Balsam Lake Mountain
Encyclopedia
Balsam Lake Mountain is one of the Catskill Mountains
, located in the Town of Hardenburgh
, New York, United States. It is the westernmost of the range's 35 High Peaks
. Its exact height has not been determined, but the highest contour line
on topographic map
s, 3720 feet (1,133.9 m), is usually given as its elevation.
Located within the Balsam Lake Mountain Wild Forest management unit of the Catskill Park Forest Preserve
, in the late 19th century its summit became the site of the first fire lookout tower
in the state, operated by members of a nearby sportsmen's club. It was later taken over by the state's conservation agencies
, which built several improved towers on the site, one of which
remains, along with its accessory buildings and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places
, although it has not been used for fire detection since 1988. The summit is also the site of a rare sphagnum
bog
that has been affected by acid rain
since a mid-20th century windstorm blew down many of the trees sheltering it at the time.
The tower and the views it commands, as well as its ease of access by the old truck road to the tower, have made it a popular attraction for hikers despite the mountain's remote location. Many are peakbaggers
aspiring to membership in the Catskill Mountain 3500 Club
, for which Balsam Lake is a required peak.
. It rises from a base well over well over 2000 feet (609.6 m) on the north and south, with cols
over 3000 feet (914.4 m) between it and neighboring peaks. Creeks rise in several narrow valleys on all sides, the largest of which is Clark Hollow on the northwest. The steep valley slopes alternate with gentler ridges in between.
The summit plateau above 3600 feet (1,097.3 m) is relatively flat, shaped like a large T pointing north, south, and east. On the west, a steep face drops to a shallow col
of 3140 feet (957.1 m) between Balsam Lake Mountain and the neighboring easternmost 3420 feet (1,042.4 m) summit of Mill Brook Ridge. South of that summit extends 3460 feet (1,054.6 m) Woodpecker Ridge, which with Balsam Lake Mountain and the connecting ridge forms the narrow valley in which the feeder stream to Balsam Lake, the feature the neighboring mountain is named for, rises. Black Brook flows out of the hollow on the southeast, below a more gradual ridge descending from the summit to a low of 3340 feet (1,018 m), where it connects to the 3440 feet (1,048.5 m) and 3480 feet (1,060.7 m) peaks known unofficially as West and East Schoolhouse mountains between Balsam Lake and 3868 feet (1,179 m) Graham Mountain
, the High Peak two miles (3.2 km) to its east.
Mill Brook, which gives the mountain to the west its name, rises from the hollow on the northeast. It is joined by an unnamed tributary which flows into it from Clark Hollow. All the streams that rise on Balsam Lake Mountain are part of the Delaware River
's watershed
. Mill Brook on the north slopes feeding that river's East Branch
directly at Pepacton Reservoir
, making it part of New York City's water supply. Water from the southern streams drains into the Beaver Kill not far below the mountain, which itself reaches the East Branch at East Branch well below the reservoir's dam at Downsville
.
The southern and northwestern portions of the mountain, down to an elevation of 2100 feet (640.1 m) in Clark Hollow, are owned by the state. Its Department of Environmental Conservation
(DEC) manages the land as part of the 13500 acres (5,463.3 ha) Balsam Lake Mountain Wild Forest, which stretches across Mill Brook Ridge and circles back to Beaverkill Road around private lands along Beecher Lake and brook. The northern slope, up to 3600 feet (1,097.3 m) on the summit's northern spur and 3400 feet (1,036.3 m) along the fire tower road, is privately owned by the descendants of railroad baron Jay Gould
, who grew up in nearby Roxbury
.
of beech
, birch
and maple
, with no oaks or other species found at lower elevations in the Catskills. Much of the mountain remains in first growth, from as low as 2575 feet (784.9 m) in Clark Hollow to 3250 feet (990.6 m) on its north spur. On the south side the mountain is generally in first growth from 2800 feet (853.4 m) up.
At higher elevations, above 3400 feet (1,036.3 m) on the north side but not until 3600 feet (1,097.3 m) on the south, balsam fir
and red spruce
begin to appear. The hardwoods, more and more stunted by the harsher conditions at higher elevations, eventually give way to a dense, lower-canopy boreal forest dominated by those two species (primarily the firs) on the summit. Paper birch
is the most common deciduous
associate, and wood sorrel
and moss can be found on the ground.
