2022 Book Review #25: 12 Short Hikes Near Lake Placid

 

I picked up this little hiking guide last weekend in Schroon Lake Village because it's one I haven't owned until now! I'm heading to Long Lake (about a 45 min drive west of Lake Placid) and it's possible I may do some hiking in the Lake Placid area while I'm up in Long Lake for a week.

SUMMARY

This is a non-fiction hiking guide and  contains trails that range from easy/family-friendly to difficult (mainly due to length of trail or steepness or remoteness).  There are a few I have already completed but there are several I'd like to hike at some point in the next year or so.

The book begins with an introduction after a foreword by Phil Brown, who was the editor of The Adirondack Explorer magazine when this book was written/published. The intro includes the classic essentials list for packing your backpack when going on a hike in the mountains. It also explains, with a graph, the various round-trip miles, elevation gain in feet, and elevation of each summit and the overall difficulty ranking. 

Each chapter is short and just explains the trail for each separate mountain or hiking trail.  The book contains the following trails/mountain climbs:

1. Cobble Hill (2 mile loop) This is a good one for families.
2. Henry's Woods (3.8 mile loop) and nice for families although there are numerous off-shoot trails so you have to pay attention to the various colored blazes for whatever trail you are hiking. I had never heard of this and would like to discover it at some point with my husband since it doesn't involve a lot of climbing which he isn't a fan of although he will go on a mountain summit once in awhile to please me. 
3. John Brown Farm ( yes, THAT John Brown...the militant abolitionist who led the raid on a federal arsenal in Harpers Ferry, VA in 1859). He is buried at his farm in our high peaks region of the Adirondacks and once again this is a loop trail that I have been hiked. The farm is open to visitors every day of the week except Tuesdays from May until October.  Again, easy enough for familie with children or beginner hikers. 
4. Haystack Mountain (3.3 miles to the summit so a 6.6 mile hike).  This is a less than 3000 feet summit but is part of the Saranac Six Hiking Challenge.  I have only completed one of the Saranac Six mountains (Ampersand Mt which is in the top 100 highest of NYS).  This Haystack often gets confused with Mount Haystack which is a High Peak on the ADK highest 46 mountains list. This is a mountain I would love to climb but it is steep and remote and I would love to do it with an experienced hiker like me vs alone. 
5. Scarface Mountain: this is a 6.4 mile hike and is rated the most difficult in the book due to very steep sections.  I would love to hike it one day!
6. Baker Mountain: this is considered the easiest mountain in the book and is on my list of places to hike once I am up in Long Lake. It is located in the village of Saranac Lake.  It's the easiest of the Saranac Six and is super short but steep. It is doable by going solo and several locals climb it often. 
7. Mount Van Hoevenberg: this mountain has 2 approaches and has been on my want to hike list for a few years. I actually was going to go with a friend last weekend, but the heat index was too high for us to do it safely. It's also a family friendly hike but for families with some hiking experience. It is located at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid and is only about 4.5 miles total.
8. Mount Jo is the 2nd easiest mountain in this book.  I have hiked this with my husband and 2 daughters when they were 10 and 5.  It was a super easy trail for my family and so much fun!  It's a 2 mile loop and on the summit you have a perfect view of Heart Lake below which really is  shaped like a heart. 
9. Balanced Rocks: this is a destination that is very popular in the High Peaks region. I have never had the luck of getting a parking spot for this trailhead so it is still on my "want to hike this" list. It is a pair of rocks literally on the side of a cliff that look like they are going to fall off and the proper summit is Pitchoff Mountain which many people don't bother going to as the Rocks are the real destination on the mountain. 
10.  Owl's Head Mountain (there are 2 Adirondack Mts named Owls Head...the hardest one in Long Lake is the one Dave and I have climbed...it's fairly significant and was part of the ADK FireTower Challenge.) This mountain is small and easy and perfect for families. Round trip is only 1.2 miles!!  Summit is short at just over 2000 feet high.
11. Owen, Copperas and Winch Ponds:  this is a very easy trail that leads to 3 different wilderness ponds. I have hiked this trail once with my friend Cheryl B. If you do the entire loop it is only 4.8 miles.  We did it as an out and back. If you do it as a loop you do have to walk along the road to get back to your car at the main trailhead. 
12. Flume Knob: I have been to the Flume on the Ausable River for the ADK 50 Falls Challenge which I am about half-way through completing. However, I never knew until I read this book that there is a trail there!  I would love to explore it some day. The book does warn that you have to pay close attention to which blazed trail you are following as there are several off-shoots.  It is near the Whiteface Mountain area.  It does get steep towards the end to the look-out. 

The book ends with a very short description of the other 2 mountains (Ampersand and McKenzie)  in the Saranac Six Challenge and also includes a mountain that is in that area and part of the FireTower Challenge.  

I love that the authors included specific driving directions to each trailhead.  Several modern hiking guides and apps have spotty directions or inaccurate information.

In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 12 and older.

On a scale of 1-10, I rate this a 10.