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Showing posts with the label TriLakes Hike

Easy Short Adirondack Hikes: A hike to Elephant’s Head Trail Map ( Paul Smiths/Malone)

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At the summit of Elephant Head overlooking Lake Titus Distance =  0.5-mile from parking area to summit. Seasonally the road in is impassable, adding an additional  1.5-miles from road to parking area Elevation   = 1,939' Vertical Ascent  = 464' We don’t usually choose our hikes for the name of the mountain, but when daughter found out that there was an elephant in the Adirondacks, she wanted to see it for herself.   One such hike is the 0.5-mile hike to the summit of Elephant’s Head Mountain, part of the Titusville Mountain State Forest.  Depending on the weather and the type of vehicle, getting to the trailhead can be part of the issue. We turn onto the dirt road at the familiar brown sign marking the entrance to Elephant’s Head mountain. This time there are potholes to maneuver, but the road itself is manageable.

Easy Adirondack Hikes: Walk to Moose Pond (Saranac Lake) Trail Map

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This certainly has been a spectacular autumn. There have been so many options for viewing the changing season and a quick walk to Moose Pond is one of our favorites. Even as the season wanes, there seems to be plenty of color in the mountains. This easy Adirondack family hike begins between two fields on Rt. 3 between Saranac Lake and Bloomingdale. Since it is midweek and no other cars are around, I park at the canoe carry at the Saranac River bridge. There is parking for three cars by the bridge, but during busy weekends and summer days it’s best to park at the pullover on Rt. 3 and walk the additional 300 yards.  Moose Pond Loop Trail Map ©AdirondackFamilyTime.com According to Historic Saranac Lake the Rt. 3 trail to Moose Pond was once a logging trail and then became the access for a private club called “Bel-Lago Park” in the 1920s. It has since converted back to state land. It has long since overgrown and narrowed to become the current foot access only trail. The

Easy Adirondack Hikes: Glory on the summit of Coney Mountain (Tupper Lake Triad)

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Summit of Coney Mt, Tupper Lake Our latest family challenge is to complete the Tupper Lake(TL) Triad . We have hiked Coney Mountain, Goodman Mountain and Mt Arab in the past, but in order to receive a climbing number, badge and decal ($5) we need to climb all three mountains after the Triad Challenge December 2015 opening date. Coney Mountain has always been a family favorite, especially when we lived closer to Tupper Lake. It’s been a few years since my daughter has hiked Coney. So many years in fact, there is a different trail leading to the summit. There is a designated parking area, but we choose to join the few roadside cars and park along Rt. 30. We walk up the gravel path to the register and meet a group signing out. They enthusiastically share their experience of walking along the open crest. The trail is a gradual climb with a 548’ vertical ascent and elevation of 2,280’. We easily follow the blue trail markers leading us in a semi-circle from west to north to

Easy Tupper Lakes Hikes: Tupper Lake Triad's Goodman Mountain (Litchfield Hill)

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At the summit of Goodman Mountain, Tupper Lake  Climbing any one of the three mountains (Goodman, Arab, and Coney) that are part of the Tupper Lake Triad is trophy enough, but it is still fun to complete an Adirondack challenge, and add another patch to the collection. Tupper Lake’s Goodman Mountain 1.5-mile summit brings all the elements of an easy, fast Adirondack hike and still allows us time to visit the nearby Wild Center. The mountain, formerly known at Litchfield Hill, with its elevation of 2,178’ and vertical ascent of 567’, is a perfect hike for my visiting family of various hiking abilities. With its easy paved beginning to the clear summit view, we are able to bring the whole family.  A bridge crosses over Cold Brook After parking the car at the Lumberjack Spring parking lot, we walk to the kiosk that delves into the history for the name change. There is always so much history attached to the mountains, lakes and trails around the Adirondacks a

Challenge Accepted! Saranac Lake 6er: Adirondack Hikes: Ampersand, Baker, Scarface, St. Regis, Haystack, McKenzie

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#280 Saranac Lake 6er on the summit of Haystack, after summiting McKenzie. #MountainMonday Challenge Accepted!  Saranac Lake 6er  View from Scarface- Saranac Lake 6er I’m slowly working on becoming an High Peaks 46er. I’m a 25er, though I admire all my friends that have climbed all 46 Adirondack peaks over 4,000’ including my husband, my in-laws and my daughter’s “fairy godmother."  I tend to go back to climb the peaks I enjoy like Wright, Algonquin and Marcy. I realize there are many different ways to appreciate the outdoors and one is to embrace the challenge of climbing the peaks.  Summit of Ampersand, a Saranac Lake 6er The Saranac Lake 6er program provides a different sort of test. The Village of Saranac Lake initiated the program to introduce people to the area’s lesser-known peaks. I was surprised when my daughter came home interested in becoming a 6er. My family have climbed the six peaks (St. Regis, Baker Mt, Scarface, McKenzie,

