First Hikes In The High Peaks Of NY

This summer I will be making my first trips to NY to hike some of the Adirondack High Peaks. I've bought the Adirondack Mountain Club High Peak Trails Guide and related map and was a little "thrown off" by some of the stuff. Was hoping to get some clarification here from regulars to the area. Pretty much all my hiking to date has been in the White Mountains of NH, which seems comparatively more simple and straightforward.

1) It appears as though trails are numbered in the high peaks and have a related color code as opposed to the named trails and relatively few colors of blazes in NH. Do the trail signs actually just have numbers or are the names on them as well? It sounds as though the colored trail markers are tags too, not paint blazes. Correct? So, for example, if I'm following the "Hopkins Trail" am I watching for "Hopkins" on signs or for a yellow "2" tag on the trees? The guide describes the trails in fairly tedious detail, particularly intersections, so I'm curious how obscure the labeling actually is and how critical it is to know the color and number of trails. (I always carry a paper CalTopo map of my route in addition to official map so making the notations isn't a huge deal.) The map that I got with guide is almost unreadable with all the numbers and symbols all over it.

2) Is there such a thing as a "standard" trail head parking rate? I see amounts listed in some area descriptions but not others and amounts ranging from $5-$10 day. Can you buy a season pass for all of NY the way you can in NH and if so is there a website or mail in option for it? Driving to NY just to get the pass is not an option for me, especially if the office hours are restrictive.

3) I assume camp ground pressure is just as bad or worse than NH in terms of driving to a campground on a Fri or Sat night and finding an open site without a reservation. My ride to most trail heads is going to be 4 to 4.5 hours one way. I normally day hike but this length of drive combined with what sounds like longer hikes is probably unrealistic. Can anyone recommend a camp site or cheap hotel along Rte 73 or the last stretches of Rte 87 that is far enough away from "attractions" to make last minute reservations feasible? It looks like many of the peaks I am interested in have trail heads in the Lake Placid area, which I assume is very popular. I will not be camping out on the trail. It would be car camping or hotel/motel.

4) Sounds like there are hiker registers all over the place. I presume you have to sign in at many points along the trail. Not used to this. What happens if you forget? Say I sign first two registers and forget rest. Do they literally dispatch F&G to look for me and send me a bill or do they just use these logs as needed?

5) These are the peaks I am hoping to do this Summer and the related routes I'd like to do. Any feedback or suggestions on them would be appreciated.
Mt Marcy via #61 Van Hoevenberg Trail
Algonquin/Boundary/Wright via Avalanche Lake #67,68,71 and others
Skylight/Haystack via undecided (looking for suggestions) - should this be tied in with Marcy? Too long?
Gothics/Basin via undecided (looking for suggestions)

Any feedback on the above questions or NY High Peak hiking in general would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

1) There may be a few signs from time to time with trail names, but you will never see the numbers, they are not made by the state, being rather the map makers decisions. The trail markers are typically red (e/w) blue(n/s) and yellow (connector) discs. Most junctions are signed with one or two destinations in any given direction and usually mileage (and sometimes even elevation gain).

2) You have to pay to park at the privately owned Adirondack Loj, from which you can do almost half of the peaks. The Garden has a fee, payable to a local town. Most other parking lots are much smaller and free. There is no 'parking pass'.

3) Whispering Pines. Also a bunk house called TMax and Topos is a good deal. Both are peakbaggers.

4) Signing in is ignored by many, (they actually studied how many people fail to do so, with 'lurkers'), but it is still highly recommended. I almost never sign interior boxes, but I suppose I should...

5) There is no direct route to Basin from Gothics, Saddleback is in the way, unless that was what you meant.

Those routes are doable but only you can decide. Always have a backup plan. The ADKs are slightly more rugged than the Whites, IMHO, but there are not as many above tree line. Still Marcy above tree line can be dangerous on the wrong day, any time of year. If you know your abilities in the Whites, they will translate pretty well to the ADKs. There are almost no springs, so bring a method of filtering/purifying water.

