May 16, 2025 • 38 mins
This week I'm diving into to discuss every trailhead you'll use to climb the 46 Adirondack High Peaks and give you all the pertinent info you'll want to know so you get a parking spot along with what mountains you'll hike from what trailhead.
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Join the next GREAT RANGE ATHLETE 6-week challenge and get in mountain-hiking shape in just 6 weeks from your local gym or your house.
Learn more about the Great Range Athlete Team Program HERE
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Book a free strategy call with James to learn more about his 1-on-1 coaching program,
SEEK TO DO MORE at
www.seektodomore.com/vsl
Get my books:
1.) The Adirondack 46 in 18 Hikes: The Complete Guide to Hiking the High Peaks
2.) Adirondack Campfire Stories: Tales and Folklore from Inside the Blue LineWebsites:
www.46OUTDOORS.com
www.46OF46.com
Follow Along on Instagram & Facebook:
@46of46podcast
@jamesappleton46
Join the next GREAT RANGE ATHLETE 6-week challenge and get in mountain-hiking shape in just 6 weeks from your local gym or your house.
Learn more about the Great Range Athlete Team Program HERE
Looking for help to improve your both your fitness for hiking and your disicpline and daily habits so you can become the strongest version of yourself on and off the trail?
Book a free strategy call with James to learn more about his 1-on-1 coaching program,
SEEK TO DO MORE at
www.seektodomore.com/vsl
Get my books:
1.) The Adirondack 46 in 18 Hikes: The Complete Guide to Hiking the High Peaks
2.) Adirondack Campfire Stories: Tales and Folklore from Inside the Blue LineWebsites:
www.46OUTDOORS.com
www.46OF46.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Parking lot, full.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Crap, Marcy Skylight, Gray Cliff and Redfield.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Done.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Now the long walk back to the lodge. Three fifty
five am. Just signed in Sanoney Range.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Let's go.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
The wind is whipping here in the seward range to
just finish the Macomb slide, and my legs are on fire.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Well I fell victim to the floating logs again.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Made it to the top of East Dix Peak number
three of five for today here in the Dick and
Range Avalanche Pass on top of Rocky Peak Bridge.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
It's like a hurricane up here.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Rain and wind here on tabletop, Whiteface number six, Muddy
Day here on street and I for number seven and eight,
Sonny in blue on Haystack, Algonquin up in the Clouds
number eighteen, Gothics number twenty two, Panther number thirty eight,
Allen number forty five, seven to twelve am, Big Slide
Adirondack forty six er.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
You're listening to the forty six of forty six podcast.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
It was a cool, colorful September morning, in the culmination
of an entire summer spent on the trails. It was
the morning I'd been working towards for months. The day
I would make my triumphant return to Big Slide Mountain
and finish my Adirondack forty six er journey. I was
like a kid on Christmas Eve. The excitement was in
(01:23):
the air, and I barely slept the night before. Per usual,
My hiking partner Josh, and I left nice and early
from Lake Placid to drive down to Keene Valley to
the Garden parking lot. I was sitting at forty five
of forty six high peaks on my quest to become
an Adirondak forty six er in one summer. It was
(01:43):
becoming a reality, and it was also time to revisit
Big Slide, a mountain that was just too hard for
me a few years before, which ultimately forced me to
very embarrassingly quit and just turn around and leave my
group without hiking the mountain. This day, however, was going
to be different.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
No don't know.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
This was going to be the big finish on my
high Peaks adventure. So we drove down Route seventy three
through the Cascades, passed Keene into Keene Valley, and turned
right toward the Garden trailhead. Throughout the drive, I was
looking for places that we could potentially park and walk
to the trailhead if the parking lot was full, because
(02:23):
I was nervous that we might not get a parking spot.
It was a busy weekend, a lot was riding on today.
I had taken off work to become an Adirondack forty
six er, and my family was even coming to celebrate
with pie after the hike at the Noonmark Diner, I
was determined to climb Big Slide no matter what. But
(02:44):
it was evident there wasn't anywhere else to park, and
my nerves started to grow. As we hit the dirt road,
surrounded by local camps and houses, we came to a
yellow sign with brown letters that read parking lot full.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
My heart sank.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
After all, this was the day I was actually working
towards and now we couldn't hike because of a lousy
parking space. I quickly started mapping how far the walk
from the Neonmark trailhead would be, as Josh.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Said, let's just go check it out.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Anyways, I'm not sure if that sign is actually accurate,
you know, maybe someone left overnight. And we slowly drove
up the road as the sound of Josh's truck tires
rolled along the dirt, we entered the trailhead and lo
and behold the most beautiful site awaited us, A near
(03:37):
empty parking lot.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Hallylujah.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
There was literally only three or four cars in the
entire parking lot. A parking lot that not that big,
but it does hold dozens of cars. In fact, it
holds about fifty cars. Yes, the hike was still on,
and a few hours later I officially a summitted big
slide and I became an.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Adirondack forty sixer.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
If it wasn't for Josh's hiking experience and knowing that
the sign at that trailhead isn't always accurate, I personally
would have just turned around. I would not have become
a forty six er that day. The more you know
about what to expect at the trailheads, the.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Better you can plan.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
And I do not want you to miss out on
your adventure due to a lousy parking space. In this
episode of the forty six to forty six podcast, we
are going to talk all about the trailheads of the
Adirondack forty six so that you know what to expect
at each one, what mountains to climb from each one,
(04:44):
so that you can have a great Adirondack adventure in
the high Peaks. One of the questions I get asked
almost more than anything, is about trailheads and the size
of trailheads. If I thinkrailheads will be full on certain weekends,
all sorts of things, what mountains to climb from, what trailhead?
(05:07):
Trailheads are a big deal, and there are many of
them here in the Adirondack High Peaks. So this week
I'm going to go through each and everyone that you
will use to become an Adirondack forty six or so.
You know kind of what to expect if you've never
been there. We're going to start with the main trailhead,
the big one, the Adirondack Lodge, the Adirondack Mountain Club
(05:29):
aka the Lodge. The Adirondack Lodge is in Lake Placid,
and it is a very unique place filled with tons
of Adirondack history. In fact, whenever someone visits the ADK
to hike with me, I always make sure that we
start from the Lodge because it is a cool place.
You know, it's definitely the it's the most National park
(05:49):
feeling place that we have here in the Adirondacks. And
if you do want to stay there, you also can
you can book rooms there, you can book little huts
and you can camp there. Of things at the Adirondack Lodge,
and also they have an info center, so if you
did forget some various items in your pack you need
to purchase some things. They got a whole store where
(06:11):
you can buy some. You can also rent bear canisters
and if you don't know, bear canisters are mandatory when
camping in the high peak so fyi, but you can
rent that at the Adirondack Mountain Club at the Lodge.
But of course if you start at six o'clock in
the morning, they're not going to be open, so add
that to your itinerary. When you do go to the
Adirondack Lodge, it is at the end of the Adirondack
(06:33):
Lodge Road in Lake Placid, and you are going to
get quite the view as you drive in there. Now,
the Adirondack Lodge is a place that does fill up
very quickly in the summer, especially as you're all planning
this summer Adirondack hiking adventures. It fills up fast, but
you know when it's not full when you get there
(06:54):
to hike at four o'clock or four thirty in the morning,
like we do, You're never going to have to deal
with the parking spot. In fact, let me just make
a blanket statement, You're never gonna have to deal with
parking when you start at four thirty in the morning. Now,
I will say, though, I have noticed over the last
few years that five thirty is a big difference. In fact,
i'd say five thirty am is the new seven am.
(07:18):
So I've seen the Adirondack Lodge filled by by six
o'clock in the morning, especially on busy summer days. If
you get there after six o'clock, you're absolutely gonna have
to park miles down the road and walk down the
road just to get to the trailhead, and you might walk.
