Owl Head Lookout

By Bill Ingersoll

There are two small mountains in the vicinity of Keene, named “Owl Head,” or some variation thereof. There is Owls Head hovering above NY Route 73 near the east end of Cascade Pass, appended to the High Peaks Wilderness by the slimmest of margins and offering attractive views of Cascade and Porter mountains. A great hike, but not the subject of this article.

Owl Head Lookout (or Owls Head Lookout on USGS maps—the possessive “s” is controversial) stands sentinel over the north end of the Giant Mountain Wilderness, the smaller kin of the High Peaks Wilderness but no less rugged. Actually, this Owl Head is a more substantial hike, with opportunities to “scale up” should the hiking time and distance seem too insubstantial. Of the two Owl Heads of Keene, this is my favorite.

Make no mistake, this is no High Peak. Owl Head Lookout is a rocky knoll on the long mountain ridge extending from Green Mountain to Iron Mountain, with a 270° view. This hike is a year-round favorite, worth checking out in any season. In the summer and fall it is a popular family hike, and in the winter it is a good snowshoe route with a moderate difficulty level. Only the last portion leading to the summit is apt to be steep. The rest is a pleasant walk through a hardwood forest, following streams and passing several rock ledges. The hike is 2.5 miles long one-way, with a vertical ascent of 1,250 feet.

Getting There – The trailhead is located on NY Route 9N between Keene and Elizabethtown. From the west, it is 5.6 miles from the intersection with NY Route 73. From the east, it is 4.4 miles from US Route 9 in Elizabethtown. A brown DEC sign marks the driveway, which leads to a public parking area on private land about 200 feet from the highway.

The Trail – It begins on a narrow driveway, crosses a bridge over the stream known simply as The Branch, and then turns left into the woods within 500 feet of the parking area. For the first 0.4-mile, the trail crosses private land, where some light logging has occurred.

After crossing into state land, the trail works its way southeast and south toward Slide Brook. At one-mile you reach an opening between the brook and the trail, with a large rock on one side. It overlooks a small cascade shaded by hemlocks – a nice place to pause for a break, but not a legal campsite.

Just beyond the cascade, the trail reaches a sturdy bridge across the brook. It now begins to gain elevation at a faster rate, following a small, unnamed stream through a narrowing draw. Rock bluffs, downed trees, and other obstacles force the trail from one bank to the other and back again. Most of these crossings have adequate stepping stones, and are not an issue except perhaps during a winter thaw. Then, having reached an almost flat shoulder of the mountain at 1.7 miles, the trail makes its broad turn from southeast to southwest. In the winter you may be able to spot the knobby summit of Owl Head above you through the trees.

In the next 0.6-mile the trail climbs 400 feet, a moderate grade with minor erosion. Then, 2.4 miles from the start, you reach the crest of the ridgeline and a marked intersection. The main trail which you have been following continues straight ahead, leaving the ridge to descend toward Roaring Brook and High Bank as described below. To climb Owl Head, turn left.

The last 0.1-mile to the summit along this side trail is the steepest part of the entire climb, with a net elevation gain of 170 feet. Portions of it might be a real scramble – icy in winter – but this section has the advantage of being short. Within a few minutes of the intersection, having passed several misleading side paths, you should be standing on the bald rock dome with its 270° views.

Of course, the main feature of this view is the long ridge extending from Bald Peak to Rocky Peak Ridge and Giant. Clouds piling up on the far side of Giant sometimes billow through the notch. Knob Lock Mountain seems like a fist of rock pointed at Green Mountain, and the fire tower on Hurricane is a distinct silhouette. Whiteface and the Sentinel Range appear between Hurricane and Knob Lock. Being a small mountain surrounded by much larger ones, the view to the south, west, and northwest extends no farther than these peaks.

Optional Side Trip to High Bank – The trail that continues past Owl Head Lookout toward the Roaring Brook valley is one of the longer approaches to Giant Mountain. Considering that the trails leading to that peak from Saint Huberts are far shorter and much more direct, this route appears on maps like an afterthought – a trail for people who like to do things in an unnecessarily complicated way. However, this little-used route offers its own pleasures and allows hikers to enjoy the wild side of the mountain.

If you are looking for a way to extend a hike to Owl Head for a few extra hours, consider following this trail as far as High Bank—an exposed gravel slope with close-up views of Giant’s east face. This hike adds 1.6 miles of rolling terrain to the trip.

Beyond the junction, the trail passes through a lovely little meadow with a view across the valley toward Bald and Rocky Peak ridges. Here it begins to drop into a small basin, only to rise again over another ridge with a stand of small spruce on the knoll to the left. The trail, occasionally quite muddy and sometimes hemmed in by thick brush on both sides, works its way southwest over the lower flanks of Green Mountain.

The trail then passes through a stand of maples, where the understory abruptly clears up. Rock ledges appear on the right on the slopes of Green, and as the trail begins to descend keep an eye out for a ledge to the left overlooking the valley. The trail is actually located on a “bench” on the side of the mountain, still reasonably high above the valley. One ledge at trail level provides a sweeping view over the valley, but it is not always easy to spot from the trail, especially in the summer. Winter hikers may have better luck.

If you do miss it, you will continue along the trail on a long, gentle descent that continues almost all the way to High Bank, 1.6 miles and an hour from the junction. The trail turns sharp right upon reaching the top of the bank, but to enjoy the view you should venture out left along the crest of the bank. The forces of erosion have taken a toll on portions of the bank, so you may not be able to follow the crest all the way out to its end. But you can walk out far enough to see the scarred slopes of Giant peeking out from behind a corner of Rocky Peak Ridge. Roaring Brook churns deep within a gully below the crumbling bank.

Bill Ingersoll is a co-founder and the vice-chair of Adirondack Wilderness Advocates, as well as the author of Wilderness Camping in the Adirondacks, published in 2024 by North Country Books. For more info, visit: adirondackwilderness.org.