ALGonquin Bob
Well-known member
The ice storm did not reach this area, and the day was near 40F. There is little snow in the trees, and ground cover is approx. 1-foot of snow near the bottom of the trail to maybe 2 feet higher up. Snowshoes certainly recommended, but as one of the ladies who hiked up behind me proved, you can also do this hike with snowshoes on your back the entire time (bare-bootin‘ is NOT groovy!).
Forget everything you read about this trail in all the guide books. There is now a new improved much longer but "easier" trail to the tower! The new well-constructed trail has added a multitude of switchbacks that also add another 2 miles to the round trip. Red discs clearly mark the new path, and there are 2 new wooden bridges down low to ease hikers across streams. The seemingly endless array of switchbacks change the character of this trail from “steep most of the way” to low grade easy to easy-moderate most of the way. Add at least 1 hour to the guide book round-trip time, and even more in winter if parking down by the highway (Chazy Lake Road), which is 9-tenths of a mile below the summer parking area, making the winter RT mileage nearly 9 miles. This one took me 3:45 to the tower
, and just under 2 hours to get back to my car way down by the road.
Forget everything you read about this trail in all the guide books. There is now a new improved much longer but "easier" trail to the tower! The new well-constructed trail has added a multitude of switchbacks that also add another 2 miles to the round trip. Red discs clearly mark the new path, and there are 2 new wooden bridges down low to ease hikers across streams. The seemingly endless array of switchbacks change the character of this trail from “steep most of the way” to low grade easy to easy-moderate most of the way. Add at least 1 hour to the guide book round-trip time, and even more in winter if parking down by the highway (Chazy Lake Road), which is 9-tenths of a mile below the summer parking area, making the winter RT mileage nearly 9 miles. This one took me 3:45 to the tower
, and just under 2 hours to get back to my car way down by the road.
