Vanderwhacker reveals the true size of the Adirondacks!

[Bunchberry]

Well the gravel road into the Vanderwhacker parking lot is closed. There are signs on the one bridge that the bridge is out. We walked over the bridge and it appears completely fine. Then again I am not an engineer. I just walked over the bridge.

I was glad that the road was closed for 2 reasons. I would have been nervous taking my 2008 Honda CR with over 200,000 miles 3 miles into the woods on a unknown road. This summer was a stressful one and I needed stress reduction. I wanted a long walk woods.

The stats from all trails: Length 12.55 mi Elevation gain 2,306 ft Time 6:51:23

2 hikes this summer there have been bird calls that are persistent and easily recognizable. The first bird the oven bird on Treadwell. This hike had the red breasted nuthatch! With the help of the Merlin app I was able to identify it. It sang constantly throughout the day and I think I have it down so If I hear it again in the future I will recognize it.

I feel that this hike is required for anyone who wants to get an understanding of the size Adirondacks. You really get a feeling for the vast scale of the park from this vantage point. While the views of peaks like Marcy and Colden are great and inspirational, Vanderwhacker shows the High Peaks as one corner of the park. There is a whole middle area.

After standing in the cab of the fire tower I am changed. It's not everyday that can happen. Anyone can look at a map and say 'Wow the Adirondacks are 6 million acres! What a huge park!' This hike takes you to the exact place where you can experience it.

In the cab I had another experience that was magical too. Hundreds of dragonflies were whirling around the cab. I have no idea if they were mating or was it just a "last days of summer" dance. I loved it.

Everyone is always talking about all the far away places they want to visit. There is only one place I really want to go and that is the Northville-Lake Placid Trail. This trip made that desire even stronger.

[Makwa]

Vanderwhacker is a great one. Glad you enjoyed it. It is a commanding view from up there. The view of the High Peaks off in the distance is quite spectacular but I also agree that you get that sense of vastness from there as well. Must just be the perfect spot in the perfect terrain. Not all the fire towers feel quite that way though all have views that end on the horizon.

AllTrails is a little high on mileage there. From 28N that's about 11 miles round-trip. Cumulative ele gain is right though.

I've had that dragonfly experience a few times in the Adirondacks... once on Snowy and another time at Bumps Pond. Always memorable.

Now my pitch for everybody to download Merlin. I did after you mentioned it a while back. I LOVE IT! Before I started using it I could only identify a few bird calls; basically the ordinary ones that everybody knows like Red-tailed Hawk, Blue Jay, Northern Cardinal, American Robin, Mourning Dove, and the American Crow. I'm now learning more and more every time I use the app and becoming pretty good at identifying bird calls. Each time I go walking in one of the local nature preserves I notice a new call, whip out the app, and use the sound ID feature to identify it. Some of these birds I've never even heard of before. Along with the half dozen common ones noted above here are the rest I've captured over the past few months: Northern Flicker, Carolina Wren, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, American Goldfinch, Gray Catbird, Common Raven, Red-eyed Vireo, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Veery, Wood Thrush, Osprey, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Great Crested Flycatcher, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Downy Woodpecker, and Hairy Woodpecker. The app says there are approximately 188 different bird species in my area right now. I've caught two dozen of them in just the last few months. It has been quite fun. Again, I recommend you all download the app.

[Craig]

The cornel.edu app?

[Makwa]

yes. Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

[ILikeRocks]

2nd person this week to say what a great hike Vanderwacker is, thanks for the report!

[Learning The Trails]

Hiked it with FFB and NBFS last spring.
We braved the road and bridge in the car and had no issues. Great little hike! Glad you enjoyed it.

[The bagger]

Man what a read. Loved it. The bagger had a similar experience going to the top of Marcy last weekend I think I FKT'ed. Blazing fast to the top. Left my girlfriend on the trail and had to double back and get her. Wow! Marcy was 34 out of 46. Might do two today!!!!! love it.

[FlyFishingandBeer]

As mentioned by Learning The Trails we met up and hiked it after Not_Built_For_Speed and I tagged Mt. Adams earlier that day. We made a very leisurely stroll out of it and had a great time. The "bridge out" signs were present so NBFS hopped out and checked for obvious issues before waving me across. The road is rough in some spots but definitely not the worst in the area; my Outback handled it just fine, as did the other dozen or so cars occupying various spots around the TH. From what I was able to glean on Reddit, the "bridge out" sign has become a semi-permanent fixture regardless of the condition of the bridge.

Edit: If you really want a different perspective on how big the ADK is, hike Stillwater on a clear day. The closest High Peak, Santanoni, is ~47 linear miles away. Whiteface, which you'd need some optical assistance in finding, is ~66 miles away.

[Learning The Trails]

Makwa there's a few pulloffs on the road. I left mine in one and hopped in FlyFishingandBeer 's car for the rest of the ride in. Tho, I am curious where Bunchberry parked as well.

[Makwa]

Yes. And at the bend in the road about halfway in is that big garage or house where I always see multiple cars and trucks. How do those people access that if the road is closed?

If you are coming from the south, just before the bridge over the Boreas River, there is a little pulloff (or perhaps fishing access spot) on the east side of the highway that I suppose you could squeeze into.

[FlyFishingandBeer]

Makwa I believe there's a gate. Camps along the access road probably have some type of arrangement similar to Haskell Rd along the West Canada Creek. For years the gate would be shut the gate for flooding and other reasons, but copies of the keys were made available to anyone who owned a camp along that road.

[John H Swanson]

In the cab I had another experience that was magical too. Hundreds of dragonflies were whirling around the cab. I have no idea if they were mating or was it just a "last days of summer" dance. I loved it.

I did Vanderwhacker with the family during COVID. We were able to drive in but it was still a long hike for us. We paired up, one parent each with one child, to allow us to encourage them up the mountain. I was speaking with my daughter about anything and everything to keep us moving. She mentioned that she wanted a Phoenix, like the one in the book she was reading, to come in and carry her off the mountain. So we negotiated the wish for the Phoenix to come at the summit so all the effort climbing would not go to waste. Then we get up in the firetower cab and we see all the dragon flies swarming and ....The Phoenix had arrived. Just a little too small for the transport required but magical nonetheless.

[Bunchberry]

The road is gated and there is a sign on a tree that says:

Warning
Road Out
Motor
Vehicles
Prohibited

in red letters!

[Makwa]

Well if it's in red letters then they must mean business. Any other color is just a suggestion.

For all the times I've been there I've never noticed the gate. I guess a lot of people will be skipping Vanderwhacker for the Fire Tower Challenge for the foreseeable future. Which is too bad because it is easily a Top 10 lesser peak in the Adirondacks in my opinion.

[Bunchberry]

I parked across the street on the other side of the bridge.