Ebenezer Mountain

[Dave Bourque]

Driving north on Rt. 9N towards Upper Jay there is a mountain I believe to be Ebenezer Mountain. It has very many open ledges. Views from the top must be outstanding. Some searching on-line indicates it is not public land. It still begs the question, is there a herdpath up this mountain and/or do the property owners allow access? Any information would be appreciated.

Thanks

[dundee]

According to BMcM in her 1988 edition of Discover the Northern ADKs, she says that Ebenezer is private, but does list directions.

from Upper Jay drive 1.2 miles to a parking area on the SEe of road. Across from it you go thru a field and bear 295 true to get to the summit.

I have no idea whether this access is still current. Bill Ingersoll may see this and give more up-to-date info.

[Vinegar]

Saw your post on the other forum where someone identified this as The Cobbles. Lots of public land there, attached is a quick view -- the shaded areas are public. Don't know where you'd park but a drive down Bartlett road might have some options. Hope this helps!

[Dave Bourque]

Thanks for the responses. I'm pretty certain the mountain I'm talking about is Ebenezer. It is just north of Upper Jay. You see it as you are driving north on Rt. 9N towards Upper Jay. I have some follow-up information I received from a friend. The entire mountain is owned by Wellscroft Ice House LLC. On-line lists a Vermont address and not much more. I still wonder if there are any herdpaths??

[adkh20]

Reviving this old thread....

The following DEC rescue report has several mentions of "the trail" on Ebenezer Mountain. Does anyone know if there is public access to this trail?

----
Town of Jay
Essex County
Rescue: On Jan. 21 at 6:25 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from a subject advising that a 16-year-old female from Wilmington hiking Ebenezer Mountain had fallen 15 feet off a trail and possibly fractured her femur. The subject was immobile and stuck on a small ledge. Under Lt. Charles Platt's authority, five Rangers responded to Ebenezer Mountain for a rope rescue and a carry out. Rangers reached the subject at 7:55 p.m. and carefully packaged her for a carry out, which began at 9:30 p.m. Three low-angle rope belays were used to lower her down the trail. Rangers reached the bottom of the trail by 10:30 p.m. and the subject was released to Ausable Forks EMS for transfer and initial evaluation. Initial assessment by EMS showed the subject had possible fractures in the hip, femur, and ankle. The subject was then loaded in the ambulance and taken to CVPH Medical Center in Plattsburgh for treatment. The incident concluded at 10:54 p.m.

[TCD]

Older topo maps show a trail or a jeep trail coming in from the north. The trail originates as a spur from a trail connecting Perkins Rd (off Hardy Rd) with Stonehouse Rd (off 9N). The indicated trail appears to lead to three structures in a col E of Ebenezer. Everything described above is on private land. Per the public maps at Essex County GIS, the land along this route is owned variously by "Wellscroft Ice House LLC" and Martin Schwalbaum. So those landowners would be who to contact to request permission to travel in that area.

[Festus]

I thought Martin passed away a few years back. His operation still has a website and is worth checking out - www.4peaks.com He was a real character!

[Wellscroft_Icehouse]

Hi everyone, yes, Martin passed away two years ago I believe and the property went to his son. The front cliffs of Ebenezer, as well Winch and parts of Rattlesnake belong to our property in Upper Jay (and are posted Wellscroft Ice House llc). There is no public access to any of the trails from our side - please don't just trespass - it's private land ;-). However if you'd like to get in touch with any questions, feel free to contact us at icehouseupperjay@gmail.com. We'll be very happy to connect with ADK forum members!

[adkh20]

I thought Martin passed away a few years back. His operation still has a website and is worth checking out - www.4peaks.com He was a real character!

A great story about this property and the former owner:

http://www.adirondacklifemag.com/blogs/2018/11/08/four-peaks/

[Dave Bourque]

Update. The Adirondack Land Trust has purchased nearby property. It's called Four Peaks. There is a much longer thread on the High Peaks Forum. The links and the story are below;

https://www.adirondacklandtrust.org/Story/15

https://www.adkhighpeaks.com/forums/forum/hiking/adirondack-mountain-hiking/27119-ebenezer-mountain

23 May 2018
The Adirondack Land Trust today announced the purchase of Four Peaks, a 600-acre tract in the towns of Jay and Wilmington adjacent to Wilmington Wild Forest's Beaver Brook tract, which is popular for mountain biking, trail running, hiking and hunting.

“We believe this acquisition will help spread the positive impact of mountain biking in Adirondack communities while maintaining the intact forest between Bassett Mountain, Wainwright Mountain, Ebenezer Mountain and Rattlesnake Knob,” said Adirondack Land Trust board chairman Bill Paternotte. “Our objectives are to make the Adirondack Park a better place to live, work and play, and this project helps advance all of those goals.”

In Wilmington, mountain biking is powering a revival of small businesses catering to cyclists. In 2017, Wilmington was named one of “America’s 20 Best Mountain Bike Towns” by National Geographic. The community hosts a variety of trail systems built mainly by Barkeater Trails Alliance (BETA) in partnership with the Adirondack Mountain Club and Student Conservation Association. BETA is a volunteer-driven organization that maintains over 100 miles of ski and bike trails across six Adirondack towns.

New York State has identified the Four Peaks tract in its Open Space Conservation Plan for the potential to expand multi-use recreational opportunities from the Beaver Brook trail network (known locally as Hardy Road), which features 8.5 miles of single-track bike trail. The Land Trust will conduct an ecological inventory to ensure that future trails are sited with consideration of conservation values. The Land Trust will consult with partners (BETA, Town of Jay, Town of Wilmington, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation[NYSDEC]) to plan trails that connect the Wilmington network to Jay. The land remains closed to public recreation in the meantime.

“In recent years, the success of mountain bike development in Wilmington and surrounding communities can be attributed to the incredible dedication of BETA’s members and volunteers, and partnerships with NYSDEC, municipalities, private landowners, and organizations like the Adirondack Land Trust,” said BETA executive director Josh Wilson. “We look forward to working with the Land Trust to plan for future public use of the property via a diverse, sustainable and interconnected network of trails for human-powered recreation.”

“The Town of Jay looks forward to working with partners to expand our recreational offerings,” added Jay town supervisor Archie Depo.

Lake Placid Land Conservancy last year acquired land that enabled construction of a new 1.5-mile mountain bike trail connecting Wilmington’s community center to Hardy Road.

The Adirondack Land Trust worked with the estate of the late Martin Schwalbaum to honor his wish to conserve Four Peaks, which he had managed as a low-impact cabin resort. The purchase price was $509,000; the Adirondack Land Trust expects to incur $700,000 in cumulative costs before anticipated transfer to New York State as Forest Preserve.

Founded in 1984, the Adirondack Land Trust works to protect farms and forests, undeveloped shoreline, scenic vistas and other lands contributing to the quality of life of our communities as well as the wildness and rural character of the Adirondacks. The land trust has protected 23,637 acres to date.

To learn more, visit adirondacklandtrust.org or contact info@adirondacklandtrust.org, (518) 576-2400.

[dundee]

Thanks, Dave!