I don't know what the actual mileage is, but I
(07:38):
would imagine it's one to three miles somewhere in there,
depending on the parking lot. So the Adirondack Lodge is
is the biggest trailhead in the High Peaks.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
For sure.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Hundreds and hundreds of cars fit in there. But again
it will fill up in the summertime, especially on a weekend. Weekdays,
You're not really going to have any issues. But the weekends, yeah,
one hundred percent. If you're not there before six am,
you're going to be walking a lot of extra miles. Now,
the mountains that you'll probably hike from the Adirondack Lodge
(08:10):
include Marcy Skylight, Gray Algonquin, Iroquois, Right Street, Nine, Coldon,
Phelps Tabletop, Cliff, Redfield, and Marshall. Now, some of these
mountains you're gonna hike from the next trail that I'm
going to talk about. But those are the mountains that
in general you'll climb from the Adirondack Lodge, or it's
(08:33):
the one of two one of two main areas that
you'll you'll that you'll use. I personally really like hiking
from the Adirondack Lodge because I live in Lake Placid,
so it's nice and quick for me. But I also
enjoy going to Marcy Dam. It never gets old, though
I will say the hike back from Marcy Dam always
gets old. But I love the hike in the morning
(08:54):
to Marcy Dam. It just sets the tone for the
mysterious magic that the Adirondack high Peaks are about to
get of you. So the Adirondack Lodge, it's your main
hub for a lot of the high peaks. That's going
to take you back to the Lake Colden area, the
Avalanche Pass, Avalanche Lake area, tons of mountains, tons of camping,
is a It is a magical place, to be honest
(09:16):
with you. Now, moving on, the Upper Works Trailhead is
another very popular trailhead and it's going to help you
go into that Lake Coldon area from a totally different direction.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Now.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
The Upper Works Trailhead is located on Upper Works Road
in Newcombe. This trailhead is very popular for hikers driving
up I eighty seven because it is just quicker, although
I actually don't know how much quicker. It might not
be that much shorter of a drive, but it probably is.
I'm sure people will say, James, you're wrong. But anyways,
(09:52):
the Upper Works Trailhead very popular for hikers driving north
on eighty seven. It offers a very scenic approach through
the flowed Lands. So once again it's the Adirondacks, so
everything's pretty scenic. But yeah, it's a pretty cool hike
as you walk in through the flowed lands, very scenic.
Most of the mountains that you're going to access from
the Upper Works trailheads again, there are similar mountains from
(10:14):
that you're going.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
To hike from the lodge.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Of course, the lodge you'll hike more from there, but
some of the mountains that you'll access from the Upper
Works trailhead include Marshall Cliff, Redfield. Those are probably the
most popular ones, but then also Marcy's Skylight and gray
and coldon those are you know, those are kind of
the really you know, it's your call if you want
(10:36):
to hike from the lodge or the or the Upper Works.
Mileage wise, I think the Upper Works to Marshall Cliff
and Redfield is slightly shorter but negligible, you know, like
probably a mile different, so not to not too bad overall.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
And again I'm sure there's people who are.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
Going to say, actually, James, it's one point six miles,
but in general they're not that big of a difference
in terms terms of mileage overall.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
Moving on.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
The AMR and the inspiration for this very podcast episode.
This week, so it was announced that the amr's permit
system is now permanent. Could have called that back in
twenty twenty, but anyways, you will now need a parking
permit to hike at the AMR. Trailhead also known as
(11:28):
y'all Sable Cloff also named as Saint Hubert's or Saint Hubert.
And you will need a parking permit to hike there
from May one through October thirty first, and it is
right now. The week of it is May seventh, right now,
So yeah, you're going to need a parking pass to
park there and hike there, unfortunately, And no, you cannot
(11:52):
just walk in there if you don't have a parking
permit pass.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Explain that one to me, AMR. I would love to know.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Anyways, most of you, if you've listened to this podcast
long enough, know my thoughts on this whole thing. Totally
cool with them having a parking permit to park there,
it's their property. But to then also somehow restrict public
access on a public easement state easement is something that
I don't quite understand, and I would love for someone
(12:21):
to answer my many many emails I have sent over
the last well your is it twenty twenty five over
the last five years since this was or four years
since this was actually implemented. But anyways, the Ausable Club,
you know, it's in Keen Valley along Route seventy three,
it's a great trailhead and for a lot of you
who are coming up to hike from like you know,
(12:41):
far away distances, it is a great option to be
able to book a parking permit knowing that, yeah, you
will have a parking spot there. So I do see
the benefit of the parking. I just don't see the
I just don't see how it could even be legal
that they can't let people walk in on the easement.
But again that's a different story book that at hikeamr
(13:02):
dot org. And there's no cost for the parking reservation yet.
But for people traveling from Afar, again it makes sense.
I get it. It has its benefits, It has its benefits.
So this trailhead, though, I actually don't know how many
parking spaces they actually have, but it's a good size
and there's you know, go to hike amr dot org
(13:23):
to get all the details of when you can actually book.
You can't just like book your parking now for you know,
August twenty six, that doesn't work that way.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
It is only I believe a week maybe two weeks.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
Before that you can book your book you're parking, and
then you can kind of show up and just do it.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
It's a there's gonna be a guy at the gate.
There is a gate.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
You will get locked in. It's a whole thing. But
hikemar dot org for all the information there. Now you're
going to walk along the Lake Road here. That's kind
of a when you've ever heard the word the lake road,
this is the trailhead that people are referring to when
you walk on the Lake Road. So popular mountains to
hike from the AMR include Lower Great Range including Saw Teeth,
(14:06):
Saw Teeth, Gothics, Armstrong, Upper Wolfjaw, and Lower Wolfjaw, Dial, Nippletop, Blake,
and Colvin. And this is also the typical access point
for the very popular Indian Head lookout.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
Can you guys believe James Appleton, your favorite Adirondack podcaster,
has still never gone to Indian Head. At this point,
it's like, it's like, how I've also never seen a
Star Wars. I've never seen Star Wars, and at this
point it's more impressive to never see it than to
see it. And I feel like Indian Head has kind
of become that for me. Although I do have ideas
(14:41):
for a podcast episode when James finally goes to Indian Head.
But being living where I live, so close to so
many other mountains, I've just never wanted to drive all
the way down to Keene Valley and then hike all
three ish miles down to the end of the lake
Road to then go up to this little lookout that
then hike all the way back along the lake road.
(15:03):
When I could just go hike Mount Joe for the
six thousandth time or Mount van Hopenberg and get those
awesome sum of yous.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
So anyways, still never been to Indian Head. Kind of
funny at this point, but that's the AMR.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
Remember.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Go to HIKEAMR dot org to book your reservation. Tell
them that James from the forty six to forty six
podcast sent you.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
Hi everyone.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
My name is Karina. I'm from Geneva, New York, and
I just finished the Cascade team for the Great Range
Athlete program. So I found James's podcast. I've been listening
for a few years, had been toying with the idea
of joining Great Range Athlete since he announced it, and
finally decided to pull the trigger this spring. I had
an amazing time. I was really looking to build my
(15:50):
confidence in my ability to go out and do hard hikes.
I wanted to make sure I could go out and
do them. I wanted to make sure I go out
and do them and have fun and not come back
feeling like I was going to be dead for the
next week. The program here really did that. I was
able to talk to James beforehand. He answered a few
of my questions and concerns about the program and how
it would fit me specifically as an athlete and as
(16:13):
a human. And I loved working with the Cascade team.
I loved the markt polos, I loved the workouts, and
I really feel like I have a nice pattern and
stepping stones to build off of from here and to
keep doing great things and to keep becoming a better hiker.
So if you're on the fence about it, talk to James,
(16:33):
look at the other testimonials. I had an amazing time,
and I hope you do too.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Moving on the Garden Trail Head. The Garden Trail Head now,
this is located in Keene Valley and it is a
very small parking lot that fills up quite quickly. So
once again, the earlier you start hiking, the better, and
there is a fee to park here. This is run
by the Adironac Mountain Club, which also I didn't don't
(17:00):
think I mentioned it before. There is a fee to
park at the Adirondack Lodge as well, and I think
it is now up to twenty dollars a car. It
was ten dollars a car not that long ago. Now
it is twenty. But such is life right now. So
same thing goes at the Garden. It's a small, small,
small parking lot though, so you're going to have to
get there early. And let's say you're hiking on a
(17:22):
Sunday in the summer, for example, you could still get
there super early, but the parking lot's already full because
it filled up on Saturday with people camping. So you know,
you go out to Johnsbrook Lodge from the Garden, that's
what you're going to access from there. It just you
got to be aware that this parking lot in particular
(17:42):
can be a bit a bit troublesome, as it was
in the opening story here on my very podcast episode.
