Our Best Campsite Yet – Tongue Mountain Backpacking Trip

Camping and Backpacking in the Adirondacks on the Tongue Mountain Range.

For this overnight backpacking trip, Sara, Denali and I headed up to New York for some laid back camping on the summit of Fifth Peak Mountain, overlooking Lake George. The Tongue Mountain Range is a 3 mile long peninsula, so named because it looks like a tongue jutting out into the 32 mile long Lake George. Our plan was to hike in a few miles to the top of the range and hit the first peak at the top of the peninsula to set up for an afternoon and night of relaxed camping. The next morning we would have the option to either continue along the 13 mile long Tongue Mountain loop, or hike back out the same way we came in.

We had our dog with us, so we decided to return to tent camping for this trip. We did finally upgrade our previous budget tent to a four person (or 2 plus a dog) Marmot Limelight 4p tent though. And as I usually do for trips with my wife and dog, I packed in a massive backpack full of comfort camping gear and fun camp food. A more detailed gear list can be found at the bottom of this post.

Thank you to Anker for sponsoring this video. My viewers can get $100 off the Anker Powerhouse II 800 by using this link on Amazon or direct from Anker.

Tongue Mountain Adirondacks - Route Overview - Sintax77 — Tongue Mountain Adirondacks – Route Overview – Sintax77

There is no permit required for backcountry camping on the Tongue Mountain Range, but there are certain rules and regulations. You get find more info on the official NY DEC website here.

Full GPS track data, including campsites, water sources, etc, for this trip and many others can be downloaded on my Trip Data Page.

Trailhead Used: Clay Meadow Trailhead 43°37’43.4″N 73°36’28.1″W
Lake Shore Dr, Bolton Landing, NY 12814

<br /><em>The parking for Clay Meadow Trailhead is a 100 yards north of the actual trail on Lakeshore Drive has room for a half dozen cars, with an dirt overflow lot 200 feet to the north.</em>

Lake George Tongue Mountain Range Map

Trails Used, Day 1

Northwest Bay Trail (blue blaze)
Straight (east) onto Five Mile Point Trail (red blaze)
Right (south) on the Tongue Mountain Range Trail
Left (east) on the Fifth Peak Lean-To Trail
Camp near the summit of Fifth Peak
- Beyond the shelter is a meadow with great views of the lake and surrounding mountains. There are limited level spots in the meadow, but we managed to fit a 4 person tent onto a fairly level patch of ground. There is a rock campfire ring on the edge of the summit and a pit toilet further down the hill, which can be found by following the signs from the shelter. This is a dry site, so make sure to pack in water.

Day 1 Elevation Profile – Tongue Mountain Backpacking Trip – Sintax77

Day 1 Mileage: 2.8 miles
Day 1 Gross Elevation Gain: 1,574 feet
Day 1 Gross Descent: 173 feet

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Trails Used, Day 2

Fifth Peak Lean-To Trail
Left (southeast) on Tongue Mountain Range Trail
- We did this for a mile or so to get some extra views
Reverse course on the TMR Trail
Left (west) on Five Mile Point Trail
Straight (west) Northwest Bay Trail
Return to parking at the Clay Meadow Trailhead

Day 2 Mileage: 4.1 miles
Day 2 Gross Elevation Gain: 653 feet
Day 2 Gross Descent: 2,058 feet

Grand Total Mileage: 6.9 Miles
Grand Total Gross Elevation Gain: 3,632 feet
Grand Total Descent: 826 feet

FTC Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission for purchases made through some of my links.

Notable Backpacking Gear

Denali’s Dog Hiking Gear

Camera and Nav Gear used for this episode