Adirondack Suggestions Requested

[pilgrim]

Veteran Adirondack Hikers:

We'll be visiting the Adirondacks for the first time next month. We'll be staying in Lake Placid and anticipate having two days for hiking. We're all fit, experienced White Mountains hikers.

Please help me to select hikes by telling me your favorite hike in the region.

I have these guidebooks: Adirondack Trails High Peaks Region from the Adirondack Mountain Club (with map), Hiking New York by Rhonda and George Ostertag, and the National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map of Adirondack Park Lake Placid / High Peaks.

Thanks.

 

[Adk_dib]

high peak: I like Algonquin, top it off with a trip up MT. Jo


smaller hikes: Moose and mckenzie are great.

 

[ColdRiverRun]

If your in LP then I'd say a Wright-Algonquin-Iro trip would be great. Then maybe a Whiteface-Esther on Sunday if your feeling up to it. The W-A-I will remind you of the open ridge climbs of the Whites and with it being around Peak Foliage you'll have no shortage of people on the trails so it will remind you of the Whites even more!

If your not feeling to strong than a hike up Cascade and Porter or some peaks with open rock views but not 46ers like Pitchoff and Ampersand are great short ones.

 

[PA Ridgerunner]

Big Slide, via the Brothers, is an awesome fall foliage hike, with wonderful views of the great range throughout.

Personally I'd avoid Whiteface during foliage season as the summit will likely be packed with tourists who drove up the toll road.

 

[Viewseeker]

one of mine is Mt. Colden via avalanche pass...awesome views of algon, wright, iroq. as well as flowed lands, marcy, and many more.

 

[bubba]

Above as expected answers to your questions. Let me try to give you some more depth to being in LP and hiking.

First of all - is you are "list" hikers - consider leaving Whiteface for your final as there is an autoroad to the top that non-hikers can use to help you celebrate on top.

Second - Cascade/Porter from Rt. 73 is the most common first hike among ADK hikers. Great hike - but what I don't like is that it may be crowed and it is not a "typical" ADK hike (ie: walk into a trailhead and then start acsent - see wilderness).

Wright/Algonquin is classis - adding Iroquois is optional. Know that you will pay to park at the ADK Loj parking area and that there are plenty of hikers and wilderness users around (plan on seeing activity and finding many autos). However, there are many trails that are serviced out of this area and crowds are dispersed pretty well once you are out on the trail (you can find solitude in the ADK's but this is not the place). Wright's summit is one of my favorites!

You want to make it an awesome hike - and see lots... go into Marcy Dam and follow the trail through Avalance Pass, over the Hitch 'em ups and acsent via the Avalanche Mtn trail... reportedly one of the steepest in the ADKs but I wouldn't agree with that - I loved that trail. I comes out on a col between Iroquois and AlG - and you come down over AlG and out - hitting Wright if you feel you have time.

Agree Colden is one of the best and you'll see plenty. Going up through Lake Arnold is most common route. Options for loops do exist.

Closer shorter is Phelps - not an awesome summit but nice views and a nice ADK feel. (Out ot Loj area).

Giant is an ADK classis -and spending time at Roaring Brook is the best (Rt 73 area). Suggestion for Big Slide is also an excellent suggestion -- this can be a loop as Brothers - Johns Brook (remember that parking in this area is in the "Garden Parking Lot" and space is limited - and fall leaf time will fill it).

Finally - LP is a fun and exciting place. There is so much to do in the area that if this is your first trip - you'll want to spend time in town and in the surrounding area seeing sights, shopping and eating. Our group always hiked on one day and took the second day for a "shopping day" or for others - a "lighter" hiking day.

Lighter day hikes includes Mt. Jo (Loj area), Baxter Mtn, Sunrise Trail to Mt. Gilligan (New Russia area), Round Mtn or Roaring Brook by itself (off Rt 73) and many more.

Driving Times from LP: Loj - abt 20/25 mins. To Garden and Rt 73 Trailheads - abt 40/45 min.

Okay - now finally - The Cottage is a fine place for mid-day cocktails, evening coffee and afternoon porch snacks (on Mirror Lake). On the other end of the lake is LP Brewery - a must stop for anyone who posts on this site!!

Let us know more as you fine-tune your plans. You're going to love this place!!

 

[Oldsmores]

If you've got two vehicles or you can arrange a shuttle I'd recommend Rocky Peak Ridge & Giant from E to W. It's a great hike along an extended ridge, as long as the weather is good...

 

[J.Dub]

On the other end of the lake is LP Brewery - a must stop for anyone who posts on this site!!

Oh, MAN!!

I was in Placid two weeks ago and I MISSED THIS!?!?! <slaps head>

(True, I did have my 8- and 11-year-old kids with me, but still...)

Fortunately, I had a pint of LPB porter at Mr. Mike's Pizza, but I would've gone to the Brewery proper had I known.



"Beer. It's what's for dinner."

 

[bubba]

(True, I did have my 8- and 11-year-old kids with me, but still...)

"Beer. It's what's for dinner."

LPB is kid friendly. The food is not bad as well... BUT, then again... Mike's was a fine choice!

"Beer... so much more than a breakfast drink!"

 

[PA Ridgerunner]

Oh, MAN!!

I was in Placid two weeks ago and I MISSED THIS!?!?! <slaps head>


"Beer. It's what's for dinner."

Next time you should also check out Great Adirondack Steak & Seafood. They brew on-premises. Good stuff. Take your growler(s) and they'll fill 'em. L.P.B. makes you buy their growlers.

 

[Skyclimber]

If you've got two vehicles or you can arrange a shuttle I'd recommend Rocky Peak Ridge & Giant from E to W. It's a great hike along an extended ridge, as long as the weather is good...

This was going to be my answer too. I second this one. Totally awesome in the Autumn of the year.

 

[ColdRiverRun]

Yes, the Giant and RP hike is great. But there staying in Lake Placid!? Why drive all the way to those trail heads with so many great hikes around them closer on what should be a busy weekend on mostly single lane roads?

What shorter Sunday before you leave type hikes to views isn't going to be busy those weekends? If your going just accept it.

The Avalanche pass and "hitch ups" then up the Opalescent and over Colden would be a great one as a combination hike of two that were suggested!

I believe they implied they are regular White mountain hikers not newbies who have trouble with a normal sized hike. Just doing Algonquin and Wright without Iroquois is something that would be like robbing yourself on a nice day, those views down into the valleys and Wallface are stunning. What seasoned 46er would skip Iroquois without a reason? And if they have any longer term goals of ever becoming 46ers and they skipped it they would find themselves going, "what the hell did I do that for" later on.

 

[bubba]

The Avalanche pass and "hitch ups" then up the Opalescent and over Colden would be a great one as a combination hike of two that were suggested!

...And if they have any longer term goals of ever becoming 46ers and they skipped it they would find themselves going, "what the hell did I do that for" later on.

Agree about the Colden hike as well. Fairly significant time committment.

46r plans: Not so on the Iroquois hike. I was on AlG four times before I did Iroquois. I was actually leaving it for my final until plans changed. A hike up AlG is significant in distance and time. Adding Iroquois means extra time and another rather steep up back to AlG and over. Besides... we haven't told them about the waterfalls on the trail to spend time at, and for me... as much time on Wright as you can squeeze on a nice day.

 

[rhihn]

I'd say you have plenty of information to act upon with the above posts. You've been given about 15 possibilities, too many within your time frame, but you can't go wrong with any of them. You said you have two hiking days, so you could manage a few of these in that time.

Are you planning to hike only 46er peaks? If so, that eliminates Jo, Moose/McKenzie, Pitchoff, Ampersand (all fine hikes!).