So now, some different mountains that you'll hike from the
Garden trailhead approaching from the Garden include the Upper Great
Range also known as Haystack Basin and Saddleback Big Slide
and then the lower Grade range as well as another
(18:03):
another access point, so you can hike saw Teeth, Gothics.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
Armstrong, Upper Wolf, Jaw, Lower Wolf, John. I mean you can.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Once again, you can hike so many different mountains from
so many different places, and you hit different trails and
kind of access it from different areas. But ultimately these
are kind of your your standard mountains that you'll that
you'll probably hike from the Garden trailhead. Additionally, I did
not mention it before at back. Let's maybe let's rewind
to the AMR. Saint Hubert's a sable club. No dogs
(18:34):
allowed there, so if you do hike with your pup,
you're going to have to have different access points to
to go climb the mountains from AMR FYI all right,
moving on, coming back down Route seventy three the Cascade
trailhead along Route seventy three in Lake Placid, Cascade Mountain
(18:55):
probably the most hiked high peak period, maybe even the
most hiked mountain in the at Irondacks period. Because it
is a smaller it's a shorter hike. I mean not
really that smaller in size, it's just a shorter hike
because you park literally on the side of the road
and you just start going up. So it's a it's
a very popular, very highly accessible mountain. The parking here
(19:16):
as well fills up super fast, especially on a weekend
in the summer. Once again, start at four thirty. You
won't have any issues. Oh but James, I have to
drive a long way, so you want to hike, right, Yeah, okay,
well cool, start early. You'll be able to You'll be
able to get a parking spot without issue at four o'clock,
(19:38):
four thirty, even five o'clock there. But I'll say again,
come six o'clock that parking along the Route seventy three
is completely full. And then you get into you know,
people illegally parking and getting towed. And that's the whole
reason that the Cascade Trail in general has been re
routed via Mount van Hovenburg and the Bob Sled Run.
(19:59):
But that trail, I believe was supposed to be finished
in twenty nineteen, and it is twenty twenty five, is
not finished. I have no idea about any of the
status of that, but I do know that eventually the
plan is that this Cascade trailhead and trail gets goes bye.
Bye bye bye, and it's all because of the parking. Unfortunately.
(20:20):
So Cascade, that short little mountain that we all love,
is not going to be such a short mounta. I
think right now it's I think it's a three mile hike.
I think it's going to become like a seven or
eight mile hike once it once it changes. So for now,
you'll hike from Route seventy three the Castgage trailhead and
at Cascade you will hike Cascade and Porter. Now you
(20:40):
can also access Porter from Marcy Field and go up
the Blueberry Trail. It's a much less traveled way of climbing,
much harder too as well, but it's one of those
more not secret, but people just don't typically travel that way.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
So that is another option though.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
For Casgade and Porter, you can go that route and
you definitely will not have any problem parking at Marcyfield.
Moving on, speaking of mountains that you park right down
below and then you immediately start hiking up it. The
giant mountain trailheads, Now, there are numerous giant mountain trailheads.
So we have the Ridge trailhead and the Roaring Brook trailhead.
(21:20):
They are about a mile apart. From one another on
Route seventy three in Keene Valley. So the Roaring Brook
trailhead is directly across Route seventy three from the AMR trailhead.
That is one route up Giant Mountain. And then the
Ridge Trail is further up Route seventy three towards I
eighty seven, just after Chapel Pond. And if you want
(21:43):
to know what I feel is the best way to
hike Giant, it is by far the Ridge Trail.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
Roaring Brook is cool. The Roaring Brook.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
Falls, you can see, it's quite frankly, it's cooler to
see the falls from the road in my opinion, and
actually hiking up there, the Ridge Trail, I just think
is a thousand times more enjoyable because you're constantly coming
in and out of the trees onto these open slabs
with views for days. So highly recommend that trail. But
I've done both multiple times and they're fine. They're all good.
(22:14):
It's all mountain, right, it all has its own adventure
and its own place here.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
But you are.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
Parking on a you know, fifty five mile an hour road,
so just be very cautious. There is just is so
many times that hikers are on that road and they
just forget that you're on like what we consider a
highway here, so they're just kind of, you know, blatantly
walking around crossing the road without looking, and it's like, man,
it does not take. You are not going to survive
getting hit by a car on that road. So just
(22:40):
be very mindful when you're parking at this trailhead. This
trail and also probably fifty cars because you're parking along
the side of the road. I'd be surprised if there's
more than fifty that parking spots, so just be aware.
And then the other the Roaring Brook trailhead probably holds
twenty cars, I bet at max, but maybe I'm just
guessing wrong.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
But they're both both. They're both small.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
But Giant is a very popular mountain for the same
reasons that Cascade is so popular, because it is you
just park right there and you get to get to
go right up now. Bonus if you got two cars
or you just want to do a really big long hike, personally,
two cars is kind of the way to go here.
But you can do the Giant, Rocky Peak Ridge, New
(23:22):
Russia Traverse and park one of your cars at the
New Russia Trailhead, which is on the way to Elizabethtown
on I believe that's nine n and then you would
park another car at Giant. The New Russia Trail up
to up to Rocky Peak Ridge, super scenic, very open,
it's it's it's a very it's a very awesome trail.
(23:44):
Doesn't get nearly as much traffic as the other trails
because it's just longer and probably considered harder, But ultimately
that is an option, and if you got the two cars,
it's a great way to go. Now.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
I have heard a story.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
Once of somebody who picked up some high hikers along
the side of the road who did the New Russia
Traverse with the intention of calling an UBER when they
got to New Russia, only to find out a there's
no cell phone service and b uber doesn't really exist.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Up here in the Adirondacks. We're kind of behind the times.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
So definitely have two cars if this is your plan
moving west, who's ready for the seward range Correy's Road Trailhead.
The Cory's Road trailhead is located on Route three between
Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake. Now, this is the westernmost
high peaks trailhead, and you're going to drive on to
(24:37):
Correy's Road, which is just a regular road at first,
but then you're going to drive roughly seven miles back
into the woods, most of it on a dirt road
until you come to the Seward's trailhead. So you know
Seward Range. So the mountains you're going to hike from
here is the Seward Range. Seward Donaldson, Emmons, and Seymour.
I remember the very first time I ever drove to
(24:59):
this trailhead. I was meeting a buddy shout out to
Eli at the Seward Range to hike that morning. We're
going to start like five am. I pulled in from
New York City, so I worked all week, drove back
up past my house to go to the trail and
just sleep at the trailhead for like an hour or two.
And it is my first time going back there. And
(25:19):
at you know, two o'clock in the morning, driving out
to the Seward Trailhead for the first time.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
It's like it is back there.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
It is deep, it is dark, holy mackerel as the
crow flies. I believe the Seward Trailhead and the Upper
Works Trailhead are like I don't know, like ten miles
or something. In fact, I think the I think the
lodge and the Upper Works trailhead also like ten miles
as the crow flies, but it's like a ninety minute
(25:47):
drive because you go all around the mountain, so you
know it's not that far in distance, but kind of
crazy when you actually look at the map and you
look at above and you kind of think about where
these are in terms of driving. Anyways, the Cory's Road trailhead,
you're gonna hike the Seward range. This is again a
very small trailhead, not that big, probably holds I would
(26:10):
bet thirty cars max, I would imagine. But once again,
you get there at four thirty five o'clock, you'll have
a spot moving on going back to the Upper Works
Road the Allen mount Adams trailhead. So the Allen Mountain
trailhead is on the Upper Works Road near just before
(26:31):
the Upper Works trailhead, just before like not like you know,
a couple hundred yards I believe at this point. But
the high peak that you're gonna hike from this trailhead
is drum roll, Alan Mountain. Of course, you're also gonna
go there to hike Mount Adams if you're doing the
fire tower challenge. You just want a smaller mountain, You're
gonna hike that from this trailhead as well. Once again,
(26:52):
this is another like smaller trailhead.
Speaker 1 (26:55):
This one's at.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
This one probably holds, I would imagine this probably again
is in that like thirty car kind of twenty to
twenty to forty in that kind of ballpark. So again,
these can fill up quickly. Allen is clearly not a
very popular mountain to climb, right, so you might not
have that nearly the same problems there as you will
(27:16):
at something like Giant or Cascade. Well, you definitely won't,
but it can also still be filled on a nice
summer summer weekend. Also, I want you to remember, I
want you to note that these trailheads, so these trailers
on Upperworks Road, you're like a good thirty miles of
driving after you get off exit twenty nine on eighty seven,
(27:37):
if that's the exit you get off or if you
get up there earlier, doesn't matter regardless, you're like thirty
miles from a gas station, So have lots of gas
in your car before you leave civilization, like you know,
off eighty seven, and luckily for you, right under exit
twenty nine on eighty seven.
Speaker 1 (27:56):
There is a gas station.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
When Josh and I hiked Alan a couple summers ago,
amazing summer day.
