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Page Type:
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Route |
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Lat/Lon:
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44.11407°N / 73.85063°W |
Route Type:
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Steep Hike |
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Time Required:
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Most of a day |
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Difficulty:
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once you hit the mountain its VERY tough |
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Approach
Take Route 73 to the Ausable Club. The Ausable Club is AMR property and they dont allow guests to park on "their" property. So, you'll have to park in the parking spots about 3/4 of a mile from the trailhead. Walk on the road until you reach the sign in spot/trailhead. As you walk, you'll notice the BMW's and Mercedes that pass by you (lame).
There are numerous routes to take to get to Sawteeth. You can take the West Trail or the East Trail or the dirt road.
If you take the West Trail, this is my personal favorite trail in all the adirondacks. On the way to Sawteeth there are 3 large size waterfalls and a few other small ones. Also note, Rainbow Falls is on the way, and everyone should see that. This trail has some steep parts and is mostly uphill, but its a GREAT trail and well worth it.
If you take the road, it is a flat walk and is the fastest way to get to Sawteeth. Although you won't have much views of anything nice, until you get to Lower Ausable Lake, where the road ends and the trail links up. If you are in a hurry, I would take the road, but otherwise, I would HIGHLY recommend taking the West Trail to Sawteeth.
What I have done for the hikes that start from the Ausable Club (bear,dial,nippletop,lower wolfjaw,colvin,blake) is hike the trail there but take the road back, as it is easy on the legs and faster, especially after doing an intense hike, its a nice break from the trail.
Route Description
The route up Sawteeth is a really tough hike. For being the 35th highest peak, its SUPER tough in comparison w/ the mountains that are near its height. I would rate this as one of the most strenous hikes I have done; far tougher than my buddies and I thought it would be.
The good thing about this mountain is all the lookout points on the way up. (about 9-10). These lookouts offer a great view of Giant,Noonmark,Nippletop, Dix, the Lower Ausable Lake.
You'll reach what would appear to be the top, but its not. lol You'll need to continue along, even thoug the trail goes down a 100 feet or so. It will go back up and along the backside of Sawteeth, which is where the summit is. There is a decent size bald rock w/ a view open about 20 yards which faces Gothics, Basin, Haystack, Marcy. I think this mountain had the best view of Gothics I have seen. I would also add that this mountain isn't one of the most popular and you will probably be the only one on the top. (which is great)
We continued the trail from the summit down, instead of going back the way we came. If you look at any map or guidebook, you'll see there is a loop to and from sawteeth. If you have the High Peaks book, take trail 36 to the top and take 35 down and back to the road.
Essential Gear
nothing special needed for this, just endurance! lol
Miscellaneous Info
If you have information about this route that doesn't pertain to any of the other sections, please add it here.
redman - Jul 20, 2005 2:14 pm - Hasn't voted
Route CommentJust an FYI. The Ausable Club at one time had private ownership of ALL of the land around this hike, which they have opened up to the public on the condition that cars cannot drive into it. But the access to these hikes is indeed "their" property, so they get to make some of the rules (just like you get to make the rules in your backyard). Despite the fact that private clubs get bad reps, this actually limits the number of hikers on the trails and keeps them from being overcrowded. And if its mercedes you hate, I don't advise hikes in Germany either.