk.

Beautiful day for hiking. There are tan trail markers on the lower section and the state land is ribbons. Definitely need to pay attention to them as you can easily go off trail. Halfway there will be rock scrambling and with the fallen leaves it was slippery. Great hike, properly rated as moderate. 3.2 RT about 1100 feet of elevation.

Hiked this today and it was a great little hike, got to the top in about 50 minutes at a brisk pace, got down in about 35-40. The trail starts out very easy and is clearly marked with tan discs. When you get closer to the top it’s marked with different colored ribbons and it can be a little easy to go off trail if you’re not paying attention. The trail gets pretty rocky and steep towards the top which can be challenging in the wet areas. I would definitely agree with the moderate rating. The views were amazing considering it was a shorter hike!

Hiked up today. A fun little trail. Lower part is marked with tan discs, but once the trail crosses over to state land the "markers" are colorful ribbons. The are easy to spot and they are very frequent - plus the train is worn enough that it is easy to follow. I can't comment on any views because all I saw was fog and clouds. But nevertheless, a very nice hike!

Hiked with my son on 9/11. Nice hike. The trail is “odd” since the lower portion is being changed for school kids and possibly horseback riding. It has been widened and gravel covered. The trail markers are a series of different colored ribbons. Rewarding views at the top.

Hiked this trail today with my two dogs and a good friend. As you get to the parking lot there is no large sign or anything saying that the lot is for Potash trailhead, but the directions tell you that it is the right spot. As you go up the trail, make sure to pay attention to the markers, especially as you get further up, since the trail becomes less clear cut. Also as you get towards the last 1/3 of the hike it gets pretty steep and rocky. Today we had the added bonus of the trail being a little muddy and slippery, so just be careful. Once you get to the top though, it is absolutely stunning. This hike is well worth it and doesn’t take very long.

This trail was carved out pretty well for it being fairly new. If you follow the alltrails route you can just look for the tags on the trees which sometimes change from red to yellow to blue. There’s a slightly longer loop near the beginning that will take you to the right and meet back up before you start the real ascent.

It took us about 50 minutes to the top and 40 down as we took the slightly longer loop at the fork. Make sure to continue along the rocks at the summit to get the best views from around the side. You’ll be pleasantly surprised with how good the view is for such a short hike.

The parking area is clearly marked, however there is no sign that indicates you are at the trailhead of Potash! There is a sign stating you are entering a “preserve,” and right away you see the groomed trail leading up into the woods. A man who was cutting brush just off the parking lot told us a new loop was being constructed for school groups which explained the wider than normal trail. About 1/3 of the way up, the trail splits. Stay left to go to the summit and follow the multicolored trail marker ribbons (pink, orange, blue- just follow the ribbons , the colors do t mean anything lol). The trail becomes more narrow and there are a few minor scrambles to get to the top. The forest is gorgeous! Beautiful views from the summit! My pedometer app tracked us at 3.8 miles round trip. Definitely agree with the “moderate” rating.

Nice trail. A little confusing - we ended up taking a side trail off to the right near the beginning, which led us up a ridge and then looped back around to the main trail. Some steep parts towards the top, but our 8-year-old and 9-year-old made it up with only mild complaining. Views at the top were great!

I love the rocks, view, difficulty level, and sights on this hike my only dislike was that there isn't any trail markers other than ribbon tied around the trees to guide you where to go, as well as here and there white sheets of paper describing what land you're on. The trail is in the process of being redone so it's not difficult to follow at first, but the further you go the more you should look for makers.

Great hike! Quick but challenging, marked only by ties on trees right now but the trail is easy to follow. Hats off to the trail planners... the trail really showcases this beautiful forest. The trail winds around the mountain so that you come out of the woods to the summit on open rock . A bit of scrambling here or there but definitely doable by just about anyone. Took me 55 minutes to get up and 35 to get. down. Really a fun hike. There’s a small stream for the first part of the hike but no water towards the top of you are hiking with a dog. Highly recommend!