Got more, fire away!

3) Sharp Bridge campground.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_AdDxGDECc

Tom Rankin said:

1) There may be a few signs from time to time with trail names, but you will never see the numbers, they are not made by the state, being rather the map makers decisions. The trail markers are typically red (e/w) blue(n/s) and yellow (connector) discs. Most junctions are signed with one or two destinations in any given direction and usually mileage (and sometimes even elevation gain).

2) You have to pay to park at the privately owned Adirondack Loj, from which you can do almost half of the peaks. The Garden has a fee, payable to a local town. Most other parking lots are much smaller and free. There is no 'parking pass'.

3) Whispering Pines. Also a bunk house called TMax and Topos is a good deal. Both are peakbaggers.

4) Signing in is ignored by many, (they actually studied how many people fail to do so, with 'lurkers'), but it is still highly recommended. I almost never sign interior boxes, but I suppose I should...

5) There is no direct route to Basin from Gothics, Saddleback is in the way, unless that was what you meant.

Those routes are doable but only you can decide. Always have a backup plan. The ADKs are slightly more rugged than the Whites, IMHO, but there are not as many above tree line. Still Marcy above tree line can be dangerous on the wrong day, any time of year. If you know your abilities in the Whites, they will translate pretty well to the ADKs. There are almost no springs, so bring a method of filtering/purifying water.

Got more, fire away!

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I'm sure I'll have more questions as the hikes get closer. I guess my only other question is whether there are any trip report sites for NY like we have for NH (TrailsNH, NETC, etc). Is there a "standard" site that gets the most postings? It seems like most of the hits I'm getting in searches are for snow mobile trail conditions.

There are couple of places in Keene also & a couple of B&B's although I haven't stayed there in years.

Tom caught the pay part of the lots. Getting into the garden on a Saturday is very unlikely unless you are there silly early. Last time I was there in the summer has afternoon on a Tuesday or Wednesday & we had to wait a little bit for someone to leave. On weekends there is a shuttle. Getting to Corey's from the East like you & I would makes getting to a legal Cabot trailhead look easy.

Compared to the Hut prices at in NH, staying at the ADK Loj and John's Brook Lodge are inexpensive. I'd say in line with staying at Shapleigh. The other choices are good too.

Marcy is certainly doable. Are you planning on doing Iroquois with Algonquin & Wright also. Boundary is not a peak needed on the list. In NY, the col depth is 300 feet not 200 and it needs to be a certain distance away also. (in NH, Tabletop would be a two peak mountain) Doing Wrights, Algonquin, Iroquois & then going through Avalanche Pass is a classic, a pretty rugged day.

Herd Paths are a big difference also. Of late, they are pushing for a singular unmarked, lightly maintained trail for the "trail-less" peaks.

While doable with Basin, I'd look at doing Sawteeth with Pyramid & Gothics instead of Saddleback & Basin. Could do Skylight with Marcy, if you go up the standard route for Marcy, you drop about 1000 feet to Four Corners & Lake Tear (highest source of the Hudson) and then up 500 or so to Skylight. The trip from the south is close to 20 miles RT.

If looking at doing Haystack (my 2nd favorite view after Katahdin) with Basin, I'd throw in Saddleback & stay at least one night at JBL. I'd probably opt instead for Giant (day trip-able from your home, albeit, a long day) and if staying at TMax & Topo's they fill pretty quick for a Hostel (slower than a hut but faster than the NH Hostels) I'd look at doing either Esther & Whiteface of Colden & Tabletop. Both options have bare (almost bare in Colden's case) summits with incredible views and a pretty straightforward intro to herd paths.

While few backcountry facilities for filling up water, there is a lot of water near trails (sometimes in trails....) so a water filter works well in the ADK. I've filtered far more NY water than NH.

