Thus far in these blog posts I've
steered away from any climbs in the high peaks area. Generally
speaking there tends to be more people climbing these mountains and
for good reason. The high peaks offer the most spectacular views.
And, less tangibly, they have a certain undeniable cachet. Standing
on top of a mountain in the heart of the high peaks is an inspiring
experience and highlights the incredible diversity of NY State. You
are about as far from the bustling streets of NY City as you could
get and it's only a 6 hour drive away. The pinnacle of achievement
with respect to climbing the high peaks is to become a “46er” by
climbing all 46 mountains over 4000' in elevation. (Actually, due to
more accurate measurements, 4 of the original 46 are under 4000' and
there is one mountain is over 4000' but the 46er organization has
stuck with the original list.) So here is a high peaks hike
with options to climb up to 3 of those 46.
Algonquin Peak is the second
highest in NY State and it is a relatively short climb, albeit with a
lot of vertical gain, from the Adirondack Mountain Club's (ADK)
Adirondack Loj for such a big payoff. If you want a shorter climb
with less vertical the Wright Peak trail cuts off from the Algonquin
trail. Or you can climb both Wright and Algonquin. Climbing Wright
would add about 0.9 miles to the Algonquin hike. Once you reach
Algonquin's summit, you can continue on to Iroquois which would add 2
miles for the round trip. All of this would be a lot less confusing
if you have a highly recommended guide book and map. At the very
least you need the latter.
Get to the trail head from Saranac Lake area by driving
nearly to Lake Placid, turn right on Old Military Road (the road
that bypasses the tourist crowded actual village), merge back onto
route 73 at the end of Old Military Road and quickly you'll pass the
ski jumps on the right, turn right on Adirondack Loj Road where
there is a large DEