Trip report
Jul 12, 2024 — Catamount Mountain is located south of Taylor Pond and is part of the Taylor Pond Wild Forest, a public Forest Preserve. Today, I focused on a few peaks north of the Adirondack High Peaks, with this being my first objective. The summit trail reportedly features a scrambling route and several scenic overlooks. Catamount Mountain is a prominent summit, separated from most other popular peaks. Parking for the trail can be found along Forestdale Road. I hiked past a yellow gate and was immediately greeted by a swarm of black flies. The hike began as a pleasant warm-up along a flat old dirt road, but I rushed to get away from the pests.
Soon after, the trail crosses a small bridge, followed by several stream crossings. It narrows into a rockier trail and makes its way up the south side of Catamount Mountain. There weren't any surprises yet, just a heavily used trail that's eroded in parts, with boulders and tree roots adding the typical Adirondack obstacles.
After about a mile, I got my first glimpse of Catamount Mountain from a wide slab of exposed rock. The trail continues through the forest, and then the scramble begins. I was happy to find a (barely) Class 3 move that required me to wedge myself up a short chimney-like feature. Beyond this, there were some fun Class 2/2+ obstacles on the steep face. Painted blazes and cairns helped keep me on the route and it was a fun endeavor, though it could have been a bit longer. On the way up, there were plenty of opportunities for views to the south.
The scramble was interrupted by a flatter section along the ridge crest, where Catamount Mountain drew closer, and the trail became harder to follow along the bedrock mixed with patches of trees. More scrambling followed from here, mostly on slabs and overall straightforward. The summit of Catamount Mountain has a clearing ringed by trees that obscure the view down to Taylor Pond below, but some directions did offer a view.