Hikers Flock To This Adirondack Mountain's Challenging Cliffs For Views Over Dazzling Lake Champlain

Despite not having official national park status, New York's epic Adirondacks possess more national park-quality views than many actual national park sites! As a particularly scenic and pristine stretch of the northern Appalachian Mountains, the Adirondacks are home to plenty of rolling green mountain summits, enchanting forests, and serene lakes just waiting to be explored. Many small towns in the Adirondack region are excellent stops for a scenic tour, like the "Adirondack Base Camp" town of Old Forge and its year-round mountain paradise attractions. But if you want a more rugged Adirondack adventure that combines fun challenges and breathtaking views, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better destination than New York's Poke-O-Moonshine Mountain. 

While Poke-O-Moonshine may not be the highest point in the Adirondacks, its charms lie in its favorable location right next to the famed Lake Champlain. From its summit, hikers can get some of the best views of the lake they'll find anywhere in New York or Vermont. Poke-O-Moonshine also features a sizable collection of rocky cliffs that make excellent technical challenges for hikers who want to push themselves to the limit. Plus, Poke-O-Moonshine sits in the heart of one of the loveliest woodland sections of New York's Adirondack Park. 

New York's Adirondack Park is the largest American state park outside of Alaska, long admired by fans of the outdoors for its top-notch beauty and recreational activities. Given this impressive size, the Adirondacks have plenty of worthwhile destinations for mountain thrill seekers and sightseers. But Poke-O-Moonshine Mountain still manages to hold a special place in the hearts of most Adirondack visitors, not merely for its sublime beauty but also its unique profile. In contrast to the heavy forest cover on most of the surrounding mountains, Poke-O-Moonshine has one of Adirondack Park's largest exposed rock faces. The mountain's distinctive look makes it a much more eye-catching photo opportunity compared to most other points in the Adirondack Range. And that's long before you get to the top!

Once you have successfully ascended to Poke-O-Moonshine's summit, you'll be rewarded with some of the most expansive views in the Adirondacks (and, arguably, the entire Appalachian range). Poke-O-Moonshine's summit reaches an altitude of 2,180 feet. While that elevation is not nearly the highest point in the Adirondacks (that honor would go to the 5,344-foot Mount Marcy), it is more than high enough to provide spectacular panoramic views of the surrounding landscape. 

When it comes to amazing Adirondack viewpoints, altitude is less important than the classic real estate mantra of "location, location, location." Poke-O-Moonshine has the good fortune of sitting just to the west of the perpetually gorgeous Lake Champlain. The Poke-O-Moonshine summit is a terrific spot to get perfect Lake Champlain views, as well as views of the nearby High Peaks Wilderness and the Jay Range. The summit even has a 100-year-old fire tower that you can climb for even more impressive views!

Despite its relatively short height compared to some of its neighbors, Poke-O-Moonshine has arguably the most challenging summit hikes in the Adirondacks. The first 0.08 miles of the summit is a very steep ascent up the mountain's rocky face. While this presents greater challenges than many other, higher mountains in the Adirondacks, it does mean that Poke-O-Moonshine is a great way to get a more authentic "mountain climbing" experience compared to other Adirondack peaks. Plus, the mountain's rocky face is an excellent destination for rock climbing!

There are two main hiking routes that lead to the Poke-O-Moonshine summit: the shorter Poke-O-Moonshine Ranger Trail and the longer Poke-O-Moonshine Observers Path. Both trails can generally be completed in around three hours, though both do traverse the extremely steep rocky section near the summit. So, hikers should come prepared for a bit of a climb, no matter which route they take. Poke-O-Moonshine itself is part of a specific area of Adirondack Park called the Taylor Pond Wild Forest, which consists of discontinuous sections of public lands spread out over 567 square miles of the Adirondacks. The Taylor Pond Wild Forest also offers plenty of overnight camping options for Poke-O-Moonshine hikers, including the main Taylor Pond Campground. 

Poke-O-Moonshine's proximity to Lake Champlain makes for great access to many top local destinations. New York's "Gateway to the Adirondacks" at the lakeshore town of Westport is only about a half hour away. You can find superb lakeshore lodging here or in any other amazing small town scattered across the Adirondacks. If you want to fly in, Poke-O-Moonshine is about 50 minutes from Plattsburgh International Airport and two hours from Burlington International Airport.