Within the summit forest is a sphagnum
bog
. It is dominated by peat
moss
es, mountain holly and balsam fir, with its perimeter surrounded by yellow birch
. According to Catskill forest researcher Michael Kudish
it is the deepest bog in the Catskills, with the peat going down 24 inches (61 cm) to the glacial till it rests on. Radiocarbon dating
has shown it to be about 5,500 years old, with balsam fir as dominant around the bog then as it is now.
The forests on the mountain support a typical animal community for the Catskills. Black bear
and white-tailed deer
are the larger mammal species, with rodent
and lagomorph
species, such as snowshoe hare
, lower on the food chain
. Beaver
s have been common over the years, with Kudish finding more evidence of present and past dams and meadows on the slopes of Balsam Lake and its neighboring peaks.
and Silurian
periods, when the sands and silt that had eroded from the Acadian Mountains
to the northeast collected in a river delta
at the mouth of the shallow inland sea that is now the Allegheny Plateau
. The delta uplifted
as a single unit, and gradually streams eroded valleys, creating a dissected plateau
. The harder, younger shale
and sandstone
remains as the mountain summits. Later glaciation made the valleys steeper and smoother.
Catskill forest historian Michael Kudish
says the Mill Brook Ridge range, including Balsam Lake, is one of the areas in the region showing the fewest signs of human disturbance. The Iroquois
who were the first settlers in today's New York only went into areas above 1500 feet (457.2 m) to hunt, if they went there at all. European settlers
established few farms in the area, both before and after independence. The clearings that give the Quaker Clearing trailhead
its name are the only significant past agricultural use that can still be seen today. Limited logging, primarily by farmers procuring firewood
, took place above those clearings.
The most significant developments in the human history of the mountain took place in 1887. The state bought the southeast slope of the mountain that year for the newly created Forest Preserve
, ensuring the land would remain forever wild, always in public ownership and never logged, per a law later added to the state constitution as Article 14. Also that year the Balsam Lake Club decided to erect a crude wooden fire lookout tower
on the summit so that an observer could detect fires that threatened the lands around the lake and the headwaters of the Beaver Kill where they hunted and fished
. It was the first such lookout tower built in New York State.
Two years later, the state bought more of the mountain, and eventually acquired the summit itself in 1900. At some point before the United States Geological Survey
resurveyed the area for its 1901 maps, the Turner Hollow Road, an old, rough turnpike connecting Seager
and Quaker Clearing, often used by members of the Balsam Lake Club to get to the train station at Arkville
, was rerouted from the col between East and West Schoolhouse mountains to the one between West Schoolhouse and Balsam Lake. The southern portion survives as part of the Dry Brook Ridge Trail.
Eight years later, in 1909, the state's Forest, Fish and Game Commission
took over the fire tower; a decade later it built the first cabin and replaced it with the steel tower that stands today
. By 1935 the state was maintaining not only the jeep road to the summit but the old Turner Hollow Road south to Quaker Clearing and the foot trail from the summit to the road.
The Great Appalachian Storm of November 1950
took a heavy toll on the summit balsam firs. Blowdown
was extensive in both the bog and non-bog areas. The trees that remained standing died more rapidly due to the exposure. It has since recovered, but the bog has become vulnerable to the effects of acid rain
in the meantime, possibly changing its growth patterns.
After a series of severe droughts and fires in the early 1960s that led to some temporary closings of the Forest Preserve,. fires and the damage they caused declined due to an increase in public awareness of forest fire danger and the decline in activities that caused them. Manned fire towers became less essential; the state began closing them down and dismantling them in favor of more cost-effective aerial surveillance.
In 1976 the Balsam Lake Club donated 3615 acres (1,462.9 ha) to the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development
, keeping all but the immediate shoreline of the lake itself. Three years later, the Catskill Center in turn sold the land to the state, putting most of the mountain in public ownership. When the first Catskill State Land Master Plan was drafted and implemented in the mid-1980s, the 13500 acres (5,463.3 ha) contiguous tract that stretched from Balsam Lake Mountain to Alder Lake over Mill Brook Ridge was designated as the Balsam Lake Mountain Wild Forest, a land classification slightly less restrictive than a wilderness area allowing for state vehicular use of the road up the mountain.
