The Santanoni Range: Santanoni, Couchsachraga, and Panther Peaks
Restless Meanderer contains affiliate links and is a member of the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you make a purchase using one of these Amazon links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you. Read my disclaimer for more information. *Updated to include Amazon outbound links August 4th, 2023
I have a love/hate relationship with the Santanoni Range in New York. This is a trio of mountains in the High Peaks Wilderness of the Adirondacks (learn about another trio, HaBaSa, at my post here). The three mountains in this range that are part of the 46 4,000 footers of the Adirondacks are Santanoni Peak, Couchsachraga Peak, and Panther Peak.
Santanoni Peak has an elevation of 4,607ft and is ranked 14th on the Adirondack 46er list. Panther Peak is ranked 18th with an elevation of 4,442ft. Couchsachraga Peak is the smallest of the Adirondack 46ers and it actually only comes in at 3,820ft.
And if you have interest in reading about another range in the High Peaks Wilderness, be sure to check out: Seward Range Hike: Seymour, Seward, Donaldson, and Emmons.
Couchsachraga Peak is not technically one of the 4,000 footers since it does not have an elevation over that mark, but due to an error in original measurements it was put on the list. Because of tradition, this little peak in the Santanoni Range remains on the list as one of the 46 that hikers have to complete to become a true 46er.
This post contains the following sections:
- Parking at Upper Works
- The Loop
- Hiking to Santanoni Peak
- Knocking Off Couchsachraga Peak
- Enjoying Panther Peak
- Hiking Out
- Camping Option
- Other Ways to Complete the Santanoni Range
Parking at Upper Works for the Santanoni Range
To hike the Santanoni Range you will need to park at the trailhead along the Upper Works Road in Newcomb, NY. This trailhead is technically at the beginning of Santanoni Road but further down the road is for walking only, no cars. You should be able to use a map like this National Geographic one to find the parking, though for this particular hike the trails will not be on such a map.
Upper Works Road is off of Tahawus Road (also appears as Eaton Lane on Apple Maps) which is a turn northward from route 28N in Newcomb. It is narrow and windy but in my experience has always been very smooth to drive down with only a few potholes here and there. Note I have not been down this road in the winter though and conditions could be very different then.
The coordinates for this trailhead are 44.06907, -74.06149. There will be a decent sized parking area off the left side of the road with a sign for the Santanoni Range. There are many turn offs on the road that you can park at if this lot is full, but the signage for the actual lot for this trail should be very obvious and is about 9.5 miles or 15-20 minutes from route 28N.
The Santanoni Range Loop
I met up with a group of three other ladies (including my great friend Rachael who appears in a lot of these photos!) around 4:30am at the trailhead for the Santanoni Range. Our goal was to hit all three peaks in the Santanoni Range that day. We decided to do the loop clockwise which would allow us to hit Santanoni Peak first, Couchsachraga Peak second, and Panther Peak third.
Why We Chose to do the Loop Clockwise
We wanted to hike Santanoni Peak first because we wanted to hike up the Santanoni Express instead of down it. The Santanoni Express is a shorter route to the summit and while it is a steep trail, it is nicer on the knees to go up a trail like this rather than down.
The benefit to the Santanoni Express is that it is the shortest route to Santanoni Peak’s summit. Going the other way through the Santanoni Range, you would have to hike past Bradley Pond, Panther Peak, and the turn off to Couchsachraga Peak before reaching the summit of Santanoni. Hiking back over all those trails would make for a very long day.
Either way you do the Santanoni Range loop, Couchsachraga will be second. If you aren’t doing the range as a loop then you have a lot of options actually. I talk about this in one of the last sections of this post, Other Ways to Complete the Santanoni Range.
Know the Trail and Get Those Views!
The trails in the Santanoni Range are easy to follow, but many are classic Adirondack herd paths. There are lots of rocks and roots and they are not consistently maintained and not marked. Make sure to read a map before going on your hike to understand where you plan on going and where your turn will be at each fork.
I recommend saving Panther for your third summit if you have a nice weather day because the best views in the Santanoni Range are definitely on top of Panther Peak. This is a great way to end the day before heading back to the car.
