Sawteeth

Sawteeth is an ADK 46er in the High Peaks Wilderness Area of Adirondack Park, New York.
Part of the Great Range of the Adirondack Mountains.
Name comes from the serrated appearance of its summit ridge.
Lies on a spur ridge of the Great Range, which branches off to the southeast from Gothics.

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"Hiked a Armstrong, Gothics, Pyramid, Sawteeth loop from the Ausable Club. I ascended up from Beaver Meadow falls and then over to Armstrong. The clouds at this point were dancing in and out and when I reached Gothics the summit was completely socked in. I sat there and enjoyed some companionship with a few newly made friends and just when we about to leave the clouds lifted, as if someone had hit a lightswitch, leaving us with an amazing view. I continued down over Pyramid and up to Sawteeth before dropping down the Weld Trail and on a side trip to Rainbow Falls. " — Right-On • Oct 10, 2018

"Very long hike. Sawteeth was easy. Getting to Pyramid was steep and difficult. Going to Gothics was easy - and the view was really worth. Going to Armstrong was long. Getting back to the car was never ending." — hiking-Brigitte • Jun 29, 2018

"Successful Lower Great Range loop, with a couple wild and crazy guys! Rocks were a little wet from rain the night before, and the cloud cover stole some summit views, but when we could see the foliage was on point! Being an aspiring 46er is hard when I live in CO, but I’m hoping to knock a few off a year until I get it done!" — LGH-Dan • Oct 14, 2017

"Gnarly day gettin pitted with the bros given her a full send on lower and upper wolfjaw, armstrong, pyramid, gothics, and sawteeth. Not many views due to the clouds but all in all a righteous day. " — LGH-Topple • Oct 14, 2017

"So many "false summits" via the scenic loop. Gorgeous fall day with temps in the mid-70s. Ppemty of outlooks over the Ausable lakes and Indian Head. Afterwards, summited Gothics via epic views on Pyramid Peak." — heyjudeee • Sep 23, 2017

"Nice sunny day, we headed out early along the lake trail. We took the scenic route up along the lake, taking our time. Was a worthy challenge, much like avalanche pass had it gone uphill. The extra few miles were worth it. We debated strongly about Pyramid and Gothics, but realizing that we would get them both on another day, decided to head back. After a short visit to rainbow falls, we made our way back to the car. My third trip down the lake road, was sunnier and far more enjoyable that the previous two." — Kazmuglin • Jul 24, 2016

"Solo hike- boy what a day. Had a late start getting out of bed, made even later by a surprise April snowstorm hindering traffic. Didn't leave the parking lot until 10:30. Made it to Lake Road & to the bridge in record time (what a boring walk). It was snowing moderately but the road walk wasn't bad. I was in for a big surprise as soon as I hit the actual woods trail. The fluffy new snow was hiding all types of thin ice covering water, thick slippery ice packed down, as well as real nice ankle roller rocks. I bare booted for awhile, then tried microspikes, and finally snowshoes, and just had a tough go of it. I wound up sticking to microspikes about a mile from the summit, but even those were no match for the ice, and I spent a lot of time using branches and trees to pull myself up the trail- very exhausting. I had a smidge of a snowy view which is always preferable to being completely socked in, but I didn't hang out the summit for any longer than I had to. I decided to skip the scenic trail on this hike because of the snowy conditions. I back-tracked and did some hard & nasty butt sliding on the descent - NOT recommended - (do as I say, not as I do.. ). I made good time back to t..." — kellieirene • Apr 4, 2016

"First 46er of my vacation. Hiked up the steep side along Lower Ausable Lake. Some nice viewpoints along the way. Also checked out a side path further up that was not on my map. The summit was very nice, being able to look at the Great Range up close. Also saw a pine martin at the summit. On the way down, I detoured to Rainbow Falls, which was incredible and worth checking out after a rain storm. Instead of road walking back, I followed a trail that paralled a river, which was nice. Also spooked a couple of deer." — newenglandwarrior • Aug 6, 2015

"Petite randonnée familiale à Sawteeth (avec Antoine bien sûr), le choix s'était arrêté sur cette dernière, car malgré sa longueur totale la dénivelée n'était pas trop imposante selon ce que nous avions lu. La distance est longue, car il faut marcher jusqu'au bout de la Lake Road jusqu'au Lower Ausable Lake avant d'entreprendre la montée. Donc départ de Montréal avec mon père, mon cousin et Antoine vers 6h45 le samedi matin et nous nous sommes enregistrés au livre de l'AMR à 9h30 avant d'entreprendre la marche. L'allée jusqu'au lac m'a paru longue et je redoutais déjà le retour par ce chemin. Nous avons effectué la boucle en effectuant la montée par la Scenic Trail qui offre des vues sur le lac et la descente par la Weld trail. Il faisait très chaud lors de cette randonnée et nous avons pu nous tremper un peu dans le lac avant que le sentier ne s'en éloigne et que la montée débute. À quelques endroits, la vue sur le lac qui semble au fond d'une vallée est à couper le souffle et engendre de très belles photos. Toutefois, la montée par la Scenic Trail est plus ardue que je ne le croyais et certains passages sont plutôt escarpés. Pauvre mon père du haut de ses 60 ans. Une fois a..." — PL5 • Jul 11, 2015