The fire tower remained manned until 1988, one of the last to be closed. Hikers continued to climb it for the views, even though it was no longer maintained. A proposal by the state Department of Environmental Conservation to dismantle the Red Hill fire tower
in nearby Denning
led to a community effort to save and restore
the five remaining towers in the Catskill Park. In conjunction with that effort, the new Mill Brook Ridge Trail was built from Alder Lake in the west across that mountain's two eastern summits to Balsam Lake, to connect the trail system on the hills above Pepacton Reservoir
to the central Catskill trail system and provide another link in the Finger Lakes Trail
.
The most frequently used approach starts at Mill Brook Road and follows the old jeep road to the fire tower. At 2580 feet (786.4 m), the road's intersection with the DBRT is the highest trailhead
in the Catskills. From there it is 2.75 miles (4.4 km) and 1120 feet (341.4 m) to the summit.
From the south, at the end of Beaver Kill Road, the approach is shorter but steeper. The DBRT leads north 0.9 miles (1.4 km) to the south end of the BLMT. From there it is another 0.85 miles (1.4 km) to the summit, past the lean-to and spring. This route's total distance of 1.75 miles (2.8 km) climbs 1200 feet (365.8 m).
In 1998, these approaches were joined by the new Mill Brook Ridge Trail, which allows for an ambitious 6.7 miles (10.8 km) approach from the Alder Lake trailhead to the west north of Turnwood. The trail goes over Mill Brook Ridge's two eastern summits, descends into the col between it and Balsam Lake and then climbs to the BLMT just south of the summit. The total ascent is 1520 feet (463.3 m). This trail serves mainly to connect the trail network on the Delaware Hills in the western portion of the Catskill Park with its counterpart in the central Catskills.
Hikers often combine a climb of Balsam Lake with neighboring Graham, reachable by an old road that branches to the west off the DBRT 750 feet (228.6 m) north of the northern BLMT junction. Sometimes the entire BLMT is used from either north or south to make a loop route of 6 miles (9.7 km) or 4.3 miles (6.9 km) respectively.
DEC regulations forbid camping above 3500 feet (1,066.8 m) on the mountain except during winter. There is a lean-to and a spring on a spur trail just below that elevation on the south side. Campers
may also use any location more than 150 feet (50 m) from a trail or body of water.
Catskill Mountains
The Catskill Mountains, an area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently eroded into sharp relief. They are an eastward continuation, and the highest representation, of the Allegheny Plateau...
, located in the Town of Hardenburgh
Hardenburgh, New York
Hardenburgh is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 208 at the 2000 census.The Town of Hardenburgh is located in the western part of Ulster County. The town is inside the Catskill Park.- History :...
, New York, United States. It is the westernmost of the range's 35 High Peaks
Catskill High Peaks
The Catskill High Peaks are all of the mountains in New York's Catskill Mountains above 3,500 ft in elevation whose summits are separated either by one-half mile or a vertical drop of at least 250 ft between it and the next nearest separate summit...
. Its exact height has not been determined, but the highest contour line
Contour line
A contour line of a function of two variables is a curve along which the function has a constant value. In cartography, a contour line joins points of equal elevation above a given level, such as mean sea level...
on topographic map
Topographic map
A topographic map is a type of map characterized by large-scale detail and quantitative representation of relief, usually using contour lines in modern mapping, but historically using a variety of methods. Traditional definitions require a topographic map to show both natural and man-made features...
s, 3720 feet (1,133.9 m), is usually given as its elevation.
Located within the Balsam Lake Mountain Wild Forest management unit of the Catskill Park Forest Preserve
Forest Preserve (New York)
New York's Forest Preserve is all the land owned by the state within the Adirondack and Catskill parks, managed by its Department of Environmental Conservation. These properties are required to be kept "forever wild" by Article 14 of the state constitution, and thus enjoy the highest degree of...
, in the late 19th century its summit became the site of the first fire lookout tower
Fire lookout tower
A fire lookout tower, fire tower or lookout tower, provides housing and protection for a person known as a "fire lookout" whose duty it is to search for wildfires in the wilderness...
in the state, operated by members of a nearby sportsmen's club. It was later taken over by the state's conservation agencies
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is responsible for the conservation, improvement, and protection of natural resources within the U.S. state of New York. It was founded in 1970, replacing the previous Conservation Department...