BTW, Owl's Head in NH, it's pretty easy compared to Allen & the Santanonni's.... If you are available on Saturday 7/16 send me a PM. I'm probably doing Cliff that day, working out whether I go up early Saturday & stay Saturday night or go Friday Night. (I have a friend with a place......)Cliff is one of the four I have left.

If you can go up a weekday, look at doing Cascade & Porter then. Weekends can be circus like. They are easier than any two peaks in NH (maybe the Hancocks or Field & Tom or Pierce & Jackson) but are as busy on a nice day as Lincoln & Lafayette.

For information regarding hiking in the High Peaks, www.adkhighpeaks.com/forums is an excellent resource. FWIW, for hiking beta, I use VFTT.org for New England and ADKhighpeaks for the Adirondacks.

TFR and Mike P. have answered your questions and then some. Here's my contribution:

This is a list of the major/minor trail-heads for the High Peaks. http://www.adkhighpeaks.com/wiki/AdirondackTrailheads

With the exception of the trail-heads at Adirondack Loj and the Garden, parking is free at all others.

The trail-head at "Adirondack Loj", owned by the Adirondack Mountain Club, is probably the most popular of the bunch. You'll hear it abbreviated as "the Loj" or, far less frequently, "HPIC". In day's of yore you would start from the actual Loj building (the old trail still exists) but nowadays you start from the eastern end of parking lot #1 where, at its western end, you'll find the "High Peaks Information Center" building (HPIC).

During the peak summer months (especially on holiday weekends) the Loj's parking lot (there are four) fills up by, oh I'd say, 8:30 AM. The last mile of road leading to the Loj is on private land and you're not allowed to park on its shoulders (DEC Rangers will ticket you). As a result, when the lot is full, you'll see cars lining the road from the one-mile boundary all the way back to Lake Placid (OK, that's a bit of an exaggeration). Anyway, if you're homesick for Lafayette Place's long line of cars along I-93, this road will feel a bit like home.

The one-mile boundary is very close to a T-junction formed by the Loj road and the South Meadow road. South Meadow road (dirt road; closed in winter) leads east for two miles and ends at another parking lot (free). You can primitive-camp along this road at several pull-offs. The very end of the road has the most pull-offs, plus camping spots within walking distance of the lot, and even an outhouse or two. Needless to say, camping along South Meadow road is first-come first-served and is not a well-kept secret. There's a trail-register at the eastern end of the road and you can follow the "Marcy Dam Truck Trail" to Marcy Dam. Walking distance to Marcy Dam is longer than if you start from the Loj. However, it's not much different than when you're obliged to park a mile away and walk the Loj road.

Another major trail-head is the "Garden". It is located slightly west of Keene Valley. There is no place to primitive-camp along this road or in town. There are no campgrounds near Keene Valley or Keene (five miles north). The Garden's single parking lot fills up fast. The town created an overflow lot, miles away, where you can leave your car and pay to take a shuttle bus to the Garden. The shuttle runs seasonally and not before 7:00 AM ( if you arrive before 7:00 AM you're more likely to find a parking spot ... maybe).

When you leave I-87 at exit 30 to get on highway 73, within a few miles you'll begin to pass a few pull-offs along the highway where you can (theoretically) pause for the night. You can't camp but one often sees cars parked overnight. There's a larger pull-off just past where the 73 crosses over the North Fork Boquet river on a stone bridge. If you enter the woods just south of the bridge and head west, you'll find a well-used, but unmarked, trail that (if you pick the correct forks) will lead you all the way to Grace (aka East Dix). For your purposes, a 5 minute walk along this trail leads to established primitive-campsites within a stone's throw of the Boquet river.

Keene Valley has several inns and B&B's. I've stayed at the Roostercomb Inn and liked it. There's also the Keene Valley Hostel. I've never stayed there but did speak to the owner (Jake) on one occasion and I left with a very favorable impression.

