Adirondack Newbie

[Roy Boy]

Taking my first trip to the Adirondacks in September. Any suggestions on:

- Good 2-3 night backpacking trips.

- Dayhikes

- Places to stay?

Thanks.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Well, I could go on for pages!

I'm not much of a backpacker, but you can camp in a lot of leantos, around the Loj, Marcy Dam, Lake Colden, in the Seward Range. You can also stay at the ADK property/Johns Brook Lodge. That's a good basecamp for lots of peakbagging. Leantos, hut style accommodations, and cabins are all available.

Any of the 46 are a day hike! What mileage are you up for?

"Tmax And Topo's" is a great place to stay, they are peakbaggers and very hiker friendly. Cheap bunks in a semi-private setting.

 

[TCD]

Quite a bit of good info here:

http://www.adkhighpeaks.com/wiki/HomePage

 

[Mike P.]

Assume you mean to the High Peaks area. Like NH, shelters (lean-to's) can be full early on Saturday Nights so a tent is always good to bring. As many 2-3 night hikes as your imagination allows. I'd probably look at the can't miss places you want to see. For a base camp, either Heart Lake or Marcy Dam would be nice, also the busiest. A short list of things I'd want to see (by no means all inclusive) would include:

Avalanche Lake, Marcy & Lake Tear, Gothics (I prefer seeing it over standing on it) Haystack & Algonquin.

If you don't have a High Peaks guide yet, pick one up and study it. You might opt for a more secluded trip from the South (Tahawus or Upper Works) or even quieter from Corey's in the NW.

 

[Chip]

I think it's difficult to beat all the options when hiking out of the Marcy Dam area: [Wright, Algonquin, Iroquois], [Avalanche Lake, Colden], [Marcy, Tabletop, Phelps], [Street and Nye].
You can also snag [Cascade and Porter] on your first or last day. "Tmax And Topo's" is great to stay at for a first night or last night with some backpacking between as well.
FWIW: What I've recommended is all I've ever done in the Dacks, but I've been doing those sets of peaks (mostly winters) off and on for almost 40 years now, so I'm prejudiced.

 

[akafuzzjones]

We have had great "luck" in getting into the out-of-the-way leantos like Feldspar and Ore Bed and camping spots at Lake Arnold - bypassing the Marcy Dam and Lake Colden areas since they seem to attract the masses. As Tom mentions most hikes can be done as day hikes so if you strategically pick your camp spot you can shorten the miles and do several peaks from there. Midweek, or at least a Friday arrival will increase your chances of getting a spot in a leanto but bring a tent just in case.

Just got back from a trip where we spent a few days at Feldspar. We left the LOJ and climbed Phelps and Table Top on the way in - getting to the empty leanto just as the rain started. On day two we climbed Marshall, Redfield, and Cliff then on day three others in the group climbed Gray, Skylight, Marcy, and Haystack (while I hung out at camp nursing a foot injury). We hiked out to the LOJ on day four - we could have climbed Colden.

Have also used the leanto in the Sewards to do the four peaks there in a more enjoyable way after doing them all as a day hike in the rain the first time.

 

[RollingRock]

There's already been some good suggestions here. I'll be heading to the Dacks in September to help a friend finish his 46ers. One of the backpacking excursions will be going over Wright, Algonguin, Iroquois with an overnight stay in one of the shelters around Lake Colden. The next day we will take a quick 1/2 day hike [wearing only a small day pack] up/down Mt. Colden and then head back to our truck via Avalanche Lake.

Another excursion will be to use John's Brook Lodge as a base [caretaker based in September and less expensive]. We'll hike in to John's Brook Lodge in the afternoon to spend the night. The following day we'll be wearing a day pack to climb Haystack, Basin and Saddleback and spend another night at John's Brook Lodge. The next day it will be an easy hike out back to our truck.

For motels, I like to stay at Alpine Air little bit outside of Lake Placid toward Saranac Lake...it's inexpensive, has an outdoor pool and is an easy drive to Lake Placid to choose one of its many great restaurants. I usually end my trip in the area staying at the High Peaks Resort getting a balcony with a view of Mt. Whiteface, enjoy hanging out by their pool, soaking in their indoor jacuzzi with a beer, or use one of their kayaks [free to guests] to paddle around Mirror Lake.