, which built several improved towers on the site, one of which
Balsam Lake Mountain Fire Observation Station
The Balsam Lake Mountain Fire Observation Station is located at the summit of the mountain of that name in the Town of Hardenburgh, New York, United States...
remains, along with its accessory buildings and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, although it has not been used for fire detection since 1988. The summit is also the site of a rare sphagnum
Sphagnum
Sphagnum is a genus of between 151 and 350 species of mosses commonly called peat moss, due to its prevalence in peat bogs and mires. A distinction is made between sphagnum moss, the live moss growing on top of a peat bog on one hand, and sphagnum peat moss or sphagnum peat on the other, the...
bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
that has been affected by acid rain
Acid rain
Acid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it possesses elevated levels of hydrogen ions . It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure. Acid rain is caused by emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen...
since a mid-20th century windstorm blew down many of the trees sheltering it at the time.
The tower and the views it commands, as well as its ease of access by the old truck road to the tower, have made it a popular attraction for hikers despite the mountain's remote location. Many are peakbaggers
Peak bagging
Peak bagging is an activity in which hillwalkers and mountaineers attempt to reach the summit of some collection of peaks, usually those above some height in a particular region, or having a particular feature.Peak bagging can be distinguished from highpointing...
aspiring to membership in the Catskill Mountain 3500 Club
Catskill Mountain 3500 Club
The Catskill Mountain 3500 Club, incorporated as the Catskill 3500 Club and often just referred to as the 3500 Club, is a peakbagging organization for hikers in the Catskill Mountains of New York...
, for which Balsam Lake is a required peak.
Geography
Balsam Lake Mountain is in the middle of a long range beginning at Barkaboom Mountain to the west and extending east to Doubletop MountainDoubletop Mountain (New York)
Doubletop Mountain is a mountain located in Ulster County, New York.The mountain is part of the Catskill Mountains.Doubletop Mtn. is flanked to the northwest by Graham Mountain, to the east by Big Indian Mountain, and to the southwest by the Beaver Kill Range....
. It rises from a base well over well over 2000 feet (609.6 m) on the north and south, with cols
Mountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
over 3000 feet (914.4 m) between it and neighboring peaks. Creeks rise in several narrow valleys on all sides, the largest of which is Clark Hollow on the northwest. The steep valley slopes alternate with gentler ridges in between.
The summit plateau above 3600 feet (1,097.3 m) is relatively flat, shaped like a large T pointing north, south, and east. On the west, a steep face drops to a shallow col
Mountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
of 3140 feet (957.1 m) between Balsam Lake Mountain and the neighboring easternmost 3420 feet (1,042.4 m) summit of Mill Brook Ridge. South of that summit extends 3460 feet (1,054.6 m) Woodpecker Ridge, which with Balsam Lake Mountain and the connecting ridge forms the narrow valley in which the feeder stream to Balsam Lake, the feature the neighboring mountain is named for, rises. Black Brook flows out of the hollow on the southeast, below a more gradual ridge descending from the summit to a low of 3340 feet (1,018 m), where it connects to the 3440 feet (1,048.5 m) and 3480 feet (1,060.7 m) peaks known unofficially as West and East Schoolhouse mountains between Balsam Lake and 3868 feet (1,179 m) Graham Mountain
Graham Mountain (New York)
Graham Mountain is the seventh highest of the Catskill High Peaks and the highest privately owned mountain in the range. It is located in the town of Hardenburgh, New York, United States....
, the High Peak two miles (3.2 km) to its east.
Mill Brook, which gives the mountain to the west its name, rises from the hollow on the northeast. It is joined by an unnamed tributary which flows into it from Clark Hollow. All the streams that rise on Balsam Lake Mountain are part of the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
's watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
. Mill Brook on the north slopes feeding that river's East Branch
East Branch Delaware River
The East Branch Delaware River, approximately 75 miles long in the U.S. state of New York, is one of two branches, along with the West Branch, that join to form the Delaware River. It flows through a mountainous area on the southwestern edge of the Catskill Park. For a long stretch it serves...
directly at Pepacton Reservoir
Pepacton Reservoir
The Pepacton Reservoir, also known as the Downsville Reservoir or the Downsville Dam, is a reservoir in Delaware County, New York that was formed by impounding over ¼ of the East Branch of the Delaware River...