Near Lake Placid, located just 15 minutes from the Loj, there's Tmax 'n Topo's Hostel. I've stayed there many times, mostly in colder months, and the hostel and its owners (Terri and David) are first-rate. Recommended.

Another major trail-head is Upper Works. IMHO, it feels more "remote" compared to the others because there are no services from the moment you take I-87's exit 29 to when you arrive at Upper Works, 27 miles later. Eight miles of that is along twisty Tahawus road. There are no official pull-offs along Tahawus road for overnight parking let alone camping. There's one pull-off along Blue Ridge Road (county road 84), just a few yards east of where it crosses the Boreas River, where you'll find cars parked overnight but camping is not permitted.

Well before you reach Tahawus road, you'll pass the junction for Elk Lake road. It leads to the Elk Lake trail-head (free parking); there's no place to camp or park along this road either. The trail-head lies on land owned by Elk Lake Lodge which lies on the shore of impressive Elk Lake. Parking anywhere other than the trail-head's tiny lot will net you a parking fine. If this lot is full, bummer, because you have to backtrack 1.8 miles to Clear Pond, park there, and walk back along the road. It's yet another parking lot that fills up quickly on busy weekends. In winter, the road-gate is closed at Clear Pond and everyone is obliged to walk the road.

The closest NYS campground to Upper Works is Lake Harris and it lies farther west near the town of Newcomb. In fairness, there is a private campground along Blue Ridge Road (a highway, really) just a few miles west of I-87. I stayed there once and it's not really designed for tent-campers but for RV-campers (and RV-storage). The only two tent sites are not located in the woods but about 30 feet above and 50 feet beside the highway. I won't be back.

There's also Cloudsplitters' in the town of Newcomb. They're an outfitter with rentable space for groups. I've never stayed there but others have and they liked it.

If you're heading to the Seward trail-head, at the western end of the High Peaks area, you'll be driving along Coreys road. It has eight marked pull-offs for camping (free).

Mt Marcy via #61 Van Hoevenberg Trail
This is the most popular route to Marcy. The trail is long-ish (6.5 miles) but not particularly steep or tricky. Go mid-week or get an early start, otherwise plan on sharing the summit with many other Marcy-seekers.

Algonquin/Boundary/Wright via Avalanche Lake #67,68,71 and others
MacIntyre Range, the "Macs". Wright > Algonquin > Iroquois ("WAI) followed by a return via Avy Pass is a classic loop; very scenic. Boundary has insufficient prominence to count as a 46er peak (think Guyot) so one rarely hears it mentioned when discussing the Macs. Marshall is also part of the Macs but there's no trail from Iroquois down to Cold Brook Pass (bushwhack only; cliff at base complicates things). There's a herd-path from Cold Brook Pass to Marshall although the more popular herd-path runs along Herbert Brook. FWIW, "herd-path" is a misnomer for the High Peaks because although unmarked most are "lightly maintained" by trail-adopters and frequently appear on official maps (especially on new maps).

Skylight/Haystack via undecided (looking for suggestions) - should this be tied in with Marcy? Too long?
A classic is "MSG", Marcy > Skylight > Gray (return via Lake Arnold or, my fave, back over Marcy). Haystack is often part of "HaBaSa", Haystack > Basin > Saddleback. Having said that, a tour of Haystack, Skylight, (Gray), and Marcy would be an awesome (and challenging) day. Haystack and Marcy from the Loj is a big day in itself.

Gothics/Basin via undecided (looking for suggestions)
More like Gothics > Saddleback > Basin. Ascend the Orebed trail turn left in the col and go up the "Cable Route" to Gothics. Return to the cold and head up Saddleback. South side of Saddleback has a "cliff" (steep but far from vertical wall of bare rock) that seems to cause some folks anxiety. Obviously dry weather makes for an easier and safer descent.

