Black Mountain Summit Trail

Black Mountain Trail is a marked out-and-back from the Pike Brook Road Parking Area to a rocky summit above Lake George. Plan on 5 miles round trip by the published distance and about 1,200 feet of climbing. Allow three to four hours: the ascent is steady, and uneven ground slows the last stretch. Most of the walk stays under trees, so the main reward comes at the top, where a north-facing rock ledge opens across Lake George and its islands. Go for that open view; the fire tower is fenced off and cannot be climbed.

Leave the east-side parking area on the broad forest track. The initial rise eases near a small rivulet, then the path passes a private inholding. At roughly 0.6 mile, follow the red blazes off the track onto narrower tread. Around a mile in, a Y junction divides the direct summit ascent from trails that continue toward the ponds. Take the right branch for the summit and stay on the red-marked route. The longer pond circuit uses connecting trails and has a different distance; do not keep following its blazes if you want this out-and-back.

The broad lower track gives way to a dirt-and-rock footpath that gradually steepens. Roots, stones, damp seeps, and a few small rock outcrops make the walking less smooth than the early grade suggests. Dense hardwoods and spruce screen most views, and the route skirts rocky slopes on the north side. Lower oak and pine give way through beech, birch, maple, hemlock, and spruce, with spruce-fir near the top. Logging, fires, and small farms shaped some of the older pine stands. The climb feels steady rather than technical, but the final stretch asks for more effort. Rocky footing can be slick under wet leaves or after rain; winter ice makes traction useful.

Near the top, the trail opens into a grassy clearing below the summit. Old stone footings there mark an earlier fire-tower site. The route reaches a north-facing rock outcrop with a broad view across the Lake George basin and its islands; on a clear day, the Green Mountains may show beyond the far shore. The fire tower and communications equipment are inside a fenced compound closed to hikers. The open rock, not the tower, is the public viewpoint, and it is worth taking a proper break after the climb.

The published approach is 2.5 miles each way, so 5 miles round trip is a useful planning figure. Some GPS outings measure closer to 3 miles each way; the mapped path to the summit is about 2.7 miles. Treat the distance as approximate and leave room for the longer reading. The route stored here stops at the summit and returns along the same trail. A separate summit-and-ponds circuit continues down from the peak and reconnects through the Black Mountain, Millman Pond, and Lapland Pond trails. Its reported length varies, so it is not combined with this route.

Start at the Pike Brook Road Parking Area, the signed trail access. The dirt lot is modest and can fill on busy days. No restroom, drinking water, or food service was identified at the lot or along this route, so plan to arrive prepared. Several marked trails share the area; check the sign at the junction before committing to the summit branch. Dogs may accompany hikers. Keep them under control and leash them when passing other visitors.