Speaker 1 (28:04):
Alan is so awesome on a summer day. I freaking
loved it.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
But man, we were singing the gaslight anthem coming back
and thank god we made it to the trail the
gas station under eighty seven because it was gonna be
a close call, but we made it. But yes, the
Allan trailhead is along the Upper Works Road. It's on
the right hand side, just past the old MacIntyre Iron Furnace,
(28:31):
which is a giant stone structure. You can't really miss it.
And if you do arrive at the Upperworks trailhead you
have gone too far.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
Moving just up the street, you.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Got the Santanoni trailhead again on Upperworks Road, all in
this same general area. Another small trailhead, probably that twenty
to forty car count. So again, get there early. You're
gonna be glad you did. Now, since this is the
official sant trailhead, you guessed it. The moultains you're gonna
(29:03):
hike from here are the Santinoni Range, which includes Santinoni,
Kuk Sokraga, the Mighty Coop Sokraga, and Panther.
Speaker 1 (29:10):
Panther being one of.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
The most underrated high peak summits in the High Peaks,
maybe arguably the number one most underrated summit along with Donaldson.
I also think Donaldson does not quite get the doesn't
get the love that it should along with Panther. Now
(29:32):
we hit the western most trailheads. Now we're going to
hit the northernmost trailhead. This is the Marble Mountain Trailhead,
also known as the Atmospheric Science Research Center. This is
the Marble Mountain Trailhead, which is located just off the
White Face Mountain Toll Road in Wilmington. Once again the
northernmost High Peaks trailhead, and this, you know, could be
(29:55):
the smallest trailhead in the High Peaks in terms of parking.
So once again you do want want to arrive nice
and early, because what are you gonna do if you
get you have this big day of hiking planned and
then you don't get a parking spot. Kind of sucks.
So the earlier you start, the better. And of course
sometimes we have to have audibles that we know that
we are ready to do. If that happens, but it's
(30:18):
avoidable by just getting there early, sleep a little bit less.
I'm willing to bet you're all pretty excited and amped
up the night you go to sleep before a high
peaks hike. I know I certainly am, and I've been
up these mountains so many times. It never really changes.
I'm always so excited to hit the trail first thing
in the morning when it's so dark out, and when
you get there you get to see the world come
alive out in the woods. Oh, it's just a beautiful
(30:40):
thing to watch the woods wake up. When you're miles back.
But from the Marble Mountain trailhead, you're gonna hike Marble Mountain,
which is going to take you to White Face and Esther.
Now you can hike White Face and Esther from the
Connery Pond trailhead, which is towards Lake Placid, still on
the same road miles away towards Lake Placid way smaller,
(31:03):
even so much smaller, but it is an alternative route
to climb up White Face. An awesome route have, but
up that way too. I don't really think either of
them are better. But if you are going to hike
White Face and Esther, if you go from Connery Pond,
you'll have to go You'll go over white Face over
to Esther and then back up white Face and back over.
(31:26):
So not really that not really, it doesn't really make
a lot of sense. But that is another option that
you do have if you are have your site set
on white Face for one day. It could also walk
up the toll road or walk down the toll road,
which I actually highly recommend because I think it. I
don't highly recommend walking up the toll road, but I
do think walking down the toll road is cool because
(31:48):
it gives it's another unique element to Whiteface Mountain here
in the Adirondack high Peaks. And you have used the
entire time, and in my opinion, you still hiked down
the mountain. You just hike down a paved road head
of a trail, even though a road is a technically
a trail. Right, well, we're gonna split hairs here, people,
come on, all right? Moving on in my final trailhead
(32:10):
for your trailhead, love the Elk Lake trailhead. Yes, in
North Hudson, and this is a popular location to tackle
the Dix Range. Now there, this is another very small
parking lot probably once again, probably like your twenty vehicle
sort of parking lot, and there is an overflow parking lot,
but it's three miles before the main Elk Lake parking lot,
(32:33):
So three plus three equals six, So if you do
have to go park there, it's an additional six miles
of road walking on top of an already very big day.
So the Elk Lake trailhead again one of the smaller
trailheads here in the high peaks. You're gonna hike dis Huff,
South Dix, Grace Peak, and McCombe. And an honorable mention
(32:57):
to get into the Dicks Range is the Round Pond
trailhead along Route seventy three, even smaller, but that is
another option to get yourself back to the Dick's Range.
And once again like there's a million different options and
different routs and unusual roots that you can take to
get to different places from different spots. But what I
went through in this episode is your very typical trail
(33:20):
head breakdown. I hope you found this episode helpful if
you're about to start your Adirondack forty six er journey.
All of this information can be found in my brand
new book The Adirondack forty six in eighteen Hikes, the
Complete Guide to Hiking the High Peaks, and you can
get that wherever you get books. But as I close
out this episode, I'm going to read you a section
(33:42):
from this book that is called Miles in the Dark
Don't Count. And if you couldn't already tell I am
a big advocate of arriving at the trailhead as early
as possible, for logistical reasons and for the overall hiking experience.
You see, Legitistically, the earlier you start, the higher the
likelihood you have of obtaining a parking spa. That's always
(34:05):
a win, right, But you also get to set yourself
up to have more daylight later to complete your hike,
and you know, giving yourself more time rather than less.
I'd say it's always preferred, you know, in my opinion,
because you never really know what you're going to encounter
in the back country, So in my opinion, limiting the
chances of an unplanned overnight in the woods or having
to or needing extra time, it's always worth waking up
(34:28):
just a couple.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
Of hours earlier.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
Now, when it comes to the hiking experience, I always
like to say that miles in the dark don't count.
But what do I mean by this, Well, when you
start in the dark with your head lamp on, by
the time the sun rises, you're already miles deep and
your hike is well underway. Those miles that you hiked
in the dark, they become a distant memory, and then
suddenly it feels like, oh, we got a little couple
(34:52):
mile heads start here, and it starts and you feel
like when you start at the trailer that it was
days ago.
Speaker 1 (34:58):
It's just a great fresh feeling when you're out there
when the sun comes up.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
You know, hiking in the dark might feel intimidating at first,
but I'd say within five minutes you'll adjust to navigating
via headlamp just fine. You get used to it very
fast and it just becomes business as usual. And additionally,
there's nothing that just beats watching the sunrise from on
top of a mountain, or just being miles back in
the woods when the forest starts to wake up and
(35:23):
the birds start chirping, the chipmunks are, you know, doing
their thing, and the trees just everything in the morning.
I'll tell you it never gets old, and it is
a privilege to experience the Adirondack Woods, waking up after
the nighttime when your plan for the days to climb
high peaks. I believe that task should be given the
utmost importance and become your primary focus for the day,
(35:47):
even if that means waking up earlier. By starting early,
you're demonstrating how serious that you're taking this task. Because,
again you've heard me say it, the mountains do not
care about you. So it's very important to show respect
for the mountains by your actions. And I believe you
do this by intentionally setting yourself up for a successful
day in the woods. And sure, you can start hiking
(36:09):
at ten or eleven am if you get a parking spot,
and still be respecting the mountains. But I do believe
that when you do go out of your way to
start earlier than let's say, your work day alarm clock
goes off, I believe that you approach the mountains from
an entirely different perspective, with a different mindset, one that
shows total dedication to the adventure that you are about
(36:30):
to undertake. You're starting that adventure with laser focus and
of course the ultimate respect.
Speaker 1 (36:37):
For the woods and for the mountains.
Speaker 2 (36:39):
So I encourage you to set that alarm early because
you're not going to work. You're going to go climb
some mountains and what a privilege that is. Don't forget
your head lamp, bring some spare batteries, and remember that
miles in the dark don't count. And when you're out there,
say good morning to the Adirondack Forest for your old
buddy James. Thanks for listening to this episode of the
(37:12):
forty six of forty six podcast. Head over to forty
six outdoors dot com to check out everything I have
to offer you, from books to guides to guided trips
so that you can have a fun and enjoyable experience
here hiking the Adirondack Mountains. Head over to Great Rangeathlete
dot com to find out about joining the next Great
Range Athlete team, where I help you get strong, fit
(37:35):
and confident for climbing mountains so that it doesn't have
to feel like a physical slog, but it can be
a fulfilling mountain adventure.
Speaker 1 (37:43):
And that'll do it for this episode.