Trail Boss said:

Mt Marcy via #61 Van Hoevenberg Trail
This is the most popular route to Marcy. The trail is long-ish (6.5 miles) but not particularly steep or tricky. Go mid-week or get an early start, otherwise plan on sharing the summit with many other Marcy-seekers.

Algonquin/Boundary/Wright via Avalanche Lake #67,68,71 and others
MacIntyre Range, the "Macs". Wright > Algonquin > Iroquois ("WAI) followed by a return via Avy Pass is a classic loop; very scenic. Boundary has insufficient prominence to count as a 46er peak (think Guyot) so one rarely hears it mentioned when discussing the Macs. Marshall is also part of the Macs but there's no trail from Iroquois down to Cold Brook Pass (bushwhack only; cliff at base complicates things). There's a herd-path from Cold Brook Pass to Marshall although the more popular herd-path runs along Herbert Brook. FWIW, "herd-path" is a misnomer for the High Peaks because although unmarked most are "lightly maintained" by trail-adopters and frequently appear on official maps (especially on new maps).

Skylight/Haystack via undecided (looking for suggestions) - should this be tied in with Marcy? Too long?
A classic is "MSG", Marcy > Skylight > Gray (return via Lake Arnold or, my fave, back over Marcy). Haystack is often part of "HaBaSa", Haystack > Basin > Saddleback. Having said that, a tour of Haystack, Skylight, (Gray), and Marcy would be an awesome (and challenging) day. Haystack and Marcy from the Loj is a big day in itself.

Gothics/Basin via undecided (looking for suggestions)
More like Gothics > Saddleback > Basin. Ascend the Orebed trail turn left in the col and go up the "Cable Route" to Gothics. Return to the cold and head up Saddleback. South side of Saddleback has a "cliff" (steep but far from vertical wall of bare rock) that seems to cause some folks anxiety. Obviously dry weather makes for an easier and safer descent.

Click to expand...

I was taking a more in depth look at the map last night and had a few follow ups:

1) Was actually thinking Skylight > Marcy. I was going to go up Skylight via Lake Arnold route, then Marcy and return on the "easier" trail as the miles pile up. Sounds like you'd go in the other direction. Looks like plenty of places to filter water on this route going to Skylight first so I could travel pretty light for most of the climbing. Is there any particular reason you do the other way or just a preference?

2) I noticed you said a return via Avalanche Brook. I was going to go up that way. Sounded steep and awkward for descending. A preference again or is there a reason?

3) Cliff on Saddleback. Are we talking a ledge like the one on Caps Ridge? Base of Huntington? The Gothics route did sound like it had a lot of challenging scrambles. Can you compare against anything in the Whites as a reference? Normally I enjoy scrambles but in the context of a very long day hike that might be a different story doing a Huntington Ravine style trail after already logging 6-10 miles of terrain to get there.

Thanks for the detail.

The Saddleback cliffs require careful scrambling. They are not truly vertical anywhere, as I recall. There are ways to navigate thru them. You don't need ropes or helmets, or any rock climbing gear. A longer version of the Osceola chimney, but with more exposure, is the closest thing I can conjure up right now...

What's your objective ? Do you aspire to climb the 46 or just get a about half dozen or so sample hikes to get the flavor of the Adirondacks ? My comments would differ depending on this. I can't think of an exact analogy in the Whites for Saddleback cliffs either. May be King Ravine or Huntington Ravin head walls, but shorter ? Also, there was a thread about a year ago here about the trail between Lake Arnold and the Opolescent River area. Did they close that trail ? The topic was Beaver activity had flooded that area. If I am an experienced hiker in the Whites and can do only one hike in the ADK's I would choose either the trap dike on Colden (descend via the slide on the east side) or the before mentioned Gothics-Pyramid loop.

DayTrip said:

1) Was actually thinking Skylight > Marcy. I was going to go up Skylight via Lake Arnold route, then Marcy and return on the "easier" trail as the miles pile up. Sounds like you'd go in the other direction. Looks like plenty of places to filter water on this route going to Skylight first so I could travel pretty light for most of the climbing. Is there any particular reason you do the other way or just a preference?

