Taking on the Tongue Range: Lake George’s Best-Kept Backpacking Gem
In the midst of the Adirondacks’ best season, we took on the Tongue Range to summit 6 of the LG12. Here's how we hiked them all in one overnight trip...
As a lover of lists, I found myself without a hiking one for the first time in what felt like forever. I chased summit after summit across the Northeast for years, but after completing my hardest challenge yet (the Northeast Ultra 8) this past July, I hadn’t thought of what was next.
I knew I wanted a new goal, but a doable one with my dog Poppy. My friend Liz suggested the Lake George 12ster. My only true experiences in Lake George were of Stewart’s stops en route to the Adirondacks, so I hadn’t really stepped onto the trails there. But as with every area I decide to explore, I’m constantly impressed by what I find when I don’t have many expectations. After two incredible camping trips in Lake George in August, Poppy and I were halfway through the list.
As luck would have it, Liz and her friend planned to wrap up the Lake George 12ster with a fun-filled finale – backpacking the Tongue Range. I instantly asked if we could join in on the adventure. Turns out, I had the Tongue Range saved on my list of future hikes for the last few years after seeing a few beautiful shots on trail—never really realizing it was part of a challenge at all. I kept pursuing other longer days and pushing this one further down the list. It’s a beautiful moment when things come together because now I found myself with this hike at the top of my list that I get to hike with the friend who urged me to go for those mountains.
In the midst of the Adirondacks’ best season, four of us (and Poppy) met at Deer Leap to take on the Tongue Range. Here’s how it went:
SATURDAY
9 AM- We left one car at the Clay Meadow Trailhead (Lake Shore Dr, Bolton Landing, NY 12814) and another at Deer Leap (Silver Bay, Deer Leap Trail, Silver Bay, NY 12874). We embarked on Deer Leap with heavy packs and full hearts as we were thrilled to be outside during foliage season. It’s tougher as we’re getting older to plan a weekend away that aligns with everyone’s schedule and the weather conditions. We were in for a treat it felt like.
That treat melted a couple miles later as we warmed up. Packs felt heavier. Fall felt like summer. It’s been an unseasonably warm start to autumn, but with no rain in the forecast, our spirits remained high.
Making our way along the trail, we summitted Brown (1966’), Huckleberry (2232’), Five Mile (2256’), and finally, Fifth Peak (1813’). Four mountains on the Lake George 12ster list. The only memorable peak of this part of the range was the finale – Fifth Peak. Our home for the evening after six miles and 2,000 feet of elevation gain.
It was around 1 P.M. when we settled into the Fifth Peak lean-to. We unloaded our big packs and took out what we needed to our smaller day packs.
1:30 PM- We headed out for the afternoon portion on the itinerary – featuring more hiking, more sweating, and more eating. Essentially what backpacking is. This leg of the trip would be much lighter gear-wise. We planned an out-and-back to French Point (1756’) and First Peak (1586’), the final two Lake George 12ster peaks in the Tongue Range. This was arguably the toughest part of the day, but it came with the best views. The out-and-back was a total of 7.3 miles with 2,800 feet of elevation gain. We took breaks at the summits to take in the view, rest our legs, and eat snacks before heading back to camp.
At this point, none of us were excited about the back portion of the out-and-back. We descended and ascended a lot, and knew very well what that would mean. Thus, we weren’t looking forward to it. Especially knowing we’d make it back to camp after dark.
But as all hiking goes, we put one foot in front of the other. We were all chatting and before we knew it, we found ourselves on a bit of exposed rock in a small clearing, with about a mile to go. We looked up and realized we stumbled upon an open view of the sunset. I gave up on my hope to see the sunset from a visible spot earlier in the afternoon based on where we were and the time of day. The day had been an adventure already, so I told myself, onwards and upwards. When we reached a spot where we had a wide opening to watch the sunset, I couldn’t believe it. It made the moment all the more memorable.
It started out tame. Just a subtle, faded pink. Then the sunset came alive with a blazing fire of deep purples and oranges encompassing the entire sky above the stacked layers of deep blue mountains in the distance. We spent some time soaking it in. I ate my first Nerds cluster. What a time.
