Fall Hiking: Great Views and Destinations

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Fall Hiking:
Great Views and Destinations

by Barbara McMartin

The best views of the Adirondack High Peaks are not from its interior summits, but from some of the middle-sized mountains that ring the area. Of the many peaks around the periphery of the High Peaks, few have as lovely a view as Rooster Comb our featured hike. Three other hikes with views of the High Peaks are briefly mentioned: Mount VanHoevenberg, Vanderwhacker Mountain, and Goodnow Mountain. They range in length, but are suitable for hikers of any age or ability level, including children.

The Rooster Comb Mountain view, combined with the new and improved trail and trailhead make it most desirable for a fall trip. The 2.5-mile trail covers a 1,750-foot vertical rise to the 2,762-foot summit. Take the time to enjoy the panoramas from two outlooks, adding up to at least a five-hour round trip outing. So start early enough, remembering that fall days are really short.

The trail begins from a new parking lot on the west side of NY 73, just as you enter Keene Valley from the south and before you get to the High Peaks sign in the middle of that small hamlet. The first part of the trail has been rerouted to avoid private land and now crosses easement lands to circle around a pond that is behind the school. Beyond boardwalks through a wet section, the climb begins as the trail zigzags up over a hemlock knoll. At 0.7-mile you reach an intersection, left leads 1.8-miles to Snow Mountain and right leads to Rooster Comb. (If you want, you can make a loop visiting both summits, using the connector trail.)

The climb becomes fairly steep and continues that way to the summit, but the new trail has added many switch-backs to avoid erosion so the ascent is about as gentle as it can be. It is an excellent example of the way trails on steep slopes ought to be constructed.

The new trail is the result of work by Tony Goodwin and the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), with help from volunteers, Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) trails crews, and inmates from the Moriah Correctional Facility. It was funded as a Centennial project by the Adirondack Trail Improvement Society. The ATIS takes care of all the trails leading out from the Ausable Club and many others in the eastern High Peaks and the Keene Valley Area. The trail has been dedicated to Tony Goodwin's father, Jim, who has for many years headed up ATIS trail work.

The trail passes from tall forest into second growth just past a small brook at 1.5 miles. This smaller forest is the result of a 1903 fire, which burned over Rooster Comb and Snow Mountains and the lower flanks of Hedgehog. The 1998 ice storm severely damaged the forest here.

At 2-miles you reach a four-way intersection. A left turn here would take you to the Flume Brook Trail and back to the first intersection. (Snow Mountain is a 1.1-mile detour from the continuation of this trail.) Straight ahead leads to Hedgehog and Lower Wolf Jaws. You want to make a sharp right turn to continue on for the last 0.5-mile to Rooster Comb.

The trail passes below cliffs and through a draw with big boulders. Extensive new trail work and rock walls here will prevent landslides. Several sets of stairs will stop erosion. Shortly you reach another intersection. The summit is 0.3-mile to the left. Before you climb it, turn right for 0.1 of a mile to a loop to Valley View Ledge. From it you can see Johns Brook Valley, the Keene Valley School, Giant Mountain, Big Slide Mountain rising beyond the Brothers, Little Porter, Porter, and Blueberry mountains, the Keene Valley Airfield, Hurricane Mountain with its fire tower, and Jay Mountain to the left of Hurricane. Now head back to the fork where you begin the final climb to the Rooster Comb summit along the old trail. The summit has a lovely view of Giant and Round Mountains. You can see some of the peaks of the Range Trail, including Mount Marcy, Basin and Armstrong Mountains, and the Wolf Jaws.

Watch the time if you decide to detour to Snow Mountain on your way back, that will add as much as an hour to your trek.

Also in the High Peaks, the Mount VanHoevenberg trail is 4.3-miles in length round trip, ascending 740-feet to the 2,860-foot summit. It may take about 3-hours to hike. The quite steep slope faces south over the South Meadow Valley, where by coincidence the main ranges of the High Peaks rise, so the views of Big Slide, Gothics, Marcy, and Colden Mountains, and the MacIntyre Range are simply superb. The trailhead is on the north side of South Meadow Road, 0.25 of a mile from the Adirondack Loj Road. The relatively gentle side of the mountain faces north, home of the Olympic bobsled and luge run and cross-country ski trails.

For great views in the Central region, the Goodnow Mountain trail is located 1.5-miles west of the Adirondack Park Visitors Center, near Newcomb. The round-trip distance is 3.4 miles, with a vertical rise over 1,030 feet, for an approximate hiking time of 2 1/2-hours. Part of the trail has been redesigned to a new standard, and the fire tower and its support buildings have been restored. From the tower you can enjoy one of the Adirondack Park's finest views of the High Peaks. The fire tower has the traditional circular map that will help you identify the spectacular High Peaks and many other mountains in the surrounding panorama.

Also in the Central region, enormous Vanderwhacker Mountain sits in isolated splendor, offering commanding views of distant summits in all directions. The round-trip hike is 5.8-miles, taking an estimated 5-hours to complete. The strenuous trek is steep, rising 1,700 feet from the surrounding valleys to the 3,385-elevation. The trail generally follows a long, narrow ridge that leads to the small summit. The mountain's fire tower may or may not be manned and its lower flight of stairs may be removed. With or without the tower, you can enjoy the spectacular panorama of the High Peaks to the north, framed by stunted Spruce trees.

These four hikes demonstrate that the best views of the Adirondack High Peaks are not from its interior summits, but from some of the middle-sized mountains that ring the area. The hikes vary in length, but are suitable for hikers of any age or ability level, including children.

Enjoy the spectacular fall scenery!

Barbara McMartin is author of many guides to the Adirondacks and several histories. If you want to climb the last three hikes, you should consult Barbara's Discover the Adirondack High Peaks (1998, Lake View Press) or Discover the Central Adirondacks (1995, Lake View Press) books. To learn more about the park, read her Adirondack Park: A Wildlands Quilt (1999, North Country Books).