Haystack Mountain (Ray Brook)
High Peaks Region • High Peaks Region
Haystack Mountain is a Ray Brook out-and-back in the McKenzie Mountain Wilderness with a long mellow approach, steep finish, and west-facing summit views.
Photo Gallery
Have photos of this hike?
Destination map
Haystack Mountain (Ray Brook)
Map note
This map marks the hiking objective itself.
Route files
Route lines and GPX downloads are available only for selected launch routes. Most destination maps will remain objective-only until a later version.
Route Guidance
Trail Overview
Haystack Mountain near Ray Brook is a Saranac Lake 6er in the McKenzie Mountain Wilderness, sharing its lower approach with the McKenzie Mountain route. The hike begins with relatively gentle forest travel, then turns onto the Haystack Mountain Trail after the McKenzie junction and finishes with a sustained steeper climb to the summit ledge. Hikers go for a moderate-to-strenuous half-day mountain with better views than its wooded approach suggests. The summit looks west and southwest, and the route is a strong progression hike for people who want more than a short 9er but less than a High Peak.