Giant Mountain
| Giant Mountain | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Giant, seen from Noonmark | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 4,627 feet NGVD 29[1] |
| Listing | Adirondack High Peaks 12th[2] |
| Coordinates | 44°09′40″N 73°43′13″W / 44.16114316°N 73.72020911°W[3] |
| Geography | |
  Giant Mountain Location of Giant Mountain within New York  Giant Mountain Giant Mountain (the United States) | |
| Location | Keene, New York, U.S. |
| Parent range | Adirondacks |
| Topo map | USGS Elizabethtown |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 2 June 1797, by Charles Broadhead and party[4] |
| Easiest route | Hike |
Giant Mountain, also known as Giant of the Valley, is a mountain in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. It is the twelfth-highest peak in New York, with an elevation of 4,627 feet (1,410 m), and one of the 46 High Peaks in Adirondack Park. It is located in the Giant Mountain Wilderness Area,[5] in the town of Keene in Essex County. The mountain is named for its towering appearance from the nearby Pleasant Valley to the east, which sits at a low elevation.[6]
History[edit]
On 2 June 1797, Charles Broadhead and his survey party made the first recorded ascent of Giant Mountain while surveying the boundaries of the Old Military Tract.[7] Broadhead's was the first recorded ascent of any of the 46 Adirondack High Peaks.[4] The name "Giant of the Valley" was in use as early as 1813, but was initially used to refer to a different nearby peak. By 1859, the name had shifted to the current Giant Mountain.[8] The first hiking trail to the summit was cut by mountain guide Orson Schofield Phelps and his son Ed Phelps in 1866.[4] A large portion of the forest on Giant and nearby Rocky Peak Ridge was destroyed by a wildfire in 1913.[9]
Climate[edit]
| Climate data for Giant Mountain 44.1600 N, 73.7173 W, Elevation: 3,986 ft (1,215 m) (1991–2020 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 18.7 (−7.4) |
20.6 (−6.3) |
28.1 (−2.2) |
44.4 (6.9) |
56.8 (13.8) |
65.1 (18.4) |
69.4 (20.8) |
68.1 (20.1) |
62.5 (16.9) |
50.0 (10.0) |
33.8 (1.0) |
24.2 (−4.3) |
45.1 (7.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 10.7 (−11.8) |
12.4 (−10.9) |
20.2 (−6.6) |
34.4 (1.3) |
47.2 (8.4) |
56.3 (13.5) |
60.9 (16.1) |
59.6 (15.3) |
53.4 (11.9) |
41.2 (5.1) |
27.3 (−2.6) |
17.3 (−8.2) |
36.7 (2.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 2.7 (−16.3) |
4.3 (−15.4) |
12.3 (−10.9) |
24.4 (−4.2) |
37.6 (3.1) |
47.5 (8.6) |
52.5 (11.4) |
51.1 (10.6) |
44.3 (6.8) |
32.4 (0.2) |
20.8 (−6.2) |
10.4 (−12.0) |
28.4 (−2.0) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 5.21 (132) |
4.08 (104) |
5.27 (134) |
6.35 (161) |
6.43 (163) |
6.72 (171) |
6.62 (168) |
6.11 (155) |
6.03 (153) |
7.07 (180) |
6.31 (160) |
6.39 (162) |
72.59 (1,843) |
| Source: PRISM Climate Group[10] | |||||||||||||
Ascent routes[edit]
There are three main trails up Giant, one from the east, and two from the west. The two most popular routes begin on trailheads along New York State Route 73, one near St. Huberts ("Roaring Brook Trail") and the other near Chapel Pond ("Ridge Trail"). Due to their popularity with hikers and the number of cars exceeding available space in the summer months, parking on the shoulder of Route 73 was banned in 2019.[6] The two trails climb the southern ridge of the mountain, merging 0.8 miles (1.3 km) south of the summit.[6] The Ridge Trail is slightly shorter than the Roaring Brook Trail but steeper, ascending 3,050 feet (930 m) over the course of 3.2 miles (5.1 km). It passes by a large pond known as Giants Washbowl 0.8 miles (1.3 km) from the trailhead. Alternatively, the Roaring Brook Trail ascends 3,375 feet (1,029 m) to the summit over 3.6 miles (5.8 km). There is a junction 0.5 miles (0.80 km) from the trailhead of Roaring Brook Trail for a side trail to Roaring Brook Falls.[6]
The East Trail begins from a parking lot on U.S. Route 9 near New Russia, and is considerably longer. This route passes through the areas burned by the 1913 wildfire, much of which are still open land today, offering views of the surrounding valleys. The route climbs Bald Peak, a shorter mountain with unusual krummholz that is predominantly Northern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis),[citation needed] then begins the ascent of Rocky Peak Ridge. After summiting Rocky Peak Ridge, hikers descend a small coll before merging with the Roaring Brook Trail and ascending to the Giant summit, for a total distance of 8 miles (13 km) and 5,300 feet (1,600 m) of total ascent.[9]
Giant Mountain can also be climbed from several rock slides on its slopes. The Eagle and Bottle slides, located on the western face of the mountain, are among the most popular. The slides on Giant were enlarged by a major storm in the summer of 1963.[11]
From the summit of Giant Mountain, 39 major peaks can be viewed. The Dix Range can be seen to the south, the Ausable Club and Great Range to the west, Whiteface Mountain to the north, and Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains of Vermont to the east.[6] Additional views are offered from Giants Nubble, a rocky knob on the southwest ridge of Giant, which can be accessed on side trails branching off of the Roaring Brook Trail or the Ridge Trail.[6]
Gallery[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Goodwin 2021, p. 286.
- ^ "The Peaks – Adirondack 46ers". adk46er.org. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ "Giant". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce.
- ^ a b c Carson 1927, pp. 125–127.
- ^ "Giant Mountain Wilderness". New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Goodwin 2021, pp. 95–98.
- ^ The Old Military Tract was created on 5 May 1786 to award land to New York veterans of the U.S. Revolutionary War, as a substitute for the original proposal to award lands in central New York. The land was in Clinton, Essex, and Franklin counties. The state legislature ultimately awarded the land in Central New York to veterans as originally planned in what became known as the New Military Tract. Henry, Marian S. (5 July 2002). "Bounty Lands in the Military Tract in Post-Revolutionary War New York State". New England Historic Genealogical Society. Archived from the original on 10 December 2010.
- ^ Carson 1927, pp. 123–124.
- ^ a b Goodwin 2021, pp. 193–196.
- ^ "PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University". PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
To find the table data on the PRISM website, start by clicking Coordinates (under Location); copy Latitude and Longitude figures from top of table; click Zoom to location; click Precipitation, Minimum temp, Mean temp, Maximum temp; click 30-year normals, 1991-2020; click 800m; click Retrieve Time Series button.
- ^ Mackenzie, Kevin B. (2016). "Adirondack Landslides: History, Exposures, and Climbing". Adirondack Journal of Environmental Studies. 21 (1): 167–183. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
Bibliography[edit]
- Carson, Russell M. L. (1927). Peaks and People of the Adirondacks. Garden City: Doubleday. ISBN 9781404751200.
- Goodwin, Tony, ed. (2021). Adirondack trails. High peaks region (15th ed.). Adirondack Mountain Club. ISBN 9780998637181.
External links[edit]
- "Giant Mountain, New York". Peakbagger.com.
- "Giant Mountain". SummitPost.org.
- Towns and Trails: Giant Mountain Day Hike
- Giant Mountain - LetsGoPlayOutside.com