, making it part of New York City's water supply. Water from the southern streams drains into the Beaver Kill not far below the mountain, which itself reaches the East Branch at East Branch well below the reservoir's dam at Downsville
Downsville, New York
Downsville, New York is a hamlet and former village within the town of Colchester in Delaware County, New York.It is the site of the Downsville Bridge, a covered bridge and the historic Union Free School....
.
The southern and northwestern portions of the mountain, down to an elevation of 2100 feet (640.1 m) in Clark Hollow, are owned by the state. Its Department of Environmental Conservation
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is responsible for the conservation, improvement, and protection of natural resources within the U.S. state of New York. It was founded in 1970, replacing the previous Conservation Department...
(DEC) manages the land as part of the 13500 acres (5,463.3 ha) Balsam Lake Mountain Wild Forest, which stretches across Mill Brook Ridge and circles back to Beaverkill Road around private lands along Beecher Lake and brook. The northern slope, up to 3600 feet (1,097.3 m) on the summit's northern spur and 3400 feet (1,036.3 m) along the fire tower road, is privately owned by the descendants of railroad baron Jay Gould
Jay Gould
Jason "Jay" Gould was a leading American railroad developer and speculator. He has long been vilified as an archetypal robber baron, whose successes made him the ninth richest American in history. Condé Nast Portfolio ranked Gould as the 8th worst American CEO of all time...
, who grew up in nearby Roxbury
Roxbury, New York
Roxbury is a town in Delaware County, New York, United States. The population was 2,509 at the 2000 census.The Town of Roxbury is at the eastern end of the county.- History :...
.
Flora and fauna
Due to its high base elevations, the lower slopes of the mountain are covered exclusively by a northern hardwood forestNorthern hardwood forest
The northern hardwood forest is a general type of North American forest ecosystem found over much of southeastern and south central Canada, extending south into the United States in northern New England and New York, and west along the Great Lakes to Minnesota and western Ontario...
of beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
, birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
and maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
, with no oaks or other species found at lower elevations in the Catskills. Much of the mountain remains in first growth, from as low as 2575 feet (784.9 m) in Clark Hollow to 3250 feet (990.6 m) on its north spur. On the south side the mountain is generally in first growth from 2800 feet (853.4 m) up.
At higher elevations, above 3400 feet (1,036.3 m) on the north side but not until 3600 feet (1,097.3 m) on the south, balsam fir
Balsam Fir
The balsam fir is a North American fir, native to most of eastern and central Canada and the northeastern United States .-Growth:It is a small to medium-size evergreen tree typically tall, rarely to tall, with a narrow conic crown...
and red spruce
Red Spruce
Picea rubens is a species of spruce native to eastern North America, ranging from eastern Quebec to Nova Scotia, and from New England south in the Adirondack Mountains and Appalachians to western North Carolina.-Physical description:...
begin to appear. The hardwoods, more and more stunted by the harsher conditions at higher elevations, eventually give way to a dense, lower-canopy boreal forest dominated by those two species (primarily the firs) on the summit. Paper birch
Paper Birch
Betula papyrifera is a species of birch native to northern North America.-Description:...
is the most common deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
associate, and wood sorrel
Oxalis
Oxalis is by far the largest genus in the wood-sorrel family Oxalidaceae: of the approximately 900 known species in the Oxalidaceae, 800 belong here...
and moss can be found on the ground.
Within the summit forest is a sphagnum
Sphagnum
Sphagnum is a genus of between 151 and 350 species of mosses commonly called peat moss, due to its prevalence in peat bogs and mires. A distinction is made between sphagnum moss, the live moss growing on top of a peat bog on one hand, and sphagnum peat moss or sphagnum peat on the other, the...
bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
. It is dominated by peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
moss
Moss
Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...
es, mountain holly and balsam fir, with its perimeter surrounded by yellow birch
Yellow Birch
Betula alleghaniensis , is a species of birch native to eastern North America, from Newfoundland to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, southern Quebec and Ontario, and the southeast corner of Manitoba in Canada, west to Minnesota, and south in the Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia.It is a...
