We start our Adirondack Mountains Hiking tour with an assembly on Day 1 in Albany, and from there we shuttle past Blue Mountain Lake and to our first hike on Blue Mountain itself. This short trail will give you a taste of the rugged, steep trails to come, and of the reward of spectacular scenery from the mountain tops (4.8 miles). After the hike we visit the nearby Adirondack Experience. More than a museum, the center will show you Adirondack history, culture, and people through diverse stories of the area. We then take the drive to Great Camp Sagamore, built as a luxury retreat in the midst of a privately owned, unspoiled wilderness in the late 1800’s. This Great Camp will be our home for our first 2 nights.
On Day 2 we will walk a section of the long distance Northville – Lake Placid Trail. The long-distance trail takes hikers through the remote Adirondack wilderness, and our section wanders past ponds, through backcountry camping spots, and around Round Top Mountain. We should have plenty of time to return to Camp Sagamore to enjoy some of the onsite activities in the afternoon, like an open-air bowling alley, boating on the private pond, or some lawn games.
Day 3 is a dramatic point to point hike through Indian Pass, climbing among boulders and up ladders. Along the way, you reach Summit Rock with a spectacular view of the 1000-foot cliff of Wallface Mountain directly opposite you. Wallface is one of the highest wilderness cliffs in the Northeast. Continuing north, the trail descends to the valley of Indian Pass Brook and a pleasant woods walk to a series of scenic cascades and a swimming hole. We emerge at Heart Lake, beyond a doubt the heart of the Adirondack High Peaks region, and worth taking some time to explore, and perhaps take a dip in the lake. A short drive brings us to Lake Placid and our hotel for the next 3 nights. (9.3 miles).
Our hike for Day 4 is an epic route that will take us to the second highest summit in the state, Algonquin Peak. The summit is above treeline and will afford us sweeping vistas of the entire High Peaks region. The views of the thickly forested hills easily hide what we know to be steep, rocky and challenging terrain. (9 miles).
We are due for a gentler hike on Day 5, so we will walk up the mellow Ausable River valley to Lower Ausable Lake, passing several waterfalls on the way. If you want to go the distance, it’s a short burst up to Indian Head from there for more sweeping views of the High Peaks region (7 – 10.4 miles). On the return to Lake Placid we’ll stop in at Mt. Hovenberg, where we are sure to see winter athletes in their summer training on bobsled and luge.
On Day 6 there will be some time in the morning to explore more of the Lake Placid area with its Olympic skating oval, the museum, the Olympic Center, the home of the “Miracle on Ice”, and the ski jumping complex. Leaving Lake Placid behind, we will drive to the Giant Mountain Wilderness area for one more falls-lake-mountaintop hike to Giant Washbowl and Nubble peak (4 miles), before our late afternoon shuttle back to Albany, and the conclusion of our New York Adirondack Mountains Hiking Trip.