After the sun set behind the mountains, we took out headlamps and hiked back to our lean-to.
7:30 PM - It was my first time sleeping in a lean-to! The Fifth Peak lean-to felt new because of how well-maintained (or untraveled) it was. We packed a tent, in case the lean-to was occupied, but thankfully we didn’t need to use it. As a result, no tent breakdown in the morning. We called it a night after preparing some delicious dinner, Peak Refuel’s White Chicken Chili for me (with a single serving of Cholula’s of course) and Oreos for a little sweet treat.
SUNDAY
6 AM- We woke up to sip hot coffee and watch the sunrise. This was my first time trying out Alpine Start’s instant coffee and it was perfect!
Our bodies ached, but our hearts were full, knowing what we accomplished yesterday. The lean-to is eastward facing, so the sunrise was seen through the trees. Fifth Peak’s summit slowly began to wake up with the sun. There’s a small viewpoint down from the Fifth Peak lean-to of a sliver of Lake George encompassed by fog that was a lovely sight to see.
The slow pack-up process began. It was slow going because we did not want the trip to end, and because we should have stretched before bed. Packing was so much easier this time around than it was when I first backpacked on the Northville-Placid Trail. We drank all our water by this point and ate all our food (aside from small snacks). Our packs were instantly loads lighter.
Poppy rocked her own pack on the trail. This was her first backpacking trip!
7:45 AM- We hiked down the .2 miles along the Fifth Peak Lean-to Trail to the fork, continued another .5 along the Tongue Mountain Range Trail, and finished with two miles on the Five Mile Point Trail to our car parked at Clay Meadows. A total of 2.7 miles and only 175 feet of elevation gain. We dropped nearly 1,500 feet though.
9:30 AM – After a drop-off at our other car spot, we were off to a nearby diner for a well-earned breakfast before all heading home.
Notes:
Rattlesnakes and bees - The Tongue Range is known for its rattlesnake habitat. Given the time of year, we weren’t worried about this, but it is something to keep in mind dependent on the season. Additionally, bees and wasps were abundant.
Rough terrain - The Tongue Range can be made into a loop. I did not hike the loop. Part of the Tongue Range, if you’re completing the loop, was wrecked by storms two years ago, and there has been a wonderful amount of trail maintenance to improve the trails on that section since. However, some hiker reviews still mention the damage. The out-and-back we did was in an effort to be able to drop packs off at the lean-to, and to avoid the rougher part of the Tongue Range.
Is the Lake George 12ster on your list? Would you tackle the Tongue Range in a day, or take it all in with an extra day?
If you’re also a list lover, check out these hiking challenges in the Northeast:
Kayak Camping is the Superior Way to Explore Michigan’s Isle Royale National Park
No roads. No cars. Little to no service. My kind of vacation.
Isle Royale is one of the few parks that require travelers to arrive by ferry or seaplane. Here’s how we spent five days in Isle Royale National Park with the Keweenaw Adventure Company:
Every summer I gear up to accomplish one of my yearly goals: visiting two new national parks. With my visit to Virgin Islands National Park in the spring, I set my sights on another remote island park in a state I had yet to visit: Michigan’s Isle Royale National Park.
Being on a remote island in the U.S. felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Since my thru-hike in the most isolated corner of the Adirondacks, I have found myself gravitating to quieter, off-the-beaten path (quite literally in the case of Isle Royale) places.
No roads. No cars. Little to no service.
My kind of vacation.
Not only is Isle Royale Michigan’s only national park, but it is also one of the few parks that require travelers to arrive by ferry or seaplane. It’s also only open seasonally (closed from November to mid-April), and typically it is the least visited park in the lower 48.
As I get closer to visiting all 63 U.S. national parks, I try to find special ways to explore them. While it is technically possible to see Isle Royale National Park in a day, most visitors say they regret not spending days there. With possible ferry delays due to weather, though these are rare, you could end up only spending a couple hours in this incredible park by limiting your visit to a day trip. There’s something about how wild and vast Isle Royale is that draws you in for longer.
I stumbled on a new-to-me way to explore an island park: kayak camping with the Keweenaw Adventure Company. This company took care of everything—from ensuring my safety while navigating the waters of Lake Superior to providing gourmet meals in the backcountry.
