Our HaBaSa experience has been an unconventional one, to say the least. Most would wisely choose to tackle the range in a single shot, but due to overwhelmingly bad conditions and poor planning, we ended up taking on each mountain on separate climbs. Although the three peaks are relatively close together, the trails between each pack steep elevation changes, the Saddleback cliffs are somewhat notorious in this regard.

Separate entirely from the difficulty of each peak is the difficulty of the trail out; long and rough, with consistent elevation gains. This is by no means one of the worst or most poorly maintained, but it is difficult enough that you might not want to make three separate trips up. Again, this is what we had ended up doing.

Views on all three of the peaks are quite spectacular, assuming good fortune allows views to be had; we were not always fortunate. Haystack is one of the tallest in the ADK, with Basin and Saddleback being close behind. We got rain-stormed out of Haystack and Basin, and we had tagged Saddleback onto a trip over Gothics (which was actually quite fantastic).

• If you’re an aspiring 46er, you’ve likely already become familiar with the difficulties associated with getting a spot at The Garden Parking lot. Plan accordingly, especially while the Johns Brook Lodge is open.
• Each one of our trips came in over 17 miles, and since we aren’t the fastest hikers ever, that ends up being a pretty long day. 
• Our experience in this area has been pretty muddy and wet, although that may not hold true under better weather conditions.
• These trails aren’t “terrible,” but they are rough and rocky, which can be tough on the feet after 15+ miles.
• Stream crossings and scrabbles in this area are common, but nothing too crazy for an experienced hiker.
• The Saddleback cliffs are notoriously difficult, but our rather unusual approach to the range resulted in us never seeing them up close.