Stream & Steeple

McKenzie Mountain
...Our Last Sixer...

Of the Saranac 6, McKenzie Mountain is probably the most challenging (Ampersand is also pretty tough but the trail is better over all), and factually the tallest. This one can be tackled with Haystack or can be approached separately from the Jack Rabbit trail, which is the path we took at the end of May amidst heavy Spring rain. The trail here isn’t as rough as some of the unmarked stuff up in the 46, but still pretty rough compared to the other Saranac 6.

As is the case sometimes, this peak is wooded, but the last .5 miles had a surprising number of openings and lookouts, which I’m willing to assume provide some pretty great views of the lake and other geographic features in the area.

It was very wet while we we’re climbing, but even under different conditions, this one is considered to be slick and slippery, those Vibram boots really come through on hikes like this one; I fell 2 or 3 times, but it probably would have been 10+ without my old and faithful Danners.

  • Parking at the Jack Rabbit trail was road-side and fairly limited, but the approach from the Haystack trail provides plenty of parking.
  • The trail is pretty rough, specifically the second half, which was muddy, slick, and filled with technical scrambles. 
  • A lot of this trail is basically upstream, meaning you’re probably going to get pretty wet, even if it hasn’t rained recently.
  • The first two miles of this trail are swift and easy (albeit wet), but the second 2, or roughly 1.8, are rough and tumble.
A few different times during the climb I stopped to take pics of the wild scrambles on the second half of the trail.
The trail up to McKenzie for the entire second half looked like this, at it's best.
Even though none of these lookouts bore any fruit, we stopped at all of them.
Even the best outlooks on the trails we're obscured by the ongoing storm conditions.
Scrambles like this one are a dime a dozen on the McKenzie trail.

McKenzie Mountain - 3,822'

This would normally be the part where I place this one in my favorability hierarchy, but I struggle to give it a fair shake because of the unfavorable conditions I experienced. I’d like to be charitable and say it’s right in the middle. Ampersand and Regis are my favorites, and Scarface is distinctly the worst.

-I had a less-then-enjoyable experience with this one, exasperated by the fact that weather did not permit good views.- 

Important foot note on this, completing McKenzie Mountain means that several of the Upstate Bois have officially become Saranac 6ers! It’s been a crazy journey over the past 6 years or so. We’ve been tacking the climbs as they come, in random order, without much consideration; the hope being that we eventually summit them all. 

It’s been a blast for the gang, we’re living the good old days right now, which can be hard to recognize in retrospect.

This is another outlook on the last half-mile that would otherwise offer fantastic views.
The trails on McKenzie Mountain are heavily populated with boulders and scrambles that must be climbed.
We Give This Trail: 5/10
5/10

Rating considers trail conditions, difficulty, views and other notable characteristics

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