Lyon of the North Traditional Cache
snowfreak37: Had a good time placing these and reading all the logs. Just a hard time maintaining these that far out.
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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Parking
The trailhead parking area to Lyon Mountain is at the end of an unnamed gravel road. It is marked with a large brown and yellow DEC sign. It is roughly 8/10ths of a mile to the summer parking area. This road is not plowed in the winter so it will add another .8 mile oneway on your hike/snowshoe. Keep in mind this cache will be very difficult if not impossible to free from its location during the winter.
The View
Lyon Mountain is a mountain that stands alone in the northeast corner of the Adirondack Park. The mountain is named for Nathaniel Lyon, an early settler of the area who moved from Vermont in 1803 and died circa 1850. Located less than 30 miles west of Plattsburgh,NY and within 40 miles of the Canadian border, this mountain is truly on the fringe. Another aspect of the mountain is that there are no other sizeable mountains in the immediate vicinity, making Lyon the most prominent feature of the region. Lyon Mountain elevation of 3830' is higher than Couchsachraga which is one of the famed 46, yet it did not make the cut at the time the list was made. A 35' steel fire tower was recently renovated and allows great views of Chazy Lake, Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains to the east, Montreal skyline to the northeast, Chateauguay Lake to the north, the High Peaks to the south. One can also see a few large windfarms in the Champlain Valley below.
Which trail should I take?
The old 2.5 mile Lyon Mountain Trail was very steep and difficult. It was also vulnerable to erosion. ADK’s Professional Trail Crew recently completed work cutting a new 3.5 mile trail that takes a more leisurely route, incorporating 11 switchbacks in some of the steepest sections. Two new bridges were also constructed. The new trail section provides a more scenic walk and passes many exposed bedrock outcrops. The new trail branches off the old one after a short walk from the parking lot. It is marked with a brown sign and yellow arrow. The trail is very well marked. Please read the related web page to decide which trail you would like to take to the summit. The new trail joins the old trail just before the summit. The cache is after this intersection, so it doesn't matter which trail you take. Once you have found the cache its a short quick climb to the summit/firetower.
A hidden trail to view Averill Peak
If your not too tired from your caching/hiking experience there is another well defined herd path at the summit of this mountain. I have included a waypoint because its hard to find the begining of this herd path. I love this trail because its a relatively flat walk with another fine view. It is roughly another quarter mile/.25 from the Lyon Mountain fire tower to this fine view. You will walk for awhile and come to a large clear cut area. Rock cairns ,a pile of rocks, mark this entrance and the other for your return hike. You need to turn left at this clear cut area and walk to the end. Scan the area and look for another rock cairn, enter the woods here and follow the remainder of the herd path to the lookout. The mountain with the large antenna is Averill Peak.
Lyon Mountain elevation: between 3,820 and 3,840 ft.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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