Balsam Lake Mountain
Balsam Lake Mountain rises to 1,136 m in New York. Doubletop Mountain stands 1,180 m to the east-southeast, 3.6 miles off. The nearest named place is Woodpecker Ridge, a peak 1.3 miles away. Shawangunk Mountains Scenic Byway passes 23 miles off.
The story
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 maps, 3,720 feet (1,130 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.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q4852536, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 1136 m
How to reach it
- 23.2 mi off the Shawangunk Mountains Scenic Byway
- 29.2 mi off the Upper Delaware Scenic Byway (Route 97)
Overlooks nearby
- Panther Rock · 26 mi
- High Falls · 28 mi
- Compass Rock · 29 mi
- Beacon Hill · 29 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Woodpecker Ridge: 1.3 mi
- Millbrook Ridge: 2.0 mi
- Graham Mountain: 2.4 mi
- Bullet Hole: 2.6 mi
- Cradle Rock Ridge: 3.5 mi
- McKinley Hollow Unit: 7.0 mi
- Arena Unit: 7.4 mi
- Oliverea Unit: 7.5 mi
- Beech Mountain Nature Preserve: 7.7 mi
- Twin Pond Unit: 7.8 mi
- Fleischmann Athletic Park: 8.2 mi
- Smith Park: 8.5 mi
- Big Indian Park: 8.6 mi
- Lower Birch Creek Trailhead of the Shandaken Wild Forest: 11.0 mi
- Glenbrook Park: 11.3 mi
- ETS Relay (Ruin): 2.3 mi
- Coykendall Lodge (Ruin): 4.5 mi
- Forstmann Castle: 6.2 mi
- Pine Hill Honor Roll: 8.4 mi
- Curtiss & Ormsbee Monument: 9.6 mi
- High Falls: 5.7 mi
- Tompkins Falls: 9.0 mi
- Otter Falls: 9.0 mi
- Wildcat Falls: 9.7 mi
- Cornell Falls: 12.2 mi
- Red Hill Observer's Cabin & Museum: 9.3 mi
- Empire State Railway Museum: 14.9 mi
- Roscoe O&W Museum: 18.2 mi
- Liberty Museum and Arts Center: 18.8 mi
- Zadock Pratt Museum: 20.3 mi
- Piped Spring: 4.0 mi
- Piped Spring: 10.2 mi
- Table Mountain Spring: 11.1 mi
- Keyhole Spring: 16.7 mi
- Box Spring: 16.9 mi
- Giant Ledge: 10.2 mi
- Cornell Crack: 12.6 mi
- Spencers Ledge: 14.4 mi
- Samuels Point: 15.1 mi
- Pratt Rocks: 20.6 mi
- Winnisook: 8.6 mi
- Shandaken Eagle: 14.4 mi
- Fabulous Furniture Sculpture Garden: 17.3 mi
- Beamoc Trout: 18.2 mi
- Rip Van Winkle: 21.4 mi
- Rail Explorers: 14.9 mi
- VanTran Covered Bridge: 15.2 mi
- World's Largest Kaleidoscope: 15.8 mi
- Pratt Rock: 20.2 mi
- Hunter Mountain North Picnic Area: 21.4 mi
- Notch Lake Picnic Area: 21.5 mi
- Belleayre Beach: 8.3 mi
- Roscoe: 16.1 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 10.4 miles of Balsam Lake Mountain. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doubletop Mountain | ESE 111° | 1,180 m | 3.6 mi |
| Doubletop Mountain - South Peak | ESE 114° | 1,175 m | 3.8 mi |
| Graham Mountain | ESE 101° | 1,174 m | 2.4 mi |
| Panther Mountain | E 86° | 1,135.08 m | 10.3 mi |
| Big Indian Mountain | E 99° | 1,127.46 m | 5.1 mi |
| Little Slide | ESE 102° | 1,109 m | 10.4 mi |
| Fir Mountain | E 101° | 1,106.12 m | 6.5 mi |
| Balsam Mountain | ENE 60° | 1,099.41 m | 6.3 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:03 | 18:34 | 19:11 |
| June solstice | 05:24 | 19:56 | 20:38 |
| September equinox | 06:46 | 18:21 | 18:58 |
| December solstice | 07:24 | 15:45 | 16:30 |
Local time (America/New_York).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Sep.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 20 | 22 | 29 | 41 | 53 | 60 | 65 | 64 | 57 | 46 | 36 | 26 |
| Precip in | 4.7 | 3.2 | 5.1 | 4.9 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 5.2 | 5.6 | 6.2 | 6.4 | 5.4 | 5.5 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Slide MTN, 9 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidata- USGS Geographic Names Information System feature 942952 — Balsam Lake Mountain, Ulster County, New York.
OpenStreetMap element node/357546555
Take the scenic way to Balsam Lake Mountain.
Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.