Great hike - simple and fairly quick but still felt like you did something!

have climbed it a number of times over the years , first time in the new trail. great beginner trail with great views from the bald top.

Potash is a nice mountain with great views at the top. The upper portion is steep, but our 6.5 yr old scampered up and back. I had to carry our 4 yr old a good bit.

But, the forest!

The mid to upper elevations of Potash Mountain in the southern Adirondacks is home to a diverse set of tree species (relatively, for the mountain park). I was especially enthralled to see sweet/black birch (Betula lenta), shagbark hickory (Carya ovata), white oak (Quercus alba), and American basswood (Tilia americana). Prospect Mountain, watching over the western side of Lake George Villiage, has a similar amount of diversity. What it doesn’t have that Potash has, however, is a great population of sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and American basswood. #richersoils on Potash, I’d surmise.

There are some wonderfully large trees once you get onto state land: the lower forest was cut hard about 40’years ago. Combined with the dramatic rock outcrops, the large trees give a view of this mountains wonderful future - Old growth forest

Great hike in lovely weather. Trail is well marked although at the top it splits. Green markers go to the left, the part with the view (in summer). Our group included a 65+ hiker (yours truly) so it took 1 hour 45 min. up and 1 hour 15 min. down.

New parking area is great and despite the variety of different colored ribbons the trail was pretty east to follow. Definitely some steeper spots but well worth it for the views from the cliffs!

good hike took 9 year old didn't like how your on a steep hill and can slip easally veiw was great tral easy to follow

This trail has changed entirely from what it was with the exception of the summit, so if you remember what it used to be, get ready for a big change! It’s 2.87 miles. It took us about 70 minutes to get to the top and 50 to get down. The trailhead is located on Potash Road, just north of Dunkley Road. It’s very clear, there’s a parking lot. The trailhead is marked as Harris Nature Preserve, and around halfway up, you find a sign that indicates you’re moving into state owned land.

The trail is definitely moderate with some harder portions closer to the top. As of July 2018, the trail is cleared and clearly marked but it’s uncultivated, which means there are portions of uphill that are just dirt, no rocks or roots to help. It’s fine in dry weather but would be tough if it was muddy or wet.

It’s a great workout and BEAUTIFUL views from the summit. As someone else stated, there are like 5 different color trail markers for no apparent reason but it’s very clear where you’re supposed to go.

The only exception was at the very end of the trail. We could see the parking lot through the trees, but somehow we followed markers that led us into a bog. We couldn’t figure out how we got off the trail (especially because there were markers) but we decided to just crash through to the lot.

All in all, a wonderful hike!

Great views at the top. Strenuous at points. Heavily shaded throughout. Overall, a great hike. Highly recommended.

Did this hike today. Moderate in length, but I would say on the more difficult side overall due to the amount of rock scrambling, loose rocks and tight squeezes going up. Be careful of your footing on the loose rocks and loose (powdery) soil. Could probably use some shoring up of the trail (Yes, I realize it's still new).
Nice views to the south and west from the top.

(Not sure why there are so many different color flags along the trail, they all seem to lead along the same trail, but there are green, orange and pink intermixed, some on the same tree).

This was a nice not too strenuous hike with decent views at the top. There isn’t really any views until you’re closer to where the trail ends. The true summit is up past where the flagged trail ends.

Nice little hike. The first half is extremely easy then the second half is more challenging with some steeper switchbacks. But overall moderate rating seems accurate.

Parking is technically at the “Harris Land Preserve” with no mention of Potash Mountain on the sign.

Will definitely be back!

Loved it! Great views at the top and the ground was soft and easy on the knees

Didn’t pick the best day weather wise, but still a good fairly easy hike. Great views, but the trails are very poorly marked, so be sure to stay on the footpath!

So fun! Wonderful view.