Trail Stats:
Mileage: 16.1mi
Elevation Gain: 4,573ft
Date Hiked: August 22, 2020
Moving Time: 11h
Parking:
Santanoni Trailhead on Upper Works Road in Newcomb, NY or
44.06907, -74.06149
Hiking to Santanoni Peak (Part 1 of the Santanoni Range)
Starting from the Santanoni Range trailhead on Upper Works Road, you will hike about 1.8 miles to reach the first fork in the trail. Over this distance you only gain about 200ft elevation so this is a great time to warm up your legs as you walk through the woods.
At this first fork turn right (head north) to veer off Santanoni Road and begin walking on the Bradley Pond Trail. After another 1.8 miles or so you should reach a second fork. This section of the trail will have you increase very gradually totaling around 800ft elevation gain by the second fork.
Drink lots of water too! I always have 32 ounce Nalgenes in my bag while I am hiking because they are so light and durable. The narrow mouth ones are great for chugging water lol while the wide mouth ones are easier to clean if you use them for something like Nuun tablets (electrolytes).
Santanoni Express
If you want to complete the Santanoni Range clockwise and hike up Santanoni Peak first via the Santanoni Express, continue westward at this second fork (turn left) instead of walking northward (keeping to the right). Northward would eventually bring you to the Bradley Pond campsites and allow you to tackle Panther Peak first in the counterclockwise loop of the range.
You can also connect to other trails in the Adirondacks by continuing northward (like the Seward Range) but I have not personally done this so I recommend doing your research if you plan on going that way. I do not immediately know of any other day hikes you can do starting at the Santanoni Range trailhead besides the Santanoni Range itself.
From that left turn you made at the second fork, you will have begun the Santanoni Express trail. This trail is about 1.5 miles. You begin the trail hiking next to a brook but eventually veer away from the water and start climbing up rocks towards Santanoni Peak.
Santanoni Express, as I mentioned, is very steep but very doable. It was not technically challenging in my opinion, but it was certainly tiring climbing up that trail. In the 1.5 miles you will be consistently hiking over large rocks and gain about 1800ft of elevation!
Summit of Santanoni Peak
After this 1.5 mile climb up the Santanoni Express Trail you will meet up with the Santanoni Trail. From this junction, turn left (go south) and it is less than a quarter mile to the summit of Santanoni Peak. In this quarter mile there is maybe 50ft of elevation gain, so essentially it is flat.
At the summit of Santanoni Peak you can be proud of completing your first peak in the Santanoni Range trio! The summit is quite small but there is a flat angled rock to sit on behind a boulder that holds maybe four people or so.
When I was on the summit it was pretty cloudy with the clouds sitting very low in the sky so I couldn’t see very far, but it was still gorgeous seeing the mountains rise up around us. The clouds lifted alittle as we sat there but not fully. On a clear day I believe you could see Couchsachraga from the summit of Santanoni and I would have loved to see that because I always find it very humbling to see where you still have to hike in your day.
Either way, this summit did not disappoint because there was open space to sit, room to stretch, and brief mountain views! So many trees on the slopes that were a beautiful dark green as the clouds were still casting shadows over the mountainsides.
Knocking Off Couchsachraga Peak (Part 2 of the Santanoni Range)
From Santanoni Peak, it is a 1.1 mile hike with a descent of 300ft to reach the junction known as Times Square. At this junction, the trails for all three peaks in the Santanoni Range intersect. This is one spot you definitely want to double check your map so you know you’re heading to the right peak!
If you are coming from Santanoni Peak and plan to hit Couchsachraga next, at Times Square you will turn left (head west). The summit of Couchsachraga Peak is a long 1.7 miles away. In this part of the trail you have to actually descend around 800ft to the infamous Couchsachraga bog and climb another 300ft or so to reach the summit.
If you have trekking poles, make sure you have them out before you cross the bog. They are very helpful!
The Couchsachraga Bog
The Couchsachraga bog was just as swampy as I was expecting. It wasn’t so much mud as it was just wet, squishy, mossy, squelching dirt. It is highly likely that your foot will get wet at this point of the hike.
So of course, I’m going to recommend to you my all time favorite hiking socks- Darn Tough! The midweight men’s and women’s are my favorite but I recently acquired a lightweight pair that I love as well! I always recommend my friends wear these and have an extra pair in the pack.
The distance across the bog is very short, so don’t worry about spending all day there. Just take your time and you’ll be fine.
My group precariously picked our way over the bog. Luckily we were the first group there so we didn’t run into anyone on the way out to Couchsachraga (though we did on the way back). It made it a little tricky when multiple people were trying to cross over narrow spots going in opposite directions.
