Nestled away in the quiet forest of the Adirondack Mountains, lies a tiny piece of Hueco. The fifteen or so Snowy Mountain boulders are featured with pockets of all sizes that just beg to be climbed. The rock quality is good, the landings are generally flat and the boulders are closely clustered together.

Though Snowy Mountain is a small area, the unique nature of the problems makes it well worth a visit. Cat in the Hat, Never Been To Hueco and Coitus should certainly be added to your tick list.

Access

Snowy Mountain is located on State Preserve land and there are no known access issues.

Seasons

Snow can linger well into the spring and the blackflies persist well into summer. The best conditions are had in the late summer and fall.

Location

The Snowy Mountain trail head is located 7.7mi (12.4km) south of the junction of NY-28 and NY-30, on the west side of NY-30 at the green highway marker #30 2206 1425 (500 feet south of a guardrail). You can park on the side of the road or further north on a pullout. You will want to get custom directions depending on where you are coming from, but below are a couple of options to give you an idea of how to get there.

From I-87 take exit 25 and head west on NY-8 S for 10.8mi (17.4km). Turn right on NY-28 S, follow it for 22.7mi (36.5km), then turn left onto NY-30 S and drive for 7.7mi (12.4km).

From I-90 take exit 27 and follow NY-30 north for 69.1mi (111.2km).

Approach

From the road follow the trail straight to the boulders. The approach is just over 0.5mi (0.8km) of easy hiking with 200ft (60m) of elevation gain.

Accommodations

Back-country camping is permitted 150 feet from any road, trail or water source. More luxurious camping can be found 4.3mi (6.9km) south on NY-30 at Lewey Lake State Campground (518-648-5266, 4155 Route 30N), which is open from mid-May to Columbus Day. Campsites are $20 per night and showers are available.

Food

Both Indian Lake, at the junction of the NY-30 and NY-28, and Speculator, at the junction of NY-30 and NY-8, have several restaurants.

Geology

The boulders are found in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains and are formed of ancient metamorphic gneiss, 880 to 1000 million years old. The heucos are solution pockets formed when mineral clusters dissolved faster than the surrounding rock.

Distractions

The Lewey Lake Campground has a small beach.