. According to Catskill forest researcher Michael Kudish
Michael Kudish
Michael Kudish is an author, railroad historian, forester, and retired professor. He received his Ph.D. in 1971 from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse. His dissertation, on the history of Catskill forests, was the beginning of a lifelong...
it is the deepest bog in the Catskills, with the peat going down 24 inches (61 cm) to the glacial till it rests on. Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 to estimate the age of carbon-bearing materials up to about 58,000 to 62,000 years. Raw, i.e. uncalibrated, radiocarbon ages are usually reported in radiocarbon years "Before Present" ,...
has shown it to be about 5,500 years old, with balsam fir as dominant around the bog then as it is now.
The forests on the mountain support a typical animal community for the Catskills. Black bear
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
and white-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
are the larger mammal species, with rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
and lagomorph
Lagomorpha
The lagomorphs are the members of the taxonomic order Lagomorpha, of which there are two living families, the Leporidae , and the Ochotonidae...
species, such as snowshoe hare
Snowshoe Hare
The Snowshoe Hare , also called the Varying Hare, or Snowshoe Rabbit, is a species of hare found in North America. It has the name "snowshoe" because of the large size of its hind feet and the marks its tail leaves. The animal's feet prevent it from sinking into the snow when it hops and walks...
, lower on the food chain
Food chain
A food web depicts feeding connections in an ecological community. Ecologists can broadly lump all life forms into one of two categories called trophic levels: 1) the autotrophs, and 2) the heterotrophs...
. Beaver
Beaver
The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
s have been common over the years, with Kudish finding more evidence of present and past dams and meadows on the slopes of Balsam Lake and its neighboring peaks.
History
The Catskills were formed 250-350 million years ago, during the DevonianDevonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
and Silurian
Silurian
The Silurian is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Ordovician Period, about 443.7 ± 1.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Devonian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya . As with other geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period's start and end are well identified, but the...
periods, when the sands and silt that had eroded from the Acadian Mountains
Acadian orogeny
The Taconic, Acadian and Alleghenian orogenies are the three tectonic phases responsible for the formation of the present Appalachian Mountains. The Acadian orogeny is a middle Paleozoic mountain building episode dating back 325-400 million years which should not be regarded as a single event but...
to the northeast collected in a river delta
River delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
at the mouth of the shallow inland sea that is now the Allegheny Plateau
Allegheny Plateau
The Allegheny Plateau is a large dissected plateau area in western and central New York, northern and western Pennsylvania, northern and western West Virginia, and eastern Ohio...
. The delta uplifted
Tectonic uplift
Tectonic uplift is a geological process most often caused by plate tectonics which increases elevation. The opposite of uplift is subsidence, which results in a decrease in elevation. Uplift may be orogenic or isostatic.-Orogenic uplift:...
as a single unit, and gradually streams eroded valleys, creating a dissected plateau
Dissected plateau
A dissected plateau is a plateau area that has been severely eroded so that the relief is sharp. Such an area may be referred to as mountainous, but dissected plateaus are distinguishable from orogenic mountain belts by the lack of folding, metamorphism, extensive faulting, or magmatic activity...
. The harder, younger shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
and sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
remains as the mountain summits. Later glaciation made the valleys steeper and smoother.
Catskill forest historian Michael Kudish
Michael Kudish
Michael Kudish is an author, railroad historian, forester, and retired professor. He received his Ph.D. in 1971 from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse. His dissertation, on the history of Catskill forests, was the beginning of a lifelong...
says the Mill Brook Ridge range, including Balsam Lake, is one of the areas in the region showing the fewest signs of human disturbance. The Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
who were the first settlers in today's New York only went into areas above 1500 feet (457.2 m) to hunt, if they went there at all. European settlers
European colonization of the Americas
The start of the European colonization of the Americas is typically dated to 1492. The first Europeans to reach the Americas were the Vikings during the 11th century, who established several colonies in Greenland and one short-lived settlement in present day Newfoundland...
established few farms in the area, both before and after independence. The clearings that give the Quaker Clearing trailhead
Trailhead
A trailhead is the point at which a trail begins, where the trail is often intended for hiking, biking, horseback riding, or off-road vehicles...
its name are the only significant past agricultural use that can still be seen today. Limited logging, primarily by farmers procuring firewood
Firewood
Firewood is any wood-like material that is gathered and used for fuel. Generally, firewood is not highly processed and is in some sort of recognizable log or branch form....