It was very helpful to have trekking poles at this point too because you could test if different spots were shallow or deep and whether logs and moss would hold your weight or not before you stepped on them. I have a pair of Eddie Bauer Trekking Poles that I have loved using. They are a great starter pair of poles because they are affordable, extremely lightweight, fully adjustable, and have a shock-absorbing tip to help reduce some of the impact as you’re hiking!
Wooded and Viewless
Couchsachraga Peak is the lowest of the 46 high peaks in the Adirondacks. The summit is wooded without much of a view and it is quite small. A little disappointing to reach after the elevation loss descending to the bog and having to climb the rocks back up to the summit.
This peak in the Santanoni Range is often only completed by those hikers looking to complete all 46 of the Adirondack high peaks. Since there is no view, it is a long trek to get there, and the bog can be annoying to get across, usually people aren’t looking for the experience of this hike but just to complete a checklist. Then again, every hike is a journey on its own so it’s up to you to decide if it’s worth tackling!
After this trek out to the summit to knock off the second peak of the Santanoni Range, you have to turn around and head all the way back to Times Square, going over the bog again. This part of the hike definitely felt really long but nothing was too difficult. Picking our way across the bog took the most time and involved the most mental concentration but nothing was technically challenging.
Enjoying Panther Peak (Part 3 of the Santanoni Range)
Once back at Times Square I was pretty excited because we only had one peak left to go to complete the Santanoni Range and we were having beautiful weather! The clouds had lifted on our way to Couchsachraga and we were having a wonderful day.
Getting to the Summit
Continuing the loop, only maybe 0.1 miles away is Herald Square. This junction is very similar to Times Square in that multiple trails connect at the same spot. From here, you can continue the loop to Bradley Pond or do the offshoot to Panther Peak (of course we did this offshoot).
There is a very large rock in Herald Square that someone has scratched the letters “TS” into with one arrow and “P” with another arrow. These pointers are to help guide hikers from Herald Square towards either Times Square or Panther Peak.
If you are completing the Santanoni Range loop clockwise like my group did, you will approach Herald Square from the south. This means at the junction that Panther Peak will be to the north (left turn) and Bradley Pond will be to the east (right turn). My group followed the “P” arrow to hit our last mountain of the day.
Panther Peak is only about a quarter mile from the Herald Square junction and the elevation gain is less than 200ft. There’s a quick scramble and some walking on an open rock face, but this leads you to my favorite summit of the day!
Don’t Miss the Summit Sign
You will approach a large, flat, bare rock area and this is where the views are! Follow the trail just a few yards into the trees where the actual sign is for Panther but at the summit sign there are no views and the area is very cramped so it’s best to enjoy the peak back on that open rock area.
Best Views of the Day
There was a ton of space to walk around and take in the magnificent views. The summit definitely wasn’t as big as some others in the Adirondacks but a few groups could still share the space here which was great. My group paused to enjoy the beautiful weather and have some snacks.
A few snack ideas in case you are curious what to bring: Salty (goldfish, cheez-its), Sweet (Honeystingers, Twizzlers), filling Clif Bars.
This spot easily had the best views of the day! It was afternoon at this point so all the clouds had risen and you could see for miles! That feeling never gets old and it always reminds me why I love hiking so much.
From atop Panther Peak you can enjoy your accomplishment of hiking all three peaks in the Santanoni Range! All you have left to do is walk back to the car!
Finishing the Santanoni Range and Hiking Out
Sit and enjoy the views on Panther but once you are ready to start heading home, hike back down to Herald Square. From here you will need to continue on the herd path down from Panther Peak about 1.4 miles back to the Bradley Pond Trail.
Brutal Descent from Panther Peak
In this 1.4 mile section of the trail you lose about 1,400ft of elevation so yes, this is very steep. However, it is still not quite as steep as the Santanoni Express which is why many hikers prefer to go down this way.
There are lots of large rocks that you have to take your time going down which can slow hikers down a bit. At portions like this I like to put my trekking poles away and use my hands to lower myself. You get dirty but it’s much quicker and gives your legs a break!
The trail follows a brook for a bit which is a great spot to refill your water. The area around the brook can be extra slippery after a rainfall but it wasn’t bad while my group was hiking down this day. The worst part about it was the stress on your knees as you had to lower yourself from rock to rock and it seemed never ending.