The 46ers mentioned are:
Algonquin/Wright/Iroquois (or Algonquin or Wright/Algonquin)
Whiteface/Esther (I'd skip Esther if time is an issue, though some would disagree)
Big Slide (agree that Brothers is the best viewing route)
Colden
Giant/RPR (Giant easier; a long day if you include RPR and involves more driving)
Phelps
Cascade/Porter (I'd skip Porter if views are important, and if time is an issue; though some would disagree)

Dick

 

[jeenyus]

Skylight via Lake Arnold
back over Marcy

 

[Oldsmores]

Yes, the Giant and RP hike is great. But there staying in Lake Placid!? Why drive all the way to those trail heads with so many great hikes around them closer on what should be a busy weekend on mostly single lane roads? ...

It's 1/2 hour to either end of the hike and 15 minutes between the trail heads, all on good roads. The Loj road isn't exactly I87 and will probably be fairly busy itself...

 

[--M.]

I have these guidebooks: Adirondack Trails High Peaks Region from the Adirondack Mountain Club (with map), Hiking New York by Rhonda and George Ostertag, and the National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map of Adirondack Park Lake Placid / High Peaks.

Get all five NatGeo maps; you'll end up needing 'em anyway and each one has some indispensable feature (like the Hudson River Gorge or the Sentinel Range, just to name two).

There's also a series of maps sold in the area by "Plinth Quoin & Cornice Associates, Bernard Miller, Keene Valley" that are a good companion to the NatGeo maps. Between these and a DeLorme mapbook, I can find pretty much anything in the Blue Line.

You'll also become glad to know Barbara McMartin, especially her "Discover" series and "Fifty Hikes" books. Great stuff there, and many available at your public library.

For hikes, I started with Marcy, of course, but the most dramatic so far has been Gothics from the AuSable Club. What a trip!

Giant from Route 73 is like the Flume Slide from Route 93 (in New Hampshire): road-side trailhead, not too long, good views. Same with Cascade and Pitchoff (which is a good second-day-er).

I was the naive one who did Algonquin only, and CAN'T WAIT to go back for Wright and Iroquois. What a tremendous hike! I hear there are some bees up there right now, though, so beware.

But to really draw the distinction with NH, I'd say you need a long approach into a narrow pass: Indian Pass to Wallface or Avalanche Pass to Algonquin or Colden. To really get that NY feel in NH, you'd have to go all the way around to the Wild River or really get back up there on the Wilderness Trail (Thoreau Falls, maybe).

Just my $0.13.

 

[Grumpy]

If you do Big Slide via the Brothers (highly recommended), keep going and return via Yard Mountain. From Yard, descend to Johns Brook Lodge, and go back to The Garden via the Phelps (Johns Brook) Trail. Nice loop that provides a good sampling of Adirondack High Peaks District hiking.

G.

 

[bubba]

Nice suggestion from Grumpy.

From a NH perspective - Yard would make a 4K list, but ADK says it's too close to Big Slide to make the list.

 

[J.Dub]

LPB is kid friendly. The food is not bad as well... BUT, then again... Mike's was a fine choice!

Eh. <shrugs>

The kids got a kick out of watching the guy throwing the dough up in the air, but I didn't think Mr. Mike's pizza was anything special. (The old pizza-s*x analogy notwithstanding...)

The pizza I *do* remember being damned good was from a place on the east side of Main St. -- can't remember the name, but it was downstairs below street level near a open plaza between the storefronts, somewhat close to the EMS. My hiking partner and I scarfed down an entire large pie and a pitcher between the two of us and it was awesome!

[DISCLAIMER: We had just done a 7-hour loop winter ascent of Algonquin from the Loj, so sheer hunger may have slightly clouded my palate.]

Next time you should also check out Great Adirondack Steak & Seafood. They brew on-premises. Good stuff. Take your growler(s) and they'll fill 'em. L.P.B. makes you buy their growlers.

Wonder if they'd fill my Camelbak? <staggers/stumbles to summit>