Skip to content

Poke-O-Moonshine Mountain

Poke-O-Moonshine Mountain rises to 659 m in New York. Old Rang Mountain stands 694 m to the northwest, 1.5 miles off. The nearest named place is Little Deerfield Mountain, a peak 0.9 miles away. Lakes to Locks Passage passes 2.1 miles off.

The story

Poke-O-Moonshine Mountain, spelled Pokamoonshine on U.S. Geological Survey maps, and sometimes known as just Poke-O, is a minor peak of the Adirondack Mountains. The name is believed to be a corruption of the Algonquin words pohqui, meaning 'broken', and moosie, meaning 'smooth'. It is located in the town of Chesterfield, New York, United States, on New York state Forest Preserve land, part of the Taylor Pond Wild Forest complex within the Adirondack Park. Due to its location next to the pass through which most travelers from the north enter the range, it has been called the "gateway to the Adirondacks". At its 2,180-foot (660 m) summit is a disused fire lookout tower listed on the National Register of Historic Places. While many of those who reach it and take in the sweeping views of the High Peaks and Lake Champlain hike up one of two trails from U.S. Route 9 near the mountain's base, the stone cliffs ringing its summit have attracted climbers, although their activities are limited during the nesting season of the peregrine falcon. Its easy access from the Adirondack Northway (Interstate 87) and challenging routes have made it the most popular rock and ice climbing spot in the Adirondacks, regularly drawing visitors from both the U.S. and Canada.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Wikidata Q7208572, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.

What the record says

Elevation
659 m

How to reach it

Coordinates44.40172, -73.51319

Named places within 25 miles

Parks
Cliffs: 58
Historic sites: 39
  • Clintonville: 5.5 mi
  • J. & J. Rogers Company Pulp Mill: 9.0 mi
  • Bert Williams Farm: 12.7 mi
  • Jaime Two Coats: 14.2 mi
  • Northwest Bay Road: 14.8 mi
Museums: 27
  • Adsit Cabin: 7.0 mi
  • Anderson Falls Heritage Society Museum: 7.2 mi
  • North Star Underground Railroad Museum: 8.9 mi
  • Adirondack history center museum: 13.3 mi
  • Adirondack History Museum: 13.5 mi
Waterfalls: 25
  • Alice Falls: 8.5 mi
  • Rainbow Falls: 8.8 mi
  • Horseshoe Falls: 8.9 mi
  • LaPlatte River Falls: 14.8 mi
  • Flume Falls: 16.3 mi
Attractions: 21
  • Ausable Chasm: 8.9 mi
  • Shelburne Farms Cheesemaking: 12.6 mi
  • Children’s Farmyard: 12.7 mi
  • Steamboat Ticonderoga: 14.0 mi
  • Vermont Teddy Bear: 14.3 mi
Beaches: 15
  • Port Kent Public Beach Park: 10.2 mi
  • Shelburne Beach: 12.5 mi
  • Oakledge Cove: 14.5 mi
  • Leddy Park Beach: 14.5 mi
  • Blanchard Beach: 14.7 mi
Gardens: 15
  • Formal Garden: 11.6 mi
  • Childrens Garden: 15.0 mi
  • Community Garden: 15.1 mi
  • Community Garden: 15.3 mi
  • Myrtle Street Avant Garden: 15.6 mi
Artworks: 10
Picnic sites: 6
Rest areas: 2
  • Rest Area I-89 (South Bound): 21.6 mi
  • Rest Area I-89 (North Bound): 21.6 mi

Other summits around it

The highest named summits within 5.3 miles of Poke-O-Moonshine Mountain. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

SummitBearingElevationDistance
Old Rang MountainNW 310°694 m1.5 mi
Carl MountainWNW 284°682 m1.0 mi
Baldface MountainNNW 338°673 m1.8 mi
Rocky MountainNW 308°665 m2.3 mi
McGuire MountainNW 318°664 m1.5 mi
Black MountainW 259°649 m5.1 mi
Long Tom MountainW 267°640 m5.0 mi
Deerfield MountainWSW 238°638 m1.3 mi

When to go

Light through the year

DateSunriseGolden hourSunset
March equinox06:5818:2819:06
June solstice05:1019:5820:43
September equinox06:4218:1518:53
December solstice07:2815:3016:18

Local time (America/New_York).

Climate normals

Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Sep.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg °F202131445666716962493828

1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Willsboro 1 N, 7 mi away.

Where this comes from

Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidata
  • USGS Geographic Names Information System feature 960845 — Pokamoonshine Mountain, Essex County, New York.

OpenStreetMap element node/357577633

More peaks in New York

Day trips start here

Drive to it

Byway plans a real route around stops like this one.

Private beta · Free to join

Take the scenic way to Poke-O-Moonshine Mountain.

Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.

Private beta · Free to join · No card · Invite when a spot opens