Speaker 2 (37:44):
Check back on Fridays for new mountains, new stories, new guests,
and new episodes right here on the forty six of
forty six podcast. Remember it to always leave no trace,
do the rock walk and if you carry it in,
carry it out. See you on the trails everybody. Summer's
right around the corner. The June Great Range Athlete team
is sold out. Yes, that did not take very long.
(38:08):
Twenty one people from all around the United States have
joined the Great Range Athlete Wolf Jaw team. Now because
of that, I have decided to launch an additional summer
Great Range Athlete team because I got to get you
guys strong and fit so you can have enjoyable mountain
adventures this summer. So the next Great Range Athlete team
will kick off in July. Yes, the June team is
(38:30):
sold out now launching the July team. Head over to
Great Rangeathlete dot com. If you want to spend six
weeks this summer online getting fit, strong and in shape
so you can enjoy your mountain adventures and do it
with like minded people in the process. Reserve your spot
today at Great Rangeathlete dot com and I'll see you
in July.
Parking lot, full.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Crap, Marcy Skylight, Gray Cliff and Redfield.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Done.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Now the long walk back to the lodge. Three fifty
five am. Just signed in Sanoney Range.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Let's go.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
The wind is whipping here in the seward range to
just finish the Macomb slide, and my legs are on fire.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Well I fell victim to the floating logs again.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Made it to the top of East Dix Peak number
three of five for today here in the Dick and
Range Avalanche Pass on top of Rocky Peak Bridge.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
It's like a hurricane up here.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Rain and wind here on tabletop, Whiteface number six, Muddy
Day here on street and I for number seven and eight,
Sonny in blue on Haystack, Algonquin up in the Clouds
number eighteen, Gothics number twenty two, Panther number thirty eight,
Allen number forty five, seven to twelve am, Big Slide
Adirondack forty six er.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
You're listening to the forty six of forty six podcast.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
It was a cool, colorful September morning, in the culmination
of an entire summer spent on the trails. It was
the morning I'd been working towards for months. The day
I would make my triumphant return to Big Slide Mountain
and finish my Adirondack forty six er journey. I was
like a kid on Christmas Eve. The excitement was in
(01:23):
the air, and I barely slept the night before. Per usual,
My hiking partner Josh, and I left nice and early
from Lake Placid to drive down to Keene Valley to
the Garden parking lot. I was sitting at forty five
of forty six high peaks on my quest to become
an Adirondak forty six er in one summer. It was
(01:43):
becoming a reality, and it was also time to revisit
Big Slide, a mountain that was just too hard for
me a few years before, which ultimately forced me to
very embarrassingly quit and just turn around and leave my
group without hiking the mountain. This day, however, was going
to be different.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
No don't know.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
This was going to be the big finish on my
high Peaks adventure. So we drove down Route seventy three
through the Cascades, passed Keene into Keene Valley, and turned
right toward the Garden trailhead. Throughout the drive, I was
looking for places that we could potentially park and walk
to the trailhead if the parking lot was full, because
(02:23):
I was nervous that we might not get a parking spot.
It was a busy weekend, a lot was riding on today.
I had taken off work to become an Adirondack forty
six er, and my family was even coming to celebrate
with pie after the hike at the Noonmark Diner, I
was determined to climb Big Slide no matter what. But
(02:44):
it was evident there wasn't anywhere else to park, and
my nerves started to grow. As we hit the dirt road,
surrounded by local camps and houses, we came to a
yellow sign with brown letters that read parking lot full.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
My heart sank.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
After all, this was the day I was actually working
towards and now we couldn't hike because of a lousy
parking space. I quickly started mapping how far the walk
from the Neonmark trailhead would be, as Josh.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Said, let's just go check it out.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Anyways, I'm not sure if that sign is actually accurate,
you know, maybe someone left overnight. And we slowly drove
up the road as the sound of Josh's truck tires
rolled along the dirt, we entered the trailhead and lo
and behold the most beautiful site awaited us, A near
(03:37):
empty parking lot.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Hallylujah.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
There was literally only three or four cars in the
entire parking lot. A parking lot that not that big,
but it does hold dozens of cars. In fact, it
holds about fifty cars. Yes, the hike was still on,
and a few hours later I officially a summitted big
slide and I became an.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Adirondack forty sixer.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
If it wasn't for Josh's hiking experience and knowing that
the sign at that trailhead isn't always accurate, I personally
would have just turned around. I would not have become
a forty six er that day. The more you know
about what to expect at the trailheads, the.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Better you can plan.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
And I do not want you to miss out on
your adventure due to a lousy parking space. In this
episode of the forty six to forty six podcast, we
are going to talk all about the trailheads of the
Adirondack forty six so that you know what to expect
at each one, what mountains to climb from each one,
(04:44):
so that you can have a great Adirondack adventure in
the high Peaks. One of the questions I get asked
almost more than anything, is about trailheads and the size
of trailheads. If I thinkrailheads will be full on certain weekends,
all sorts of things, what mountains to climb from, what trailhead?
(05:07):
Trailheads are a big deal, and there are many of
them here in the Adirondack High Peaks. So this week
I'm going to go through each and everyone that you
will use to become an Adirondack forty six or so.
You know kind of what to expect if you've never
been there. We're going to start with the main trailhead,
the big one, the Adirondack Lodge, the Adirondack Mountain Club
(05:29):
aka the Lodge. The Adirondack Lodge is in Lake Placid,
and it is a very unique place filled with tons
of Adirondack history. In fact, whenever someone visits the ADK
to hike with me, I always make sure that we
start from the Lodge because it is a cool place.
You know, it's definitely the it's the most National park
(05:49):
feeling place that we have here in the Adirondacks. And
if you do want to stay there, you also can
you can book rooms there, you can book little huts
and you can camp there. Of things at the Adirondack Lodge,
and also they have an info center, so if you
did forget some various items in your pack you need
to purchase some things. They got a whole store where
(06:11):
you can buy some. You can also rent bear canisters
and if you don't know, bear canisters are mandatory when
camping in the high peak so fyi, but you can
rent that at the Adirondack Mountain Club at the Lodge.
But of course if you start at six o'clock in
the morning, they're not going to be open, so add
that to your itinerary. When you do go to the
Adirondack Lodge, it is at the end of the Adirondack
(06:33):
Lodge Road in Lake Placid, and you are going to
get quite the view as you drive in there. Now,
the Adirondack Lodge is a place that does fill up
very quickly in the summer, especially as you're all planning
this summer Adirondack hiking adventures. It fills up fast, but
you know when it's not full when you get there
(06:54):
to hike at four o'clock or four thirty in the morning,
like we do, You're never going to have to deal
with the parking spot. In fact, let me just make
a blanket statement, You're never gonna have to deal with
parking when you start at four thirty in the morning. Now,
I will say, though, I have noticed over the last
few years that five thirty is a big difference. In fact,
i'd say five thirty am is the new seven am.
(07:18):
So I've seen the Adirondack Lodge filled by by six
o'clock in the morning, especially on busy summer days. If
you get there after six o'clock, you're absolutely gonna have
to park miles down the road and walk down the
road just to get to the trailhead, and you might walk.
I don't know what the actual mileage is, but I
(07:38):
would imagine it's one to three miles somewhere in there,
depending on the parking lot. So the Adirondack Lodge is
is the biggest trailhead in the High Peaks.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
For sure.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Hundreds and hundreds of cars fit in there. But again
it will fill up in the summertime, especially on a weekend. Weekdays,
You're not really going to have any issues. But the weekends, yeah,
one hundred percent. If you're not there before six am,
you're going to be walking a lot of extra miles. Now,
the mountains that you'll probably hike from the Adirondack Lodge
(08:10):
include Marcy Skylight, Gray Algonquin, Iroquois, Right Street, Nine, Coldon,
Phelps Tabletop, Cliff, Redfield, and Marshall. Now, some of these
mountains you're gonna hike from the next trail that I'm
going to talk about. But those are the mountains that
in general you'll climb from the Adirondack Lodge, or it's
(08:33):
the one of two one of two main areas that
you'll you'll that you'll use. I personally really like hiking
from the Adirondack Lodge because I live in Lake Placid,
so it's nice and quick for me. But I also
enjoy going to Marcy Dam. It never gets old, though
I will say the hike back from Marcy Dam always
gets old. But I love the hike in the morning
(08:54):
to Marcy Dam. It just sets the tone for the
mysterious magic that the Adirondack high Peaks are about to
get of you. So the Adirondack Lodge, it's your main
hub for a lot of the high peaks. That's going
to take you back to the Lake Colden area, the
Avalanche Pass, Avalanche Lake area, tons of mountains, tons of camping,
is a It is a magical place, to be honest
(09:16):
with you. Now, moving on, the Upper Works Trailhead is
another very popular trailhead and it's going to help you
go into that Lake Coldon area from a totally different direction.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Now.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
The Upper Works Trailhead is located on Upper Works Road
in Newcombe. This trailhead is very popular for hikers driving
up I eighty seven because it is just quicker, although
I actually don't know how much quicker. It might not
be that much shorter of a drive, but it probably is.