Lake Placid Easy Short Hikes: Henry's Woods Trail- A Community Preserve

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Henry Woods gazebo offers trail map and covered seating near the parking area Henry's Woods Trails in Lake Placid (NY) is one of my favorite places to take family and friends for a short easy hike, snowshoe or cross-country ski. It is also the place where I go to walk my dog, trail run and just relax. Henry's Woods is a great place for all level hiker and its the perfect place for people of all ages and abilities. There is one main trail loop with three offshoots from it. It is truly a great community preserve. The Connector Trail:   (green marker) is 0.3-mile Loop trail: (darker green marker) 2.0-miles The Loop trail has moderate elevation gain for this maintained community preserve.  Plateau trail : (yellow marker) .09 miles The Plateau trail is accessed via the Loop trail. At the junction between the Connector trail and Loop trail bear left onto the Loop trail. At about 0.5-mile, turn right at the yellow marker for the first access to the Plat

Eight (8) Easy Short Walks and Hikes near Lake Placid and Wilmington (NY) that a three-year-old (3) could do!

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Wilmington (NY) Cobble Lookout (Ledge) I was recently emailed about Adirondack (ADK) hikes to do with a three-year-old kid and wanted to share my suggestions with you! Keep in mind any of the suggestions below are good for people of all ages and abilities. Even if you used to climb the Adirondack High Peaks or still do, but just don't have the time. Enjoy! These are just 8 of the 33 easy short hikes available in my guidebook, Adirondack Family Time: Tri-Lakes and High Peaks: A four-Season Guide to Over 300 Activities (with GPS coordinates.) .  1) Wilmington Flume . There are a lot of new bike trails and walking trails all along and around. Be careful there is poison ivy along the trail somewhere. There are warnings posted. There are a variety of options that vary from about one-mile. The Flume is located off of Route 86, west side of bridge on Route 86 (past Hungry Trout Restaurant) 2)  Wilmington's Cobble  Lookout (Ledge): This trail is about a 1.4-mile RT hike.

Easy, Short Lake Placid Hikes: A Walk Around Lake Placid's Mirror Lake

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By Diane Chase I have heard the walk around Lake Placid's Mirror Lake referred to as "the fitness trail." Though it is a nice 2.7-mile walk, there are no fitness stations along the easily recognizable red-bricked sidewalk. The level pathway is certainly a hub of activity around Lake Placid all year long.  There are plenty of on street parking spots, but we choose to leave a car at Parkside Drive, near the south end of the lake adjacent to the pubic playground, tennis courts and the public beach. I f I'm motivated I could do a few pull-ups on the monkey bars to constitute the complete fitness angle. We’ll create our own fitness trail.   We park the car near the playground and look out onto Mirror Lake and reminisce about the frosty winter toboggan runs. Now a dock is out at the public beach and some people are even brave enough to take a dip. That water is too cold for me.  Keep in mind that the Mirror Lake Public Beach is closed to swimmers when there is no

Easy Short Lake Placid Adirondack Hikes: ADK Loj Heart Lake's Mt Jo

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Mt Jo is an easy hike for all members of the family The Adirondack Mountain Club's (ADK)  Heart Lake's Mt Jo Elevation  = 2,876 ft  Vertical ascent = 700’ Distance - 1.2-miles to the summit My son’s class had a field trip to the Adirondack Loj’s Heart Lake area near Lake Placid to climb Mt Jo. He has been eager to share his newly found information with the rest of the family so he will lead us on this 2.3-mile roundtrip journey.  This is #11/33 easy short hikes from Adirondack Family Time Tri-Lakes and High Peaks: Four Season Guide to Over 300 Activities (with GPS Coordinates) The ADK Heart Lake Nature Museum is near the trail entrance to Mt.Jo We arrive late in the afternoon and with no parking attendant we scour the car for the $1.50 parking charge.  (Parking is $10/day for nonmembers, $5/day for members and $2.50 for entry after 1:00 p.m.)  We are held to the honor system. I first park at the upper lot only to have my son inform me that

The Cobble Lookout Trail: Easy Hikes near Whiteface MT, Wilmington (NY)

