A great little hike for a beginner, a young family, or for me, that hasn't been out hiking since December. The hike is only about 1.1 miles to the summit. It took me longer to drive to the trailhead than it did to hike the round trip of 2.2 miles.
I arrived at the trailhead around 8:30 am. I would have the trail to myself for the hike. One of the benefits of hiking in the middle of the week is that there usually isn't anyone else on the trails. There wasn't anyone at Blue Mountain trailhead either when I passed by.
I grabbed my pack, let the pups out, signed in, and we were off. The trail is an easy climb, one of the most accessible summits in the Adirondacks, and relatively dry. There were a couple of areas that were muddy but easy enough to rock-hop through. It was a mix of hardwoods and sparse fir trees the entire way. It must be an excellent hike in the summer with the canopy of leaves overhead. I thought this mountain could be pretty busy with hikers in the summer months based on its proximity to nearby campgrounds and vacation rentals. That and the small parking area at the trailhead could pose a problem with parking.
As I progressed up the trail, I followed the top ridge; there were partial views from ledges on the left near the summit. A short whack over to a small lookout provided some views. Back to the trail and past, the wooded summit was the described rock ledge with a nice overlook that provided some decent views and a swarm of hungry black flies.
The trailhead is between Indian Lake and Blue Mountain Lake on the west side of Route 28; the parking is well-marked. It is a short distance south of the Lake Durant campground.
I did a brief search on the history of Sawyer mountain and had trouble finding much on it other than what appears that it is part of a recreational easement with New York State.
On my way back home, I took a spin at the Lake Durant Campground. I grabbed a map and drove around checking out the campsites. This is a nice campground that has several excellent sites, many of which are on the lake itself.