, took place above those clearings.
The most significant developments in the human history of the mountain took place in 1887. The state bought the southeast slope of the mountain that year for the newly created Forest Preserve
Forest Preserve (New York)
New York's Forest Preserve is all the land owned by the state within the Adirondack and Catskill parks, managed by its Department of Environmental Conservation. These properties are required to be kept "forever wild" by Article 14 of the state constitution, and thus enjoy the highest degree of...
, ensuring the land would remain forever wild, always in public ownership and never logged, per a law later added to the state constitution as Article 14. Also that year the Balsam Lake Club decided to erect a crude wooden fire lookout tower
Fire lookout tower
A fire lookout tower, fire tower or lookout tower, provides housing and protection for a person known as a "fire lookout" whose duty it is to search for wildfires in the wilderness...
on the summit so that an observer could detect fires that threatened the lands around the lake and the headwaters of the Beaver Kill where they hunted and fished
Angling
Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself...
. It was the first such lookout tower built in New York State.
Two years later, the state bought more of the mountain, and eventually acquired the summit itself in 1900. At some point before the United States Geological Survey
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
resurveyed the area for its 1901 maps, the Turner Hollow Road, an old, rough turnpike connecting Seager
Seager, New York
Seager, New York is a former village in Ulster County, New York, U.S.A. within Catskill Park and the Catskill Mountains.It was a small hamlet that vanished after tanning in the Catskills ended in the late 19th century. Today it consists of one house and a hiking trailhead for the Seager West Branch...
and Quaker Clearing, often used by members of the Balsam Lake Club to get to the train station at Arkville
Arkville, New York
Arkville is a hamlet of the Town of Middletown, New York, United States. It is located along state highway NY 28 a mile north of the village of Margaretville in the western Catskill Mountains. It has the ZIP Code 12406....
, was rerouted from the col between East and West Schoolhouse mountains to the one between West Schoolhouse and Balsam Lake. The southern portion survives as part of the Dry Brook Ridge Trail.
Eight years later, in 1909, the state's Forest, Fish and Game Commission
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is responsible for the conservation, improvement, and protection of natural resources within the U.S. state of New York. It was founded in 1970, replacing the previous Conservation Department...
took over the fire tower; a decade later it built the first cabin and replaced it with the steel tower that stands today
Balsam Lake Mountain Fire Observation Station
The Balsam Lake Mountain Fire Observation Station is located at the summit of the mountain of that name in the Town of Hardenburgh, New York, United States...
. By 1935 the state was maintaining not only the jeep road to the summit but the old Turner Hollow Road south to Quaker Clearing and the foot trail from the summit to the road.
The Great Appalachian Storm of November 1950
Great Appalachian Storm of November 1950
The Great Appalachian Storm of November 1950 was a large extratropical cyclone which moved through the Eastern United States, causing significant winds, heavy rains east of the Appalachians, and blizzard conditions along the western slopes of the mountain chain. Power was out to more than 1,000,000...
took a heavy toll on the summit balsam firs. Blowdown
Windthrow
In forestry, windthrow refers to trees uprooted or broken by wind. Breakage of the tree bole instead of uprooting is sometimes called windsnap.- Causes :...
was extensive in both the bog and non-bog areas. The trees that remained standing died more rapidly due to the exposure. It has since recovered, but the bog has become vulnerable to the effects of acid rain
Acid rain
Acid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it possesses elevated levels of hydrogen ions . It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure. Acid rain is caused by emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen...
in the meantime, possibly changing its growth patterns.
After a series of severe droughts and fires in the early 1960s that led to some temporary closings of the Forest Preserve,. fires and the damage they caused declined due to an increase in public awareness of forest fire danger and the decline in activities that caused them. Manned fire towers became less essential; the state began closing them down and dismantling them in favor of more cost-effective aerial surveillance.
In 1976 the Balsam Lake Club donated 3615 acres (1,462.9 ha) to the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development
Catskill Center for Conservation and Development
The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, usually referred to as the Catskill Center, is a not-for-profit organization based in Arkville, New York, United States...
