Ampersand Mountain Hiking & Photography Guide
Click the map to view an interactive version or download a PDF.
Highlights: Amazing views of the High Peaks to the east/south and Saranac Lakes to the west/north.
Round-Trip Distance: 5.4 miles
Ascent: 1,700 feet
Difficulty: Difficult
Directions: Google Maps
Important Notes: The parking lot is small and can fill quickly on busy summer weekends. Parking on the shoulder of the road is tight and can make for dangerous traffic conditions. Be sure you are completely off the traffic lane and be cautious when entering and exiting your vehicle.
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Hiking Guide
Ampersand Mountain is a popular hike in the Saranac Lake area. The mountain has panoramic views of the Adirondack High Peaks and surrounding lakes. The mountain once had a fire tower on its summit, remnants of which can still be found bolted into the summit's rock. The trail starts with a gentle grade through a beautiful Adirondack forest. At the halfway point, the trail begins to increase in grade and the final quarter of the trail is quite steep. Give yourself plenty of time for this hike as you’ll likely slow down as you approach the summit, and the summit is beautiful enough to warrant spending a good bit of time there.
There is only one trail to the summit of Ampersand Mountain. The trailhead is on Route 3, about 8 miles west of Saranac Lake. The parking lot is small and shared with a trail that leads to a popular beach on Middle Saranac Lake, a nice place to take a dip after your hike. When the lot fills, it is possible to park on the shoulder of the road, but be cautious as the road is 55 MPH, and it can be quite dangerous getting into and out of your vehicle. Consider having a backup plan if you plan on visiting on a busy summer weekend.
The trail to Ampersand starts on a gentle grade through a beautiful Adirondack forest. Not far off the trail, some of the oldest trees in the park can be found. At 1.2 miles into the hike, the grade increases as the trail approaches the site of the former observer’s cabin for the fire tower that once sat on the summit. Like many Adirondack fire tower mountains, the trail to the summit takes a direct approach and was once the route of the phone lines that ran to the summit. Much of the observer’s job was maintaining these fragile lines as they made their way up the steep terrain of the mountain.
The last mile of the trail is steep and gets increasingly so as you approach the summit. A great deal of trail work has been done over the years to harden the tread and prevent erosion. You’ll find beautifully constructed stone staircases and other features built by trail crews to stabilize the trail. Just before reaching the summit, the trail levels out and passes through large boulders, which create a bit of mystery and wonder to the hike. The final stretch of the trail makes a steep climb to the open rock summit.
The summit of Ampersand has 360-degree panoramic views. It offers a unique vantage of the Adirondack High Peaks to the east, as it is very close and offers an angle of view that can’t be seen anywhere else in the area. To the north and west, there are spectacular views of the Saranac Lakes and surrounding ponds. In many ways, Ampersand Mountain offers the full breadth of Adirondack visits, from the tallest mountains to majestic lakes.
As with any hike or outing, plan ahead & prepare, and carry all of the essential gear to keep yourself safe while out in the woods. You'll find the local weather forecast below for convenient trip planning. Interactive and downloadable/printable PDFs maps are available above, or you can get a National Geographic map of the area. If you are interested in hiking other mountains in the High Peaks region, I encourage you to pick up a copy of High Peaks Trails, published by the Adirondack Mountain Club. This is a definitive resource for information about hiking in this region and offers plenty of information to help plan your next adventure.
Photography Guide
Ampersand is a great location to photograph and is a great destination any time of year. With the panoramic views at the summit, there are plenty of opportunities to catch good light all year long. Sunsets from the summit are a little better than sunrises because the High Peaks to the east block the very early morning light. Though, this can offer unique photography opportunities if well planned.
For sunset shoots, you’ll want to give yourself plenty of time to get to the summit. The distance isn’t can be deceptive in terms of calculating the time it will take to get to the summit. Even though the trail is just 2.7-miles long, the last mile is very steep and will take longer than anticipated. I suggest giving yourself a bit of a buffer. The last thing you want is to be completely whipped out from the climb and rushing once you get to the summit as you face fading light. You’ll also want to ensure you give yourself plenty of time for the descent after your shoot. Be sure to bring a good headlamp, extra batteries, and extra clothing in case you end out longer than expected. Because the descent is steep, you’ll want to take it easy while heading down in the dark.
Whenever shooting the sunset or sunrise, it helps to have just the right about of cloud cover in the sky. You can use the weather widget above to help plan your hike. Of course, if you have clear skies, as I did on a recent winter hike, consider stopping down your aperture to capture a starburst effect with the direct sunlight. My go-to lens for summit photography is a wide angle; something in the 16-35mm range tends to be where I shoot.
The summit isn’t the only destination to consider when photographing Ampersand Mountain. There are beautiful streams on the way up the trail that offer more intimate scenes with moss-covered rocks and beautiful small cascades. These are also great spots to have as a backup in case your plans on the summit don’t pan out for some reason.
If you want to follow along during one of my photography shoots on Amerpsand watch the video below.