Kayak camping is the superior way to visit Isle Royale National Park because the guides at Keweenaw Adventure Company tailor your trip to your interests. When asked what we wanted to do, our only requirements were seeing the Rock Harbor Lighthouse, getting a hike in, and spending as much time on the water as possible.
Our guide through the Keweenaw Adventure Company took us on an adventure in June 2023 that did just that. Here’s how we spent five days in Isle Royale National Park:
Kayaking along Lake Superior to one of our campsites for the night.
Day 0: Orientation
After exploring Houghton, MI, we made the short, tree-lined trek to quaint Copper Harbor. Prior to the trip, we were required to participate in an orientation. Upon our arrival, we were introduced to Bonesy, our guide for the trip. He asked us to place our belongings for the trip on a wooden table. Then, he handed us three dry bags. Our first task: fit all our desired belongings into the bags. After what felt like an hour, and most likely was given how many things we thought we wanted to take, we were ready to go.
Bonesy instructed us to suit up in our wetsuits, and zip ourselves into our spray skirts. We learned skills like the J-lean and hip snap, along with paddling strokes that would help us navigate the waters of Lake Superior. He demonstrated a self-rescue flawlessly and I was in awe. More awe struck me when he told us we were up next to practice.
I absolutely love the cold and all things winter, but nothing prepares you for such frigid waters. Except this Water Safety Course. The chill tingled down to my toes as I leaned to my right to submerge myself to complete the lesson. He made sure we didn’t forget any crucial steps and despite this being the part I was most nervous about, I am beyond grateful that this was part of the trip. A sense of reassurance poured over us after successfully completing a self-rescue; knowing now that if it did happen in any event, we had skills to tap into to ensure we would be okay.
Day 1: Copper Harbor to Rock Harbor
We arrived to the ferry, a 3-hour ride, from Copper Harbor to Rock Harbor. Our park and ferry fees were included in our tour cost and taken care of so we simply had to walk aboard when it was time. As much as I enjoy being on the water, ferry rides are the only ones I have gotten sick on, so I made use of the motion sickness pills I packed.
The 56-mile ride on the Isle Royale Queen IV flies by as you gaze out the window. Being on the world’s largest freshwater lake felt surreal. When we docked, Park Rangers split up visitors into smaller groups and gave a ten-minute safety talk, including fun call-and-responses to ensure we would remember the tips she was providing visitors with. The most important one? Emergency services are extremely difficult to come by due to the remoteness, so to be careful even with what is considered easy, like hiking.
Entering Isle Royale National Park
After the talk, we were off to snag a campsite nearby. Once we secured our spot, we explored while Bonesy prepared dinner. I don’t usually do guided trips, but this part alone was worth it. To be able to go with the flow and not worry about logistics, or the need to prepare a meal, truly felt like a vacation. My friend and I watched the sun set at 9:30pm. As we returned to our campsite, the smell of stir fry filled the air and soon after both our stomachs and our hearts were full.
Day 2: Rock Harbor to West Caribou Island (Base Camp)
Bonesy took us on a short hike while we were still in Rock Harbor. I was eager to start kayaking to truly start the trip, but he said an early morning hike to Scoville Point made the most sense before starting our adventure on water. And he couldn’t have been more right.
Not even ten minutes into our walk to the trailhead, we turned a corner and were thirty yards away from a moose.
If this was any indication of how the rest of the trip would go, I was in for possibly the best trip of my life. It took years hiking in New Hampshire’s White Mountains to encounter a moose once. Apparently, all I had to do was go for a hike on a remote island off the coast of mainland Michigan to make this dream come true.
We embarked on the Stoll Trail for 4.6 miles (roundtrip) to Scoville Point. A very moderate hike with stunning views of Lake Superior for most of our trek. Bonesy pointed out an eagle’s nest along the trail that I would have missed otherwise. In less than a mile, I had two incredible wildlife views, and we hadn’t started kayaking yet!
Afterwards, we loaded up our kayaks alongside Rock Harbor’s dock. Soon enough we were off to base camp. Two hours and about six miles of paddling took us to West Caribou Island.
