Backpacking the Southern Side of North Fork Mountain

There are places in this world that make you feel small in the best way possible—places where the earth beneath your feet humbles you with how ancient and strong it is. North Fork Mountain is one of those places for me.

I have hiked both ends of this mountain, on the north side there’s Chimney Top, a challenging hike with a big payout at the end with stacks of chimney-like sandstone. The south end is less challenging as the parking area is at a higher elevation. You can hike as long as you’d like here, making it a single day or muti-day trek, but the real magic of this hike isn’t just the final destination—it’s everything in between.

A Trail Above the World

The first 1.5 miles of the hike is a series of endless invitations to step off the main path and onto rocky outcroppings, each one offering a better view than the last. Below, the towns stretch out like a tiny model village, while in the distance, Spruce Knob stands tall, a familiar giant on the horizon. To the north, the mountains near Seneca Rocks rise like sentinels, watching over the valley. If you choose to go far enough, you’ll reach High Top, a knob known for its breathtaking view of Seneca itself.

The beauty of this trail isn’t just in its views, though—it’s in the way the mountains flows. Much of the hike follows the ridgeline, making for an easy, meandering journey for the first two miles. It’s a perfect warm up. About two miles in, the trail demands a little more from you with some elevation changes. The reward? Even more opportunities to sit among ancient rock formations, where time itself seems frozen in layers of sediment.

The Magic of the Mountains

The ever changing weather on this ridge is a reminder of why I find mountains so mesmerizing. During the day, the sun bathes the ridgeline in warmth, pushing the temperature up. Occasionally a storm rolls through and you get a beautiful perspective of a storm.  As night falls so do the temperatures, and at this elevation with the winds, it can be a sharp contrast to the daytime temperatures. This is the magic of the mountains—how quickly they shift, how they keep you on your toes, how they demand both respect and presence.

There are beautiful sections of evergreens on this trail where everything feels so still and at peace. A stillness you can only find in wild places. Standing on the mountain, with the wind moving through the trees, the rock beneath me solid and unshaken, I felt connected to something ancient and sacred.

A Place to Return To

North Fork Mountain has long been one of my favorite places to backpack, and my last trip only solidified that feeling. We were lucky enough to catch a lunar eclipse as the moon came up and the light of the full moon lit our tent all night.

There’s a power in walking these ridges, in tracing the lines of the earth with your own two feet. Out there, with nothing but the sound of the wind and the distant call of birds, I am reminded of my place in the world—small, but deeply connected.