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A peaceful climb to Owl Head Lookout

A view of Hurricane Mountain from Owl Head Lookout (Photo provided — Diane Chase)

I haven’t hiked Owl Head Lookout, just outside of Elizabethtown, for many years.

Recently I’ve felt the need to become reacquainted with some of my old favorites and introduce them to some visiting friends. We always have such a wide range of hiking abilities in our groups, it’s nice to have those “go to” walks that won’t bore the fast hikers or overwhelm the slower ones. Owl Head Lookout (not to be confused with Owl’s Head in Keene) is a 2.7-mile hike with a steady climb in elevation to incredible views. My GPS tells me this hike has an elevation of 2,545 feet with a vertical ascent of 1,312 feet. That is probably mostly true.

When first asked to describe the hike, I didn’t recall much else but that the last section was a bit of a rocky scramble. My friend is willing to try anything as long as it doesn’t take all day. We meet at the parking area off of Route 9N and start along a gravel road before reaching the turn for the trail. The beginning of the walk is on private land and signs are clearly posted, reminding us to keep to the path.

It’s not a busy day though we meet a few families along the way. Everyone is headed to Owl Head Lookout, though this is also a trail to Giant Mountain via the lean-to. The halfway point is reached when we cross the bridge over Slide Brook. Just below the bridge is a nice swimming hole to visit on another day.

We follow the brook for a short bit before continuing through the woods at a steady pace. We reach the junction with the Giant Mountain trail in 2.5 miles. At that point it is just a short 0.02 mile to the lookout. Though the last section isn’t overwhelmingly difficult, my memory serves me correctly. That last short section is rocky and steep. We climb over and around rocks to reach the open ledges. The views are spectacular with Hurricane Mountain’s fire tower just visible in the distance as well as the High Peaks.

I am told by my friend that I may give great hiking suggestions, but my mountain identification needs some more work. Isn’t that what maps are for?

To get to Owl Head Lookout from Keene, take Route 73 south and turn onto Route 9N. Drive east on Route. 9N for 5.7 miles toward Elizabethtown and the trailhead sign will be on the south side of the road.

Diane Chase is the author of the Adirondack Family Activities guidebook series, Adirondack Family Time: Your Four-Season Guide to Over 300 Activities.”

For more family-friendly activities go to www.Adirondack

FamilyTime.com.

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