The McKenzie Mountain Wilderness Area, an Adirondack Park unit of the Forest Preserve, lies in western Essex County in the towns of St. Armand, North Elba and Wilmington.
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Started from route 86 in Ray Brook, went over Haystack to McKenzie. The hike totaled 10.5(ish) miles. The first 2 miles from the trailhead to Haystack and last 3.5 miles from McKenzie back to the trailhead are easy. Otherwise it's quite a difficult hike - both mountains are pretty steep - but definitely worth it. The trail over the top of Haystack to the Jackrabbit trail is unmarked, but very easy to follow. (Just keep going straight when you get to the top). Much better than going back down to the split in the trail. There are a bunch of false peaks on McKenzie - if the trail keeps going, you should too, until you get to a peak with a great view of Lake Placid on one side (see photo) and, separated by about 50 feet of trail, of Saranac on the other.
I should have brought more than 2.5 liters of water and more food than a couple of Snickers bars. I've heard that this is the toughest trek of the Saranac Six....
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Great place to hike. Many trails to choose from in various difficulties.
I wish that some of the trails would have better markers in certain segments, clearer and better places.
On rainy days it gets really really muddy and slippery, some of the trails become like little brooks from the rain flowing through and down on them. Make sure you're well prepared and geared up. Camping out overnight would be really difficult.
Overall though, it's a great area with beautiful views and nice options to choose from and combine routes and hikes.
I'll most likely get back at some point for more hiking in this area of the...
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Steep climb to the top but the view was worth it, and being able to say that I climbed a mountain is priceless! Sure, it's the smallest of the Saranac 6, and it's not even 4000 ft, so it's not one of the high peaks, but it was a good starter mountain to see how I could do. Lesson learned, I need to start working more on elevation gain than distance. Mountain miles are a different animal than regular miles. Enjoyed being able to take my dog and she was having fun except for mommy...
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