Click to expand...

If the weather is lovely, returning over Marcy offers far better views than returning through the woods via Lake Arnold. From Four Corners, you need to ascend ~1000 feet to return over Marcy (~1/2 of that is above treeline). If you opt to return via Lake Arnold, first you descend 1000 feet to the Opalescent then ascend 500 feet to Lake Arnold. You also cross a notoriously wet area on tippy planks that can become submerged and/or dump you into waist-deep water (the trail wasn't closed late last summer but hikers were urged to avoid it until it dried out). Anyway, between the two routes, I'd rather put in an extra 500 feet of ascent to get better views than save 500 feet to walk through a bog to see Lake Arnold. Others may feel differently.

DayTrip said:

2) I noticed you said a return via Avalanche Brook. I was going to go up that way. Sounded steep and awkward for descending. A preference again or is there a reason?

Click to expand...

Six of one, half a dozen of the other.

The north-side trail up Algonquin is an extremely popular route. Portions of it are steep. The fastest way to see the Macs is to ascend this route and return via it. Having to go back over Algonquin is faster, with less ascent and mileage, than if you descend the "Boundary trail" and return via Avalanche Pass. However, Avy Pass is a spectacular place and worth adding to the tour.

Yes, the Boundary trail is steep and crosses a brook several times. If you get there during spring melt, it can become a challenging route because you'll encounter a lot of fast water. I chose to descend it in such conditions (once) and it took twice the time it normally would. Otherwise, it's a pretty trail whether you ascend or descend it.


No sign of the trail but the direction is obvious (down).

DayTrip said:

3) Cliff on Saddleback. Are we talking a ledge like the one on Caps Ridge? Base of Huntington? The Gothics route did sound like it had a lot of challenging scrambles. Can you compare against anything in the Whites as a reference? Normally I enjoy scrambles but in the context of a very long day hike that might be a different story doing a Huntington Ravine style trail after already logging 6-10 miles of terrain to get there.

Click to expand...

I've never been to any of the places you mentioned so I can't compare.

It looks like this (click image to zoom). The start of the route is at the bottom of the photo about 1/4 to 1/3 in from the left edge. I also have a photo that I've marked up with the official and unofficial routes. I don't know what VFTT's policy is about showing photos depicting unofficial herd-paths so I'm erring on the side of caution and not displaying that information here.



For a sense of scale, this is the base of the marked route. The first yellow paint blaze stands about six feet above the ground. The ladder-like horizontal grooves seen on the right can be seen in the photo above. The grooves are on a rock that stands at least 8 feet tall. This is a very wide-angle image so there's a bit of distortion.



Here's a video of my friend ascending the start of the route. Undoubtedly you can find many more on Youtube.



As you can see, lots of scrambling but nothing requiring more than good friction and balance. FWIW, I thought the "Chimney", on the Knife Edge route to Baxter, had far more 'exposure' than Saddleback's "cliff".

jrbren said:

What's your objective ? Do you aspire to climb the 46 or just get a about half dozen or so sample hikes to get the flavor of the Adirondacks ? My comments would differ depending on this. I can't think of an exact analogy in the Whites for Saddleback cliffs either. May be King Ravine or Huntington Ravin head walls, but shorter ? Also, there was a thread about a year ago here about the trail between Lake Arnold and the Opolescent River area. Did they close that trail ? The topic was Beaver activity had flooded that area. If I am an experienced hiker in the Whites and can do only one hike in the ADK's I would choose either the trap dike on Colden (descend via the slide on the east side) or the before mentioned Gothics-Pyramid loop.

Click to expand...