, keeping all but the immediate shoreline of the lake itself. Three years later, the Catskill Center in turn sold the land to the state, putting most of the mountain in public ownership. When the first Catskill State Land Master Plan was drafted and implemented in the mid-1980s, the 13500 acres (5,463.3 ha) contiguous tract that stretched from Balsam Lake Mountain to Alder Lake over Mill Brook Ridge was designated as the Balsam Lake Mountain Wild Forest, a land classification slightly less restrictive than a wilderness area allowing for state vehicular use of the road up the mountain.
The fire tower remained manned until 1988, one of the last to be closed. Hikers continued to climb it for the views, even though it was no longer maintained. A proposal by the state Department of Environmental Conservation to dismantle the Red Hill fire tower
Red Hill Fire Observation Station
The Red Hill Fire Observation Station consists of a fire lookout tower, cabin and pit privy located on the summit of Red Hill, a Catskill Mountain peak in Denning, New York, United States. It is the southernmost fire tower in the Catskill Park....
in nearby Denning
Denning, New York
Denning is a town in Ulster County, New York, USA. The population was 516 at the 2000 census. The name come from an early landowner, William Denning.The Town of Denning is located in the western part of the county...
led to a community effort to save and restore
Building restoration
Building restoration describes a particular treatment approach and philosophy within the field of architectural conservation. According the U.S...
the five remaining towers in the Catskill Park. In conjunction with that effort, the new Mill Brook Ridge Trail was built from Alder Lake in the west across that mountain's two eastern summits to Balsam Lake, to connect the trail system on the hills above Pepacton Reservoir
Pepacton Reservoir
The Pepacton Reservoir, also known as the Downsville Reservoir or the Downsville Dam, is a reservoir in Delaware County, New York that was formed by impounding over ¼ of the East Branch of the Delaware River...
to the central Catskill trail system and provide another link in the Finger Lakes Trail
Finger Lakes Trail
The Finger Lakes Trail System consists of a network of trails in New York. The trail system is administered by the , a non-profit, volunteer organization....
.
Access
Trails extend to the summit of the mountain from three directions — north, south, east and west. All approaches eventually put the hiker on the Balsam Lake Mountain Trail (BLMT), the 1.6 miles (2.6 km) loop route over the summit, which follows the jeep road to the north but is a footpath to its south. Two use the Dry Brook Ridge Trail (DBRT), which it connects to at either end.The most frequently used approach starts at Mill Brook Road and follows the old jeep road to the fire tower. At 2580 feet (786.4 m), the road's intersection with the DBRT is the highest trailhead
Trailhead
A trailhead is the point at which a trail begins, where the trail is often intended for hiking, biking, horseback riding, or off-road vehicles...
in the Catskills. From there it is 2.75 miles (4.4 km) and 1120 feet (341.4 m) to the summit.
From the south, at the end of Beaver Kill Road, the approach is shorter but steeper. The DBRT leads north 0.9 miles (1.4 km) to the south end of the BLMT. From there it is another 0.85 miles (1.4 km) to the summit, past the lean-to and spring. This route's total distance of 1.75 miles (2.8 km) climbs 1200 feet (365.8 m).
In 1998, these approaches were joined by the new Mill Brook Ridge Trail, which allows for an ambitious 6.7 miles (10.8 km) approach from the Alder Lake trailhead to the west north of Turnwood. The trail goes over Mill Brook Ridge's two eastern summits, descends into the col between it and Balsam Lake and then climbs to the BLMT just south of the summit. The total ascent is 1520 feet (463.3 m). This trail serves mainly to connect the trail network on the Delaware Hills in the western portion of the Catskill Park with its counterpart in the central Catskills.
Hikers often combine a climb of Balsam Lake with neighboring Graham, reachable by an old road that branches to the west off the DBRT 750 feet (228.6 m) north of the northern BLMT junction. Sometimes the entire BLMT is used from either north or south to make a loop route of 6 miles (9.7 km) or 4.3 miles (6.9 km) respectively.
DEC regulations forbid camping above 3500 feet (1,066.8 m) on the mountain except during winter. There is a lean-to and a spring on a spur trail just below that elevation on the south side. Campers
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
may also use any location more than 150 feet (50 m) from a trail or body of water.
External links
- Balsam Lake Mountain Hiking Information Catskill 3500 Club