Echo Cliffs at Panther Mountain near Lake Piseco in the Adirondack Mountains

Hiking Date: May 31st 2009: This was my first trip up the Echo Cliffs at Panther Mountain which I had learned about from a guide book called “Paths Less Traveled” by Dennis Aprill. The weather was perfect today. Not to cold, not to hot and the wind was blowing like crazy which kept the bugs away. A perfect day for a hike.

Directions: From the North, take the Northway to the Pottersville exit (26), then Route 9 south to Route 8. Stay on Route 8 past Speculator and Ox Bow Lake. Turn right on the Old Piseco Road and follow it 5.3 miles, where you will see a yellow-on-brown DEC sign marking the Panther Mountain-Echo Cliffs trail. From the south, take Route 10 north to intersection with Route 8 just before Piseco Lake. Turn right; look for the Old Piseco Road sign a little over three miles on the left.

The Hike: The climb up to Echo Cliffs is about .75 miles which makes this climb a relatively short one. Starting off at the trail head, we immediately ran into a bunch of break down which covered the trail with rocks, branches and trees. Walking on the trail was a bit dry at first but after a short ways headed into a small stream and followed it about 3/4 the way up. There was easy paths to get around it but it made for a slightly muddy trip.

The climb itself was relatively easy. A steady climb at first which gets a bit steep near the top and we had to use some roots to climb up the rocks. Arriving at the top, we had a fantastic view of the Southern Adirondacks looking over Lake Piseco. We had about a 160 degree view of the area. I wasn’t to familiar with the mountains we were looking at so I wasn’t sure what their names were. With the blue sky above them, it was great to be out enjoying the day.

Conclusion: As stated earlier this was a fantastic hike. Even though it was only .75 mile hike it was well worth the hour and a half drive to it. Not to mention it was my first time driving through Speculator and other small towns which were quite nice. Next time I’m looking for a short hike, I’ll definitely go back.

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