Hiking

Adirondacks

The Adirondacks are magnificent as seen from any of the roads that wind through them or from Whiteface Mountain which you can ride a cable car to the top of.

But if you really want to see the beauty of the Adirondacks you have to hit the hiking trails that criss cross the park. The Adirondack back country is beautiful beyond belief, especially in October, and much of it is wilderness where no vehicles, no ATVs, no mountain bikes and no horses can go.

The entire park contains spectacular trails, all leading to peaks and lakes and waterfalls. But since we recommend you stay at The Lodge at Schroon Lake, we focus here on hiking trails in that corner of the park. It would take several years of two week visits to hike all those trails.

The three great wilderness areas close to Schroon Lake are the Pharoah Lake Wilderness 15 minutes away, the Siamese Ponds Wilderness 30 minutes away, and the Hoffman Notch Wilderness 10 minutes away.

These trails are relatively easy. Yes, there is some elevation gain. In wet weather some of the trails may be muddy or even under water. And there are gnarled roots and rocks. But there are none of the steep scrambles up rock faces and scree fields that you face in Vermont's Green Mountains or New Hampshire's White Mountains.

The trail network here evolved over 12,000 years by Mohicans, Mohawks and Abenaki. They were not interested in recreational strolls or physical challenges. They needed their trails to be as efficient as possible, fast when covered by healthy young braves and navigable in all kinds of weather by children, women and tribal elders. So they follow streams when possible and when crossing ridges, shoulders and mountains they sought out the easiest routes. Today these trails are maintained by the Adirondack Mountain Club and are some of the best maintained trails in the nation.

Be constantly aware that you are in Black Bear country. There are 4,000 Black Bears in the Adirondacks. An adult male Black Bear weighs 600 pounds, stands seven feet tall on its hind legs, and can run 30 mph. Your best defense is a can of bear spray (similar to pepper spray) and a can of compressed air which emits a loud screech. Bear have very sensitive ears and noses and cannot tolerate loud piercing noises or irritating sprays. Carry both cans where they are quickly and easily accessible.

To reach the Pharoah Lake Wilderness from The Lodge At Schroon Lake, turn left at the front entrance and drive through town. Just on the north edge of town, turn right (east) onto Alder Meadow Road. You will come to a V intersection, with Crane Pond Road turning left (east) and Adirondack Road turning right (south). OR, drive a mile further and turn right (east) on Route 74, which will lead to three trailheads. If you're ordering maps you want the National Geographic Adirondack Park Lake George/Great Sacandaga Quadrant.

To reach the Crane Pond Trailhead, turn left onto Crane Pond Road and follow it to the dead end. As a day hiking trail, the Crane Pond Trail goes 2.0 miles to Crane Pond. If you want a longer hike you can go another mile to Oxshoe Pond, and there's yet another one mile loop around Crab Pond and Gidden Marsh. The entire way you're looking to the south at Pharoah Mountain (seen in the background in the photo at left). So you could make this anything from a four mile round trip to an eight mile round trip. Whichever version you choose, this is a very level but very scenic hike. We recommend avoiding this trail in June, when mosquitoes and black flies are at their worst. In October they're gone.

The Pharoah Lake Wilderness covers 46,283 acres and is filled with remote lakes with plenty of beautiful campsites and Adirondack shelters. Pharoah Lake itself covers 441 acres and is very popular but there are many other lakes which are not heavily visited.

The Blue Hill Trail is an eight mile round trip starting at Route 74 at Paradox Lake Campground. It's another way to Crane Lake (seen at right). You climb a ridge and then descend to the lake but it's not steep. As you crest the ridge there are nice views. The rest of the trail is through deep forest. One mile in you come to an impressive beaver colony with a long established dam. This trail is less used than the Crane Pond Trail but it has better views from the ridge.

To get to the Spectacle Pond Trailhead turn right (south) on Adirondack Road and look for the trail on the left (east). It's about a mile south of the Alder Meadow Road fork. This is only a 3.4 mile round trip but it's one of the most charming and beautiful trails in the Adirondacks. The trail follows Spectacle Brook, a constantly babbling stream flowing over waterfalls, rock ledges and a rocky bottom. When you come out at Spectacle Pond you enjoy magnificent views of Pharoah Mountain. This is one of the most photogenic hikes you'll ever take.

However, DO NOT attempt this hike in June. The black flies and mosquitoes will eat you alive. They descend in clouds on anything walking the trail, including your dog. Not even DET or your mosquito netting will help. This is ideally hiked in October or November.

The steepest hike we recommend is the Treadway Mtn. Trail. This is a seven mile out and back that leads to the peak of 2208 ft. Treadway Mtn. The trail begins at the dead end of Putts Pond Road, stays level while it circles Putnam Pond, then climbs 925 feet in 2.1 miles up the mountain. But it's worth it. You have incredible views looking east across Lake Champlain into Vermont, south across Pharoah Lake, north into Canada, and west past Mt. Marcy and Whiteface Mountain to the entire Adirondack Range. The top is mostly exposed marble. Many longtime Adirondack hikers consider this the finest one day trip in the park and do it once a year, preferably in October. You should bring a lunch and reward yourself with at least an hour on top. There's a $6 parking fee at the trailhead to raise money to maintain the trails.