I'm sure people will say, James, you're wrong. But anyways,
(09:52):
the Upper Works Trailhead very popular for hikers driving north
on eighty seven. It offers a very scenic approach through
the flowed Lands. So once again it's the Adirondacks, so
everything's pretty scenic. But yeah, it's a pretty cool hike
as you walk in through the flowed lands, very scenic.
Most of the mountains that you're going to access from
the Upper Works trailheads again, there are similar mountains from
(10:14):
that you're going.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
To hike from the lodge.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Of course, the lodge you'll hike more from there, but
some of the mountains that you'll access from the Upper
Works trailhead include Marshall Cliff, Redfield. Those are probably the
most popular ones, but then also Marcy's Skylight and gray
and coldon those are you know, those are kind of
the really you know, it's your call if you want
(10:36):
to hike from the lodge or the or the Upper Works.
Mileage wise, I think the Upper Works to Marshall Cliff
and Redfield is slightly shorter but negligible, you know, like
probably a mile different, so not to not too bad overall.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
And again I'm sure there's people who are.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
Going to say, actually, James, it's one point six miles,
but in general they're not that big of a difference
in terms terms of mileage overall.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
Moving on.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
The AMR and the inspiration for this very podcast episode.
This week, so it was announced that the amr's permit
system is now permanent. Could have called that back in
twenty twenty, but anyways, you will now need a parking
permit to hike at the AMR. Trailhead also known as
(11:28):
y'all Sable Cloff also named as Saint Hubert's or Saint Hubert.
And you will need a parking permit to hike there
from May one through October thirty first, and it is
right now. The week of it is May seventh, right now,
So yeah, you're going to need a parking pass to
park there and hike there, unfortunately, And no, you cannot
(11:52):
just walk in there if you don't have a parking
permit pass.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Explain that one to me, AMR. I would love to know.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Anyways, most of you, if you've listened to this podcast
long enough, know my thoughts on this whole thing. Totally
cool with them having a parking permit to park there,
it's their property. But to then also somehow restrict public
access on a public easement state easement is something that
I don't quite understand, and I would love for someone
(12:21):
to answer my many many emails I have sent over
the last well your is it twenty twenty five over
the last five years since this was or four years
since this was actually implemented. But anyways, the Ausable Club,
you know, it's in Keen Valley along Route seventy three,
it's a great trailhead and for a lot of you
who are coming up to hike from like you know,
(12:41):
far away distances, it is a great option to be
able to book a parking permit knowing that, yeah, you
will have a parking spot there. So I do see
the benefit of the parking. I just don't see the
I just don't see how it could even be legal
that they can't let people walk in on the easement.
But again that's a different story book that at hikeamr
(13:02):
dot org. And there's no cost for the parking reservation yet.
But for people traveling from Afar, again it makes sense.
I get it. It has its benefits, It has its benefits.
So this trailhead, though, I actually don't know how many
parking spaces they actually have, but it's a good size
and there's you know, go to hike amr dot org
(13:23):
to get all the details of when you can actually book.
You can't just like book your parking now for you know,
August twenty six, that doesn't work that way.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
It is only I believe a week maybe two weeks.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
Before that you can book your book you're parking, and
then you can kind of show up and just do it.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
It's a there's gonna be a guy at the gate.
There is a gate.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
You will get locked in. It's a whole thing. But
hikemar dot org for all the information there. Now you're
going to walk along the Lake Road here. That's kind
of a when you've ever heard the word the lake road,
this is the trailhead that people are referring to when
you walk on the Lake Road. So popular mountains to
hike from the AMR include Lower Great Range including Saw Teeth,
(14:06):
Saw Teeth, Gothics, Armstrong, Upper Wolfjaw, and Lower Wolfjaw, Dial, Nippletop, Blake,
and Colvin. And this is also the typical access point
for the very popular Indian Head lookout.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
Can you guys believe James Appleton, your favorite Adirondack podcaster,
has still never gone to Indian Head. At this point,
it's like, it's like, how I've also never seen a
Star Wars. I've never seen Star Wars, and at this
point it's more impressive to never see it than to
see it. And I feel like Indian Head has kind
of become that for me. Although I do have ideas
(14:41):
for a podcast episode when James finally goes to Indian Head.
But being living where I live, so close to so
many other mountains, I've just never wanted to drive all
the way down to Keene Valley and then hike all
three ish miles down to the end of the lake
Road to then go up to this little lookout that
then hike all the way back along the lake road.
(15:03):
When I could just go hike Mount Joe for the
six thousandth time or Mount van Hopenberg and get those
awesome sum of yous.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
So anyways, still never been to Indian Head. Kind of
funny at this point, but that's the AMR.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
Remember.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Go to HIKEAMR dot org to book your reservation. Tell
them that James from the forty six to forty six
podcast sent you.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
Hi everyone.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
My name is Karina. I'm from Geneva, New York, and
I just finished the Cascade team for the Great Range
Athlete program. So I found James's podcast. I've been listening
for a few years, had been toying with the idea
of joining Great Range Athlete since he announced it, and
finally decided to pull the trigger this spring. I had
an amazing time. I was really looking to build my
(15:50):
confidence in my ability to go out and do hard hikes.
I wanted to make sure I could go out and
do them. I wanted to make sure I go out
and do them and have fun and not come back
feeling like I was going to be dead for the
next week. The program here really did that. I was
able to talk to James beforehand. He answered a few
of my questions and concerns about the program and how
it would fit me specifically as an athlete and as
(16:13):
a human. And I loved working with the Cascade team.
I loved the markt polos, I loved the workouts, and
I really feel like I have a nice pattern and
stepping stones to build off of from here and to
keep doing great things and to keep becoming a better hiker.
So if you're on the fence about it, talk to James,
(16:33):
look at the other testimonials. I had an amazing time,
and I hope you do too.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Moving on the Garden Trail Head. The Garden Trail Head now,
this is located in Keene Valley and it is a
very small parking lot that fills up quite quickly. So
once again, the earlier you start hiking, the better, and
there is a fee to park here. This is run
by the Adironac Mountain Club, which also I didn't don't
(17:00):
think I mentioned it before. There is a fee to
park at the Adirondack Lodge as well, and I think
it is now up to twenty dollars a car. It
was ten dollars a car not that long ago. Now
it is twenty. But such is life right now. So
same thing goes at the Garden. It's a small, small,
small parking lot though, so you're going to have to
get there early. And let's say you're hiking on a
(17:22):
Sunday in the summer, for example, you could still get
there super early, but the parking lot's already full because
it filled up on Saturday with people camping. So you know,
you go out to Johnsbrook Lodge from the Garden, that's
what you're going to access from there. It just you
got to be aware that this parking lot in particular
(17:42):
can be a bit a bit troublesome, as it was
in the opening story here on my very podcast episode.
So now, some different mountains that you'll hike from the
Garden trailhead approaching from the Garden include the Upper Great
Range also known as Haystack Basin and Saddleback Big Slide
and then the lower Grade range as well as another
(18:03):
another access point, so you can hike saw Teeth, Gothics.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
Armstrong, Upper Wolf, Jaw, Lower Wolf, John. I mean you can.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Once again, you can hike so many different mountains from
so many different places, and you hit different trails and
kind of access it from different areas. But ultimately these
are kind of your your standard mountains that you'll that
you'll probably hike from the Garden trailhead. Additionally, I did
not mention it before at back. Let's maybe let's rewind
to the AMR. Saint Hubert's a sable club. No dogs
(18:34):
allowed there, so if you do hike with your pup,
you're going to have to have different access points to
to go climb the mountains from AMR FYI all right,
moving on, coming back down Route seventy three the Cascade
trailhead along Route seventy three in Lake Placid, Cascade Mountain
(18:55):
probably the most hiked high peak period, maybe even the
most hiked mountain in the at Irondacks period. Because it
is a smaller it's a shorter hike. I mean not
really that smaller in size, it's just a shorter hike
because you park literally on the side of the road
and you just start going up. So it's a it's
a very popular, very highly accessible mountain. The parking here
(19:16):
as well fills up super fast, especially on a weekend
in the summer. Once again, start at four thirty. You
won't have any issues. Oh but James, I have to
drive a long way, so you want to hike, right, Yeah, okay,
well cool, start early. You'll be able to You'll be
able to get a parking spot without issue at four o'clock,
(19:38):
four thirty, even five o'clock there. But I'll say again,
come six o'clock that parking along the Route seventy three
is completely full. And then you get into you know,
people illegally parking and getting towed. And that's the whole
reason that the Cascade Trail in general has been re
routed via Mount van Hovenburg and the Bob Sled Run.
