Monday September 18th 2023 - Whetstone Gulf State Park - near Lowville NY - 5.5 miles, about 800 foot elevation change

This is one of my top 5 hikes in NY state.  We did it in a very memorable challenging snowy hike back in April of 2018.  I returned alone in December of 2021.  

This visit was on the way home from a Vermont visit.  We took NY-191 and US-11 from Plattsburgh to Gouverneur and then NY-812, allegedly the quietest state highway in NY down to Lowville.  There were just 1 or 2 other cars in the lot as we headed up the steeply uphill South Rim Trail.  The weather was mild but a little humid.  I'm glad we changed into shorts before heading out.  Visibility into the gorge is better in the winter and it's a little bit early for fall color but this is still a great hike.

It was a gratifying end to a very good long weekend.







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