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Cobble Lookout trail now has a new sign!  UPDATE: There is a new sign marking the trailhead! Cobble Lookout Elevation = 2,600' Vertical Ascent = 400' Distance -  0.75-mile I am all about the easy hike  for my visiting family, whether they have kids or not. I enjoy backpacking, camping and the more challenging hikes, but nothing is more beautiful than being able to get in an easy hike with a beautiful view and still have my evening free to enjoy another Adirondack (ADK) activity.  Wilmington (NY) Cobble Lookout Trail with views of The Adirondack High Peaks and Santa's Workshop, North Pole Recently while at Lake Stevens we managed to fit in a quick stroll to the top of nearby Cobble Lookout trail off Gillispie Dr (Franklin Falls Rd.). It’s a relatively new trail.  So new, in fact, that at the time of our climb a few weeks ago, a trailhead sign wasn’t part of the program. (I was told to relax and enjoy the mystery and intrigue.)  Wilmington (NY) Co

Fishing in the Adirondack (ADK) High Peaks with Kids: Wilmington's (NY) Lake Stevens

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by Diane Chase Recently my husband has started adding a fishing pole to our “must have” gear we leave in the car. The pole and tackle box now sit along side our water shoes, hiking boots, and towels. His logic makes sense.  We are usually finishing a hike or going on some Adirondack adventure that culminates with a watery stop. With 3,000 lakes and ponds at our disposal within the Adirondack Park’s 6-million acres, it is a nice option to always be able to cast a line. A nice place for children to be able to try out fishing is Lake Stevens in Wilmington. Located at the Whiteface Memorial Highway Tollhouse, this small dammed lake is stocked with trout and designated just for children and anyone with limited mobility. In the Adirondacks children under the age of sixteen are not required to have a fishing license. This small lake is also handicap accessible. Lake Stevens is named for J. Hubert Stevens, the 1932 Olympic gold medal winner in the Two-Man bobsled competition. La

Easy Adirondack Hikes: One of 33 Easy Hikes: Lake Placid's Cobble Hill

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Summit of Cobble Hill  By Diane Chase When I first moved to the area and didn’t have the time or inclination to just climb the 46 High Peaks, I decided to take a different route. That route has led me to explore beautiful trails, walks and swimming holes around the whole Adirondack Park. There are some places that have been worth a repeat visit and other places that were just okay.  My two-year-old hiked in Crocs while carrying "her" purse My route has lead me over hills and through fields exploring all the fun activities that take place in this Tri-Lakes and High Peaks region and beyond . One favorite hike is so conveniently located in the center of Lake Placid that I always suggest it to people of all ages and hiking abilities. Cobble Hill has an elevation of 2,345’ and a vertical ascent of only 462’. My ADK kids can easily finish it within an hour or I can take longer and explore the local flora and fauna. There are a few trail entrances, b

Easy Short Lake Placid (NY) Hikes: Cherrypatch Pond Springtime Snowshoe - Wilmington NY

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  One minute it feels like we have so much snow and the next moment it seems to all melt away. It is this tricky time of year that we have to choose our wooded walks with care. There is plenty of snow still hidden among the trees when we make a quick stop to take in the beautiful view from Big Cherrypatch Pond.   I’ve only ever noticed the sign for Cherrypatch Pond heading west toward Lake Placid from Whiteface Mountain. Little and Big Cherrypatch ponds bookmark Rt. 86 and we’ve never given the ponds their due. With only a passing glance from our vehicle, the ponds always seem more marshland than open water. The trail to Big Cherry Patch pond starts on the south side of Rt. 86 with its outflow crossing beneath the road to the northern Little Cherrypatch Pond. We park at the small designating area and make our way over the remaining snow bank. The whole hike is less than ½-mile round-trip, but since we are searching for signs of spring, we plan on taking our time.

Easy Short Lake Placid Hikes: Winter Snowshoe/XC Ski or Easy Hike to Old Marcy Dam Site

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We haven’t been back to Adirondack's Marcy Dam since Tropical Storm Irene hit in late August 2011. We had climbed Marcy just a few days before the storm, resting at the bridge on our way back to our car, snapping pictures that now show an area changed by the storm. We couldn’t have known that it would be the last time we’d see Mt. Colden’s reflection in the pond at Marcy Dam.   A few days later Irene hit, the wooden dam breached and the bridge washed out changing the iconic area forever. The snow is still plentiful as we drive in the Adirondack Mountain Club’s Adirondack Loj area and park at the far lot. We enter past the tent platforms, which looks like a ghost town in winter, using the Old Marcy Dam Trail.    Adirondack Family Time™ guidebook series: Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake and the High Peaks with over 33 easy hikes, 19 swimming holes, snowshoe, ski trails trivia, maps and four season activities.  The beginn