(19:59):
But that trail, I believe was supposed to be finished
in twenty nineteen, and it is twenty twenty five, is
not finished. I have no idea about any of the
status of that, but I do know that eventually the
plan is that this Cascade trailhead and trail gets goes bye.
Bye bye bye, and it's all because of the parking. Unfortunately.
(20:20):
So Cascade, that short little mountain that we all love,
is not going to be such a short mounta. I
think right now it's I think it's a three mile hike.
I think it's going to become like a seven or
eight mile hike once it once it changes. So for now,
you'll hike from Route seventy three the Castgage trailhead and
at Cascade you will hike Cascade and Porter. Now you
(20:40):
can also access Porter from Marcy Field and go up
the Blueberry Trail. It's a much less traveled way of climbing,
much harder too as well, but it's one of those
more not secret, but people just don't typically travel that way.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
So that is another option though.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
For Casgade and Porter, you can go that route and
you definitely will not have any problem parking at Marcyfield.
Moving on, speaking of mountains that you park right down
below and then you immediately start hiking up it. The
giant mountain trailheads, Now, there are numerous giant mountain trailheads.
So we have the Ridge trailhead and the Roaring Brook trailhead.
(21:20):
They are about a mile apart. From one another on
Route seventy three in Keene Valley. So the Roaring Brook
trailhead is directly across Route seventy three from the AMR trailhead.
That is one route up Giant Mountain. And then the
Ridge Trail is further up Route seventy three towards I
eighty seven, just after Chapel Pond. And if you want
(21:43):
to know what I feel is the best way to
hike Giant, it is by far the Ridge Trail.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
Roaring Brook is cool. The Roaring Brook.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
Falls, you can see, it's quite frankly, it's cooler to
see the falls from the road in my opinion, and
actually hiking up there, the Ridge Trail, I just think
is a thousand times more enjoyable because you're constantly coming
in and out of the trees onto these open slabs
with views for days. So highly recommend that trail. But
I've done both multiple times and they're fine. They're all good.
(22:14):
It's all mountain, right, it all has its own adventure
and its own place here.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
But you are.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
Parking on a you know, fifty five mile an hour road,
so just be very cautious. There is just is so
many times that hikers are on that road and they
just forget that you're on like what we consider a
highway here, so they're just kind of, you know, blatantly
walking around crossing the road without looking, and it's like, man,
it does not take. You are not going to survive
getting hit by a car on that road. So just
(22:40):
be very mindful when you're parking at this trailhead. This
trail and also probably fifty cars because you're parking along
the side of the road. I'd be surprised if there's
more than fifty that parking spots, so just be aware.
And then the other the Roaring Brook trailhead probably holds
twenty cars, I bet at max, but maybe I'm just
guessing wrong.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
But they're both both. They're both small.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
But Giant is a very popular mountain for the same
reasons that Cascade is so popular, because it is you
just park right there and you get to get to
go right up now. Bonus if you got two cars
or you just want to do a really big long hike, personally,
two cars is kind of the way to go here.
But you can do the Giant, Rocky Peak Ridge, New
(23:22):
Russia Traverse and park one of your cars at the
New Russia Trailhead, which is on the way to Elizabethtown
on I believe that's nine n and then you would
park another car at Giant. The New Russia Trail up
to up to Rocky Peak Ridge, super scenic, very open,
it's it's it's a very it's a very awesome trail.
(23:44):
Doesn't get nearly as much traffic as the other trails
because it's just longer and probably considered harder, But ultimately
that is an option, and if you got the two cars,
it's a great way to go. Now.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
I have heard a story.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
Once of somebody who picked up some high hikers along
the side of the road who did the New Russia
Traverse with the intention of calling an UBER when they
got to New Russia, only to find out a there's
no cell phone service and b uber doesn't really exist.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Up here in the Adirondacks. We're kind of behind the times.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
So definitely have two cars if this is your plan
moving west, who's ready for the seward range Correy's Road Trailhead.
The Cory's Road trailhead is located on Route three between
Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake. Now, this is the westernmost
high peaks trailhead, and you're going to drive on to
(24:37):
Correy's Road, which is just a regular road at first,
but then you're going to drive roughly seven miles back
into the woods, most of it on a dirt road
until you come to the Seward's trailhead. So you know
Seward Range. So the mountains you're going to hike from
here is the Seward Range. Seward Donaldson, Emmons, and Seymour.
I remember the very first time I ever drove to
(24:59):
this trailhead. I was meeting a buddy shout out to
Eli at the Seward Range to hike that morning. We're
going to start like five am. I pulled in from
New York City, so I worked all week, drove back
up past my house to go to the trail and
just sleep at the trailhead for like an hour or two.
And it is my first time going back there. And
(25:19):
at you know, two o'clock in the morning, driving out
to the Seward Trailhead for the first time.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
It's like it is back there.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
It is deep, it is dark, holy mackerel as the
crow flies. I believe the Seward Trailhead and the Upper
Works Trailhead are like I don't know, like ten miles
or something. In fact, I think the I think the
lodge and the Upper Works trailhead also like ten miles
as the crow flies, but it's like a ninety minute
(25:47):
drive because you go all around the mountain, so you
know it's not that far in distance, but kind of
crazy when you actually look at the map and you
look at above and you kind of think about where
these are in terms of driving. Anyways, the Cory's Road trailhead,
you're gonna hike the Seward range. This is again a
very small trailhead, not that big, probably holds I would
(26:10):
bet thirty cars max, I would imagine. But once again,
you get there at four thirty five o'clock, you'll have
a spot moving on going back to the Upper Works
Road the Allen mount Adams trailhead. So the Allen Mountain
trailhead is on the Upper Works Road near just before
(26:31):
the Upper Works trailhead, just before like not like you know,
a couple hundred yards I believe at this point. But
the high peak that you're gonna hike from this trailhead
is drum roll, Alan Mountain. Of course, you're also gonna
go there to hike Mount Adams if you're doing the
fire tower challenge. You just want a smaller mountain, You're
gonna hike that from this trailhead as well. Once again,
(26:52):
this is another like smaller trailhead.
Speaker 1 (26:55):
This one's at.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
This one probably holds, I would imagine this probably again
is in that like thirty car kind of twenty to
twenty to forty in that kind of ballpark. So again,
these can fill up quickly. Allen is clearly not a
very popular mountain to climb, right, so you might not
have that nearly the same problems there as you will
(27:16):
at something like Giant or Cascade. Well, you definitely won't,
but it can also still be filled on a nice
summer summer weekend. Also, I want you to remember, I
want you to note that these trailheads, so these trailers
on Upperworks Road, you're like a good thirty miles of
driving after you get off exit twenty nine on eighty seven,
(27:37):
if that's the exit you get off or if you
get up there earlier, doesn't matter regardless, you're like thirty
miles from a gas station, So have lots of gas
in your car before you leave civilization, like you know,
off eighty seven, and luckily for you, right under exit
twenty nine on eighty seven.
Speaker 1 (27:56):
There is a gas station.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
When Josh and I hiked Alan a couple summers ago,
amazing summer day.
Speaker 1 (28:04):
Alan is so awesome on a summer day. I freaking
loved it.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
But man, we were singing the gaslight anthem coming back
and thank god we made it to the trail the
gas station under eighty seven because it was gonna be
a close call, but we made it. But yes, the
Allan trailhead is along the Upper Works Road. It's on
the right hand side, just past the old MacIntyre Iron Furnace,
(28:31):
which is a giant stone structure. You can't really miss it.
And if you do arrive at the Upperworks trailhead you
have gone too far.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
Moving just up the street, you.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Got the Santanoni trailhead again on Upperworks Road, all in
this same general area. Another small trailhead, probably that twenty
to forty car count. So again, get there early. You're
gonna be glad you did. Now, since this is the
official sant trailhead, you guessed it. The moultains you're gonna
(29:03):
hike from here are the Santinoni Range, which includes Santinoni,
Kuk Sokraga, the Mighty Coop Sokraga, and Panther.
