Hiking Poke-O-Moonshine

Poke-O-Moonshine is one of the easier climbs in the Adirondack Park. The mountain's name seems to come from two Algonquin Indian words, "Pohqui" and "moosie", which mean "broken" and "smooth" which perfectly describes the huge chunks of granite that thrust up out of the earth along the trail. This is only the second mountain I hiked in the Adirondacks. At the top there's 360 degree views of the High Peaks, the Green Mountains in Vermont, Lake Champlain, and the Champlain Valley.
The original, 3.5-mile, round-trip Ranger Trail that I hiked ascends 1,280 feet from the trailhead in the Poke-O-Moonshine Day Use Area to the summit. This steep trail has been upgraded with stone steps, trail rerouting, and access to photogenic rock features. This is the most popular route up the mountain, but also the shortest and steepest, rating a black diamond on the Champlain Area Trails map.