The Putnam Pond Loop Trail is really parts of three trails stitched together to circle Putnam Pond and five smaller ponds (Mud, Clear, Rock, Little Rock and North). You end up hiking 6 miles altogether, and there are several side trails you could take to add a few more miles if you're up for it. The trail begins at the dead end of Putts Pond Road. It's either level or very slightly rolling, alternating between beautiful pine / hemlock forest and views of the various ponds. During Fall Foliage Season this is an easy but very beautiful hike. There's a $6 parking fee at the trailhead to raise money to maintain the trails.

Big Pond Trail is a 3.3 mile out and back leading to the large and beautiful Big Pond. Bring a lunch and eat on the shores of Big Pond. This is a great trail for wildlife. You'll see Loons on Big Pond and many hikers report Bear sightings, although no confrontations as the Bear quickly retreat into the forest. However, the highlight of the hike for many, especially families with children, is the large Beaver dam half a mile in. A bridge crosses the stream just below the dam, providing outstanding viewing. If there haven't been too many loud hikers to scare them away, you can watch the Beaver working on their dam (during times of noisy visitors the Beaver just retreat underwater to their lodge and wait til everyone goes away). This is a long established Beaver colony, the dam is pretty big, and, while not as big as Big Pond, the lake it backs up is impressive. There are also two dozen different species of mushrooms thriving along this trail. It's a mostly level trail through beautiful forest and is especially photogenic in Fall Foliage Season. If you were interested, the trail continues on seven miles to the Loch Muller Road trailheads.

The Hoffman Notch Trail is a point to point 7.1 mile trail, requiring you to either spot a car at the other end or have someone drive around and pick you up. You begin at the Loch Muller Trailhead and finish at Blue Ridge Road. To reach Blue Ridge Road, drive through the village of Schroon Lake, continue to I-87 Exit 29, but instead of turning onto the interstate drive under it. This is Blue Ridge Road. The Hoffman Notch Trailhead will be about two miles on your left.

Hoffman Notch Trail was an old Mohican Trail that followed what is now North Branch Trout Brook up to Big Marsh, climbed over a low pass, then followed Hoffman Notch Brook down to what is now Blue Ridge Road. Since it's following two streams it doesn't climb or drop too steeply but does provide over a dozen scenic small waterfalls and lots of melodic gurgling sounds. You're in a deep valley between two high ridges, Texas Ridge and Washburn Ridge. Sometimes these ridges take the form of spectacular cliffs.

We advocate an October trip to the Adirondacks, but if you were to hike this in the Spring you'd be awash in Trout Lillies and Red and White Trillium. In October, you're very likely to encounter Moose, Bear and Beaver. You'll also see enormous virgin stands of Maple and Yellow Birch. You're going to pass several dozen glacial erratics, house sized boulders randomly deposited as the glaciers melted. Once you cross the notch and begin dropping toward Blue Ridge Road, you'll find yourself in deep White Cedar forest. This is a scenic trail even though there are no dramatic overlooks.

Especially around Big Marsh, Beaver keep encroaching on the trail by raising their dam levels so the water backs up over it. Trail crews keep adjusting the trail so it's above the water but the Beaver are forever busy.

The East Branch Sacandaga Trail is a major thorofare into the Siamese Ponds Wilderness. All the way to the Ponds is an over nighter, but you can hike to the Burnt Shanty Clearing and enjoy the same scenery on an 8.8 mile day hike. You climb a ridge, then drop back down to meet the East Branch Sacandaga River, which you follow the rest of the day. You cross it several times on bridges. If you try to hike this in the Spring you may find ice and snow and flooding have taken out one or more of these bridges and you'll have to ford the river on your own. Trail crews usually get everything repaired by Summer. Once you pass the ridge, the trail is level the whole way. However, we suggest avoiding it after a two day rain, because the river rises and the trail will be muddy or underwater. In Spring and early Summer you need both bug jacket and spray as mosquitoes and black flies are heavy. By October they're gone. There are no spectacular overlooks but in dry weather this is a beautiful hike through a remote, forested valley along one of the most charming small rivers you've ever seen. During Fall Foliage Season this is a particularly beautiful trip.

The Auger Falls Trailhead is another two miles down Route 8 from the Square Falls Trailhead. Pass the Upper Rapids Trailhead and wait til the actual Auger Falls Trailhead. The Falls is in a narrow gorge in the Sacandaga River, in a deep Hemlock forest. The Falls are only 30 feet tall but the various ledges and channels make it very photogenic.

It's a third of a mile in to the Falls, and the trail continues upstream and circles back to the parking area, creating a 1.2 mile loop.

This is a short hike with a great reward