Easy Miles Back to the Car
Once you finally link back up with the Bradley Pond Trail (around here is where the Bradley Pond campsites are) it’s about 0.6 miles and a 200ft elevation loss to the junction that led you up the Santanoni Express. And from there the 3.6 miles back to your car at the trailhead.
Remember in that 3.6 miles you only have to descend another 1,000ft or so, so at this point you’ve already done most of the downhill coming from Panther Peak. The total distance from the top of Panther Peak to the trailhead comes out to be around 5.6 miles.
Camping Option
The campsites at Bradley Pond are a fantastic option for hikers who don’t want to complete the entire Santanoni Range as a day hike or want to avoid the Santanoni Express. They allow you to get the initial hike in out of the way so that you can hit all three peaks the next day or provide a great resting spot at the end of a long day allowing you to just hike the 4 or so miles out in the morning.
Getting There
To go to Bradley Pond as your first stop in your hike you will have to hike the 3.6 miles in from the trailhead and stay right (head north) at the second fork- the one where turning left takes you to the Santanoni Express. Then it is maybe three quarters of a mile to the Bradley Pond Lean-To.
To hit this spot at the end of your day, read my section above, Finishing the Santanoni Range and Hiking Out, to see how to reach this spot after coming down from Panther Peak.
Setting Up Camp
By the Bradley Pond Lean-To I have read there are 3 other designated campsites to set up your tent or hammock. You should see the yellow campsite markers on the trees with arrows pointing into the woods to where the campsites are.
In this area of the Adirondacks you are also allowed to set up camp on your own if you follow the rule of staying 150+ feet from any trail or water and are below 3,500ft.
Hiking the Santanoni Range from Camp
With the Bradley Pond campsites, one could break up the Santanoni Range into a two or three day hike easily. You can hike in, complete everything the next day and hike out or you can hike in and camp, complete the range, camp again, and hike out the third day.
One could still do the Santanoni Range as a loop as well, but the con to camping and then doing this is that you either have to carry your overnight bag with you over the entire range or you have to add on extra miles coming to or from the campsite to grab it.
Other Ways to Complete the Santanoni Range
As I have mentioned, my group completed the Santanoni Range as a loop and we hiked it clockwise. Of course one could also decide to do this same loop but counterclockwise. This means you would pass by Bradley Pond first, ascend Panther, hit Couchsachraga the same way, and end by going down the Santanoni Express.
Another option would be to use the Bradley Pond campsites and plan your hike around your priorities. If you are staying at the campsites you no longer have to complete the Santanoni Range as a loop. The three peaks in the range could be completed in any order if you are starting at Bradley Pond and heading back the same way.
If you want to prioritize views you can plan your hike so you are on Panther Peak during the best weather. Or maybe you are a sunrise hiker or enjoy the sunny afternoons when the clouds have lifted.
If you want to get the farthest out of the way first you can head right to Times Square and do Couchsachraga. This one is the most draining so it might be a good idea to check it off in case you decide you can’t complete the whole range this time. Then you won’t have to come back for it.
If you want to go to the end of the trail first and work your way back towards Bradley Pond you can hike to Santanoni Peak and decide after which peak to hit second. Since Herald Square and Times Square are so close and all the trails stem from those two junctions, you can hike all three peaks in any order you prefer.
Choose the Right Pack for Your Hike
Make sure that whatever way you choose to complete the Santanoni Range, you have the correct pack size. Backpacks range from day pack sizes to weekend ones to giant thru-hiking ones! And if you are camping or tend to carry more items on a day hike, then you might need a bigger pack than another hiker.
My favorite brand is Osprey because I really enjoy the style and fit of their products. Below I’ve linked a few options I found on Amazon for different sizes. However, I recommend going to the Osprey website to learn more about the different types of packs or to a local outfitter store to chat with a gear expert.
In Summary
The Santanoni Range shows you a little bit of everything that the Adirondacks has to offer- rock scrambles, swampy terrain, and expansive views. This is a very underrated hike and I think the deterrence is often the long hike in or the infamous bog. Don’t let these discourage you because this trail makes for an amazing day hike and is one you’ll be talking about for years to come!
Thank you for reading and if you have any questions feel free to leave a comment below or send me an email! If you’re interested in reading more posts about hiking the Adirondack 46, click here! Lastly, check out my Hiking page to find more posts about where I’ve been and what I recommend.