At this point it would be unlikely I'd do the 46er list considering the driving. Camping on a regular basis is not a realistic option for me at the moment. Looking to hit some of the taller peaks for the Northeast 4k list but it is more of an interest in seeing peaks outside the White Mountains (I'm also heading up to Baxter for the first time this summer). Gothics comes up regularly in things I read as an awesome peak which is why I'd like to check it out. I've seen a lot of favorable mentions of Algonquin and Haystack as well. The Adirondacks in general sound like more demanding terrain than the Whites so I'd like to compare and check out some unfamiliar areas.

I don't care about super steep and steady. It would be actual ledge scrambles like the Chimney on Osceola, the ledges of Huntington, North TriPyramid slide, etc. I generally have no issues ascending trails like this but I'm not particularly good descending them. That's my only concern. That I take a long loop and when I'm 10-12 miles in I have to descend a trail full of Osceola Chimneys to get where I'm going. Any route advice I get that minimizes these potential pitfalls would be appreciated.

It certainly possible to do Saddleback from the other side. You go up the Ore Bed Brook trail.

The ADKs are in some respects more rugged, but the there are no hikes in the ADKs where you spend mile after mile above tree line. I can't think of any 2 peaks that are linked without trees between them.

And the herd path peaks (none are truly trailless) can be more challenging, especially in Winter!

Tom Rankin said:

It certainly possible to do Saddleback from the other side. You go up the Ore Bed Brook trail.

The ADKs are in some respects more rugged, but the there are no hikes in the ADKs where you spend mile after mile above tree line. I can't think of any 2 peaks that are linked without trees between them.

And the herd path peaks (none are truly trailless) can be more challenging, especially in Winter!

Click to expand...

Quite a bit of the above treeline exposure in NH is really not that difficult in terms of terrain or scrambling. It's just the weather risk. I'd actually much rather walk on the smooth rock of Saddleback shown in the photo than the pile of rocks in the Northern Presidentials.

I believe the Lake Arnold trail is closed beyond Lake Arnold as they re-route it after last years fatality. I'd say Saddleback cliff is like going up or down Pamola's chimney when accessing the Knife Edge. The footing is easier than the Northern Presidentials, but they have very little mud in NH in comparison to the ADK's. The black flies are far hungrier and numerous in the ADKs also.

I've been down to Lake Colden from Algonquin and it's more like giant stairs, with a brook. Up or down is up to you, I know with poles, I prefer going down. There are some steep parts going up Algonquin beyond the junction of Wright's Peak.

A couple of other classics are Giant & Rocky Peak from Route 9N, Big Slide & the Brothers. Regarding Gothics, there are two camps. One is that the view from Gothics is incredible however, you can't see Gothics. That is why the Sawteeth & Pyramid option is good. The Brother's & Big Slide has lots of ledges and a view across the Johns Brook Valley looking at Gothics.

Mike P. said:

I believe the Lake Arnold trail is closed beyond Lake Arnold as they re-route it after last years fatality.

Click to expand...

Source? The DEC's site has no Specific Notice for the Lake Arnold trail. http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/9198.html

The Adirondack Mountain Club's Trail Advisories aptly describes the problem: http://www.adk.org/page.php?pname=trail-conditions

Lake Arnold Trail: The trail between Lake Arnold and Feldspar Lean-to is very wet and muddy but passable. The trail has dried up enough that the bog bridging is usable. Flooding may occur immediately after heavy rains making the bridging difficult to use. Expect to get your feet wet and muddy when traversing some portions of the trail where bog bridging is not present. Use Avalanche Pass/Lake Colden Trail or Mt. Colden Trail to travel between Lake Arnold and Feldspar Lean-to if you want to avoid this trail.

Click to expand...

Here's the DEC's original Specific Notice for the Lake Arnold trail. It indicates the trail is (was) flooded and offers a workaround; the trail was never officially closed by the DEC (like when they closed all trails after Irene).

