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| McKenzie Mountain Wilderness Area | |
|---|---|
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| Location | Adirondack ParkNew YorkUSA |
| Nearest city | North River, NY |
| Coordinates | 44°21′50″N73°59′30″W / 44.36395°N 73.99162°W /44.36395; -73.99162 |
| Area | 37,616 acres (152.23 km2) |
| Governing body | New York State Department of Environmental Conservation |
TheMcKenzie MountainWilderness Area, anAdirondack Park unit of theForest Preserve, lies in westernEssex County in the towns ofSt. Armand,North Elba andWilmington. In general, theSaranac River andFranklin Falls Pond border on the north; the Wilmington-Franklin Falls road, theWhiteface Mountain Memorial Highway and the west branch of theAusable River form the eastern boundary; the Saranac Lake-Lake Placid Road,NY 86, forms the southern boundary; and the Saranac River forms the western boundary.
It contains eight bodies of water covering 28 acres (11 hectares), 14.2 miles (22.9 km) offoot trails, and onelean-to.
McKenzie Mountain, sometimes referred to as Saddleback, and Moose Mountain, sometimes called St. Armand Mountain, dominate the topographical features of the area.
McKenzie Pond, from which the village ofSaranac Lake obtains its water supply, forms part of the boundary on the west side as does Moose Pond, but few ponds are encompassed within the boundaries of this area. Bartlett Pond, lying at about 2,800 feet (850 m) altitude on the southeast side of McKenzie Mountain, and Loch Bonnie which is at about 2,900 feet (880 m) altitude on the southeast side of Moose Mountain are, however, in the wilderness.
The area is densely forested with softwoods, with spruce and balsam predominating above the 2,500-foot (760 m) level and mixed hardwoods and softwoods predominating at the lower elevations.
The attractiveness of the area is enhanced by the excellent views that may be obtained from the top of McKenzie Mountain and Moose Mountain. There are numerous spring-fed brooks, mostly on the north slopes of the area. Lincoln Brook and French Brook, with their tributaries originating high on the northwest slopes of Esther Mountain and Whiteface Mountain, are crystal clear trout streams with many scenic spots along their courses.[citation needed]
DEC maintains a foot trail from the pull-off east of theSaranac Lake Golf Course on Route 86 to the top of McKenzie Mountain. TheLake Placid Shore Owners Association trail over private lands along the west shore of Lake Placid is open to those who obtain the association's permission to use it. After leaving private land this trail winds its way to the tops of Moose, McKenzie, Tamarac and Colburn Mountains.[citation needed]
Public access to the area is relatively good from all sides.[citation needed]