Speaker 1 (29:10):
Panther being one of.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
The most underrated high peak summits in the High Peaks,
maybe arguably the number one most underrated summit along with Donaldson.
I also think Donaldson does not quite get the doesn't
get the love that it should along with Panther. Now
(29:32):
we hit the western most trailheads. Now we're going to
hit the northernmost trailhead. This is the Marble Mountain Trailhead,
also known as the Atmospheric Science Research Center. This is
the Marble Mountain Trailhead, which is located just off the
White Face Mountain Toll Road in Wilmington. Once again the
northernmost High Peaks trailhead, and this, you know, could be
(29:55):
the smallest trailhead in the High Peaks in terms of parking.
So once again you do want want to arrive nice
and early, because what are you gonna do if you
get you have this big day of hiking planned and
then you don't get a parking spot. Kind of sucks.
So the earlier you start, the better. And of course
sometimes we have to have audibles that we know that
we are ready to do. If that happens, but it's
(30:18):
avoidable by just getting there early, sleep a little bit less.
I'm willing to bet you're all pretty excited and amped
up the night you go to sleep before a high
peaks hike. I know I certainly am, and I've been
up these mountains so many times. It never really changes.
I'm always so excited to hit the trail first thing
in the morning when it's so dark out, and when
you get there you get to see the world come
alive out in the woods. Oh, it's just a beautiful
(30:40):
thing to watch the woods wake up. When you're miles back.
But from the Marble Mountain trailhead, you're gonna hike Marble Mountain,
which is going to take you to White Face and Esther.
Now you can hike White Face and Esther from the
Connery Pond trailhead, which is towards Lake Placid, still on
the same road miles away towards Lake Placid way smaller,
(31:03):
even so much smaller, but it is an alternative route
to climb up White Face. An awesome route have, but
up that way too. I don't really think either of
them are better. But if you are going to hike
White Face and Esther, if you go from Connery Pond,
you'll have to go You'll go over white Face over
to Esther and then back up white Face and back over.
(31:26):
So not really that not really, it doesn't really make
a lot of sense. But that is another option that
you do have if you are have your site set
on white Face for one day. It could also walk
up the toll road or walk down the toll road,
which I actually highly recommend because I think it. I
don't highly recommend walking up the toll road, but I
do think walking down the toll road is cool because
(31:48):
it gives it's another unique element to Whiteface Mountain here
in the Adirondack high Peaks. And you have used the
entire time, and in my opinion, you still hiked down
the mountain. You just hike down a paved road head
of a trail, even though a road is a technically
a trail. Right, well, we're gonna split hairs here, people,
come on, all right? Moving on in my final trailhead
(32:10):
for your trailhead, love the Elk Lake trailhead. Yes, in
North Hudson, and this is a popular location to tackle
the Dix Range. Now there, this is another very small
parking lot probably once again, probably like your twenty vehicle
sort of parking lot, and there is an overflow parking lot,
but it's three miles before the main Elk Lake parking lot,
(32:33):
So three plus three equals six, So if you do
have to go park there, it's an additional six miles
of road walking on top of an already very big day.
So the Elk Lake trailhead again one of the smaller
trailheads here in the high peaks. You're gonna hike dis Huff,
South Dix, Grace Peak, and McCombe. And an honorable mention
(32:57):
to get into the Dicks Range is the Round Pond
trailhead along Route seventy three, even smaller, but that is
another option to get yourself back to the Dick's Range.
And once again like there's a million different options and
different routs and unusual roots that you can take to
get to different places from different spots. But what I
went through in this episode is your very typical trail
(33:20):
head breakdown. I hope you found this episode helpful if
you're about to start your Adirondack forty six er journey.
All of this information can be found in my brand
new book The Adirondack forty six in eighteen Hikes, the
Complete Guide to Hiking the High Peaks, and you can
get that wherever you get books. But as I close
out this episode, I'm going to read you a section
(33:42):
from this book that is called Miles in the Dark
Don't Count. And if you couldn't already tell I am
a big advocate of arriving at the trailhead as early
as possible, for logistical reasons and for the overall hiking experience.
You see, Legitistically, the earlier you start, the higher the
likelihood you have of obtaining a parking spa. That's always
(34:05):
a win, right, But you also get to set yourself
up to have more daylight later to complete your hike,
and you know, giving yourself more time rather than less.
I'd say it's always preferred, you know, in my opinion,
because you never really know what you're going to encounter
in the back country, So in my opinion, limiting the
chances of an unplanned overnight in the woods or having
to or needing extra time, it's always worth waking up
(34:28):
just a couple.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
Of hours earlier.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
Now, when it comes to the hiking experience, I always
like to say that miles in the dark don't count.
But what do I mean by this, Well, when you
start in the dark with your head lamp on, by
the time the sun rises, you're already miles deep and
your hike is well underway. Those miles that you hiked
in the dark, they become a distant memory, and then
suddenly it feels like, oh, we got a little couple
(34:52):
mile heads start here, and it starts and you feel
like when you start at the trailer that it was
days ago.
Speaker 1 (34:58):
It's just a great fresh feeling when you're out there
when the sun comes up.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
You know, hiking in the dark might feel intimidating at first,
but I'd say within five minutes you'll adjust to navigating
via headlamp just fine. You get used to it very
fast and it just becomes business as usual. And additionally,
there's nothing that just beats watching the sunrise from on
top of a mountain, or just being miles back in
the woods when the forest starts to wake up and
(35:23):
the birds start chirping, the chipmunks are, you know, doing
their thing, and the trees just everything in the morning.
I'll tell you it never gets old, and it is
a privilege to experience the Adirondack Woods, waking up after
the nighttime when your plan for the days to climb
high peaks. I believe that task should be given the
utmost importance and become your primary focus for the day,
(35:47):
even if that means waking up earlier. By starting early,
you're demonstrating how serious that you're taking this task. Because,
again you've heard me say it, the mountains do not
care about you. So it's very important to show respect
for the mountains by your actions. And I believe you
do this by intentionally setting yourself up for a successful
day in the woods. And sure, you can start hiking
(36:09):
at ten or eleven am if you get a parking spot,
and still be respecting the mountains. But I do believe
that when you do go out of your way to
start earlier than let's say, your work day alarm clock
goes off, I believe that you approach the mountains from
an entirely different perspective, with a different mindset, one that
shows total dedication to the adventure that you are about
(36:30):
to undertake. You're starting that adventure with laser focus and
of course the ultimate respect.
Speaker 1 (36:37):
For the woods and for the mountains.
Speaker 2 (36:39):
So I encourage you to set that alarm early because
you're not going to work. You're going to go climb
some mountains and what a privilege that is. Don't forget
your head lamp, bring some spare batteries, and remember that
miles in the dark don't count. And when you're out there,
say good morning to the Adirondack Forest for your old
buddy James. Thanks for listening to this episode of the
(37:12):
forty six of forty six podcast. Head over to forty
six outdoors dot com to check out everything I have
to offer you, from books to guides to guided trips
so that you can have a fun and enjoyable experience
here hiking the Adirondack Mountains. Head over to Great Rangeathlete
dot com to find out about joining the next Great
Range Athlete team, where I help you get strong, fit
(37:35):
and confident for climbing mountains so that it doesn't have
to feel like a physical slog, but it can be
a fulfilling mountain adventure.
Speaker 1 (37:43):
And that'll do it for this episode.
Speaker 2 (37:44):
Check back on Fridays for new mountains, new stories, new guests,
and new episodes right here on the forty six of
forty six podcast. Remember it to always leave no trace,
do the rock walk and if you carry it in,
carry it out. See you on the trails everybody. Summer's
right around the corner. The June Great Range Athlete team
is sold out. Yes, that did not take very long.
(38:08):
Twenty one people from all around the United States have
joined the Great Range Athlete Wolf Jaw team. Now because
of that, I have decided to launch an additional summer
Great Range Athlete team because I got to get you
guys strong and fit so you can have enjoyable mountain
adventures this summer. So the next Great Range Athlete team
will kick off in July. Yes, the June team is
(38:30):
sold out now launching the July team. Head over to
Great Rangeathlete dot com. If you want to spend six
weeks this summer online getting fit, strong and in shape
so you can enjoy your mountain adventures and do it
with like minded people in the process. Reserve your spot
today at Great Rangeathlete dot com and I'll see you
in July.
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