Lake Arnold/Feldspar Lean-to Trail: The trail between Lake Arnold and Feldspar Lean-to is flooded and impassable. Much of the bog bridging in this area is floating or underwater and there is no way to get around the flooding. Use Avalanche Pass/Lake Colden Trial or Mt. Colden Trail to travel between Lake Arnold and Feldspar Lean-to. DEC is working to develop a solution to this problem.

Click to expand...

The trail closely follows, and crosses, the Opalescent and tributaries so it's prone to flooding (spring thaw, flash floods, beaver activity, etc). The blue line in this photo is the trail and shows its passage through the flood-prone area. Ignore the yellow line (a suggestion for a re-route).

I believe the slide shown in Trail Boss's photo is the Colden east slide I referred to. It makes a great descent route for the trap dike ascent, or a great ascent route of Colden in its own right. There is about 10 minutes of bushwacking between the top of the slide and the trail along the summit ridge. If I had to list my favorite day hikes in the east this would certainly be in the discussion. This slide gets quite steep near the top, but there is good friction on the rock. I would of course recommend doing it only after a stretch of at least of couple of dry days prior.

I was under the impression that they were going to do the re-route after last years fatality. Having done the route 2x, going swimming once, I'd go over Marcy & back for Skylight & or Gray.

Mike P. said:

I was under the impression that they were going to do the re-route after last years fatality. ...

Click to expand...

The fatality occurred while crossing Feldspar Brook during a flash-flood. There's no bridge and the victim had slipped off a log spanning it. The location is just a few yards south of the spur trail to Feldspar lean-to and at least a hundred yards, if not more, from the area that periodically becomes inundated.
http://caltopo.com/map.html#ll=44.11415,-73.95109&z=17&b=mbt

jrbren said:

I believe the slide shown in Trail Boss's photo is the Colden east slide I referred to. It makes a great descent route for the trap dike ascent, or a great ascent route of Colden in its own right. There is about 10 minutes of bushwacking between the top of the slide and the trail along the summit ridge. If I had to list my favorite day hikes in the east this would certainly be in the discussion. ...

Click to expand...

Ditto. I've done the "Colden Traverse" twice, the first time in early 80's and on a gorgeous sunny day in June 2013. According to a knowledgeable source (MudRat) the slide is called the "SouthEast Slide" or the "1990 Slide" (which explains why it didn't exist when we were there in the 80's).

There's a herd-path from the marked trail to the head of the 1990 Slide. We couldn't find it so we bushwhacked to the slide and then I followed the path back to the trail to see where it emerges. The junction is very subtle! I took a photograph of it and noted the landmarks so others can use it (better than tromping on Colden's sensitive summit vegetation). Details and pics are in the June 2013 link above.

I hesitate to recommend the Trap Dike to anyone without mentioning there is a section of Class 4 climbing (the second waterfall). There are many solid foot and hand-holds so, under ideal conditions, a rope is not mandatory. However, if you fall you will either die or severely injure yourself. There's been at least one fatality by a young man who forgot himself and lost his footing while at the top of the second waterfall. It's not a forgiving spot.






After exiting the trap Dike, you reach the base of the newly created Trap Dike Slide. In the old days you'd clamber onto the Colden Slide and ascend it almost to the top. Irene tore a new strip off Colden and it is bright white, coarse, and leads directly to the summit. The steepest section is at its base. The balance of the slide is just a nice walk with outstanding views.





The 1990 Slide is completely different in character but no less beautiful.

Would there be any "good" short hikes near one of the major trail heads (say following a large river or through fields or whatever on a major tributary trail)? I'm thinking of taking a "recon" drive out to Lake Placid this weekend to check out the length of drive, identify the major trail heads, rest areas, restaurants, maybe grab a beer/burger somewhere and take a short hike to check out trail signage, the blazes, blah, blah, blah. Any suggestions on a short hike or a beer and burger place would be appreciated.

Here's a suggestion: http://www.lakeplacid.com/do/hiking/owls-head