While we explored our new home for the next two nights, our dinner was quite the feast when we returned. Despite being in the backcountry, my food tasted gourmet. A major upgrade from last year’s thru-hike meals I prepared myself.
Unreal Meals in the Backcountry
A major perk of this guided trip is that not only are meals delicious and prepared for us, but our tent, camp equipment, water purification, and even bug spray were included in the trip. My friend and I could truly just enjoy ourselves and the wonder of Isle Royale, without having to run through a to-do task list in our minds multiple times day, like other camping trips we’d gone on.
Day 3: Rock Harbor Lighthouse to Daisy Farm
West Caribou Island was a great jumping off point for day adventures. The island has very limited spots for camping as it is only accessible by watercraft. We had a lean-to to ourselves and could offload some gear to go exploring for the day.
Our first stop: Rock Harbor Lighthouse.
I have always had a fascination with lighthouses and couldn’t pass up the chance to paddle up to one, dock there, and head inside.
Afterwards, we ventured off to Daisy Farm – Isle Royale’s largest campground that doubles as the trailhead for Mt. Ojibway, the highest point on the island. The sunshine finally greeted us on this hike after a couple chilly days. Isle Royale’s weather is as everchanging as New England’s – rain jackets and pants one day, a t-shirt and shorts the next.
This hike reminded me of hiking in Acadia – where the land meets the ocean. In Isle Royale’s instance, the land meets the lake. The hike, part of the Greenstone Ridge, is a little over 5 miles and about 1,000 ft of elevation gain. I love a lookout tower view and Mt. Ojibway delivered! Mt. Ojibway’s summit, at 1,150 feet, was the only spot I had phone signal for the entirety of the trip. We ended our evening enjoying a nice campfire back on West Caribou Island and slowly the stars outshined the fire’s flames as the night went on.
Day 4: West Caribou Island (Base Camp) to Merritt Lane
Bonesy knew we were an adventurous pair and at this point had earned our paddling arms (the equivalent of sea legs on a ship to me), so he set his sights on Merritt Lane for our last night. We loaded up the kayaks to backpedal to Rock Harbor, but first made a lunch stop at Three Mile. This would be our longest day in the kayaks, so Bonesy did a great job of breaking it up for us to also see more in the meantime. After Three Mile, we kayaked a little over 2.5 miles to Rock Harbor, giving us the chance to move our legs and buy a couple refreshments from the park store before departing for the last stretch.
Rock Harbor to Merritt Lane
This portion of the trip was roughly four miles, and as we approached Merritt Lane, I couldn’t believe how lucky we were. There was a small opening among the trees just for this site. It felt like we stumbled upon the perfect one. The mosquitoes swiftly brought me back to reality as they were hungrier than I was for dinner. They made sure they ate well. We layered up and ate our final feast, overlooking the water that just days ago felt so foreign and cold, and now felt familial and warm. I truly didn’t want to leave.
Day 5: Merritt Lane to Rock Harbor
Our final paddle was our slowest four and a half miles because I kept resting my paddle on my legs to soak in the moments. In a couple hours, I’d be back on the ferry heading home, and I wasn’t ready to leave. Each paddle stroke was one step closer to leaving a place that I felt so at home in, in only a matter of days.
We splurged on a timed shower token (mostly to not take away from others’ experience on the ferry ride back since we hadn’t showered in days), bought a few postcards, and disposed of the trash we accumulated over our time in the park at the Rock Harbor Camp Store. We settled onto our ferry seats, and after docking in Copper Harbor, I was ready to do it all over again.
Check out our route (including our two hikes) below. The first image is zoomed out to show just how much more there is to explore on Isle Royale, and the second image is zoomed in to show the route we took on our five day kayak camping trip.
Tips:
Bring layers!
I didn’t think we’d face such chilly weather, followed by mosquito-biting summer sunshine, but I’m glad I packed for it.
Pack your camera. You won’t want to miss the wonderful wildlife.
Book your adventure with Keweenaw Adventure Company. It truly made this trip special and stress-free. Give the owner, Raymond, a call at 906-289-4303 or send him an email at info@keweenawadventure.com.
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