The approach described over Crane Mountain is entirely on state land. However tempting, do not use the easier approaches from the east or west. MORE INFO >>>
There has been confusion about access to Huckleberry Mountain ever since it appeared in early hiking guides. There is an historic ruin of an old paint mine in this valley near the cliffs, and it's a popular hiking destination. Subsequent climbing guidebooks piggy-backed on this approach.
These approaches cross private property and are closed to the public. The only known legitimate approach to Huckleberry is described below and in the 2nd printing of Adirondack Rock.
This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund,
and Mountain Project. You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates.
BETA PHOTO: Start of main trail from the parking lot.
Description
Huckleberry Mountain is directly adjacent to Crane Mountain, making the approach and parking nearly identical. Most of the routes were developed in the early-mid 1990s.
Getting There
From the south or north: Take Interstate 87 (Adirondack Northway) to Exit 23, Warrensburg. Head toward Warrensburg, turning right to head north on State Route 9. From there: Drive into Warrensburg and turn L on Highway 418. 418 crosses a bridge (over the Schroon River) and immediately turns sharp right. Do not go straight uphill after the bridge! Drive ~ 3 1/2 miles out of town. Rt. 418 crosses another bridge (over the Hudson River). It then crosses a RR track and swings sharply left.
R on Athol Road (this turn is easy to miss) Athol Road curves a lot, swinging sharply right and passing through the hamlet of Athol, then swings left and goes uphill for about a mile. At the top of the hill turn:
R on Mountain Rd Stay on Mountain Road its entire length, until you come to a stop sign. Here, you go left (-ish, it's almost straight ahead) onto Valley Road. Drive about a mile and turn:
L on Garnet Lake Rd Drive about 1 1/3 miles and turn:
R on Sky High Rd (which may be spelled Ski Hi) NOTE: if the bridge is out, continue past Sky High Rd. 1/4 mile and turn sharply right onto Putnam Cross Road to regain it.
Drive to the bitter, rough end of the road. At the end, about 1 1/2 miles up, is a parking lot.
OR, you can type in the directions to Sky High Road, Thurman, NY 12885
Approach is approximately two hours from the parking lot. Take trails that typically lead to the Crane Mountain summit, but continue straight at the final sign to turn off for the summit. Follow ATV trail to the old paint mine road.
The Classics
Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Huckleberry Mountain:
Careful review of tax maps in this area shows that the [aforementioned] approach to Huckleberry Mountain over the summit of Crane is entirely on state land. There is an old state trail that runs through the valley in front of the cliffs, and it appears to be used by snowmobiles and ATVs. While the endpoints of this trail are private, the section in the valley near the cliffs is on state land.
This link shows the private/public boundary accurately for this area.
Although it looks tempting to approach from the nearby roads east and west of the valley, these cross private property that is vigorously protected by its owners. Avoid these approaches unless you have permission from the owner(s).
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