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Showing posts with the label easy Lake Placid hikes

Hiking Catamount in Wilmington (free Adirondack trail map)

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At the false summit (overlook) of Catamount My daughter is always worrying about my allergic reaction to cats. She is like the town crier when we visit friends letting each and every person know that she can’t have one because it makes her mother sneeze. I appreciate both my children being on the look out and so far being able to resist the urge to take home those offers of free kittens. Cute and fuzzy, warm and cute, cats are part of an ongoing conversation of animals to have, along with monkeys and unicorns.   We drop my son off with friends while the rest of the family hopes to reach the summit of Catamount. We have a time limit so it is not going to be a meandering pace. Long gone are the days when she would bring a backpack full of stuffed animals to share her lunch. Now we search for other wildlife. The name of the mountain is Catamount.  According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, A catamount is any variety of American wildcat such as a lynx, cougar or mountain l

Easy Adirondack Hikes: Mount Van Hoevenberg (Lake Placid)

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Mt Van Hoevenberg  Distance  = 2-2-miles Vertical ascent = 799' Elevation = 2, 940'  Hiking the Adirondack High Peaks isn't always an option, but hitting the trail for a beautiful day hike can always be squeezed into our agenda  When my children were younger we looked for those hikes where they could finish on their own with a feeling of accomplishment   The children are now able to take longer and longer hikes. For me it is with great pride and slight sadness that my daughter no longer requests the baby carrier.    She enjoys being on the trail and boosts my own confidence by elevating me to superhero status. If she feels lost, I find her. If she cries, I heal her. I open my backpack and provide her with ointments to sooth her ills and snacks to appease her hunger.               I am attempting to extend our trips with the eventual goal being a backpacking trip into the woods. Not like our first camping trip where I spent more time on the road th

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

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