"Enjoyed a beautiful hike up the Weld trail to summit Sawteeth. Trails along the AMR road and base trails were thinning out with some icy areas and rocks showing through. Snow deepened quickly with elevation. The views were excellent, roughly 12.4 miles RT." — deb-and-rob • Mar 20, 2015

"OUR 46R hike! This was a GREAT hike! We celebrated earning our 46 with our three kids (awesome) and four friends. We enjoyed the scenic trail up and after celebrating on the summit we took the Weld Brook trail down so the kids could see Rainbow Falls. This loop is a little more challenging but the scenic trail is well worth it because of the multiple viewpoints. Awesome day!" — deb-and-rob • Aug 16, 2014

"We set out on an incredible hike! The weather was gorgeous and we took many stops along the way to see the lookouts including the beautiful Rainbow Falls in the beginning of the hike. I remember this hike feeling so long, but we really weren't going all too fast. Justin took a small spill in the beginning and banged up his knee; and then I made it all the way until the last two miles - all flat on the trail next to Lake Road - and took a spill due to fatigue and just not paying attention! Really?! We hit up the Noonmark diner on before heading home. Always a great spot." — Flyhighrunfast • Aug 4, 2014

"I had this summit to myself. Great place to hang a hammock if there's time- and some of the most spectactular views in the adirondacks! Very steep slide almost to summit that I had a hard time getting past. Took the 3 mile loop down the backside which was extremely steep. 3 ladders assisted in the real steep areas. " — Hillary • Jun 21, 2014

"Stayed in Panther Gorge the night before at the lean-to shelter, hiked out of the gorge in the morning and down to Upper Ausable Lake before starting my ascent on the less "scenic" trail. Views at the top were amazing. Could see the entire great range trail from the East. Had som lunch at the top before starting my descent and long hike back to the car in Keene Valley. Met a nice couple at the top who offered to take my pic. " — MooseHiker • Aug 3, 2013

"An awesome official first peak-bagging trip of 2013. Went with my good friend, Cool Chuck and did the Lower Great range. Started at Sawteeth and made out way over to Pyramid, Gothics, Armstrong and the Wolfjaws. AN EPIC HIKE!" — johngilligan • Jun 15, 2013

"Left Rochester @ 12am...got to ADK @ 430am....started hike 530am....Sawteeth....Pyramid...Gothics...finished hiking 430pm...drove in to Rochester 1030pm...up bright and early for work the next day...." — scottolsen • Oct 7, 2012

"10th ADK High Peak! We ascended Sawteeth via the Alfred W Weld trail which meant another trek down Lake Road through the AMR Gate. Lake Road was starting to feel VERY familiar at this point as we had recently walked/hiked this road during our hikes of the Wolfjaws (descent) and Dial and Nippletop. For this hike we walked the furthest down Lake Road- right up the the Lake. Following our trek down Lake Road, we met the trailhead junction and were were immediatly greeted with a gorgeous view of Lake Ausable and the Lower Ausable Lake Dam. We stopped here for a while to take in the beauty, take a few photos, and watch the deer grazing amazingly close to us. Due to the strict restrictions of no hunting on AMR land, the deer here seemed completely unbothered by our presence and allowed us to walk very close to them. We ascended Sawteeth via the "New or Gothics Trail" which is said to be less steep than the "Old or Scenic" trail. We were attempting to give our knees a break after a few days of hiking! Shortly after beginning the ascent there is great waterfall- Rainbow Falls- with a sign reminding you of the dangers many before had perhaps fallen to stating: Don't be a drop out- stand bac..." — elizabethsweet • Jul 8, 2012

"ADK Fall Outing Bob Grimm leader Canoed to end of Lower Ausable Lake, then walked 1 mile to Warden's Camp. Climbed ATIS trail to Sawteeth, with a side trip to Stowe Ledges. Came down Scenic Trail. Ausable Club buses both ways. A memorable trip." — barbaratraver • Sep 23, 1995

"Originally heading up to Lake Placid to do some backcountry skiing over MLK weekend. Way too warm, wearing t-shirts in town, everything melting out. Hiked in on ice and snow then hiked out in water/wet snow on trail and bare ground on the Club road." — Nimblefoot • Jan 15, 1995

"Michelle Macander, 8 years old, was closing in on her second round of the 46. She had missed going to Sawteeth with her sister and father, so to catch her up I took her (or did she take ME up?) I recall giving her a Butterfinger, her favorite candy. Later on in college, Michelle was in ROTC with a lot of young men. When the instructor asked who was going to win a race, petite Michelle didn't hesitate to assert that she would. She was wrong; she only came in second. Double 46ing at age 8 prepared her well. Today Michelle still looks forward to visiting the Adirondacks when she's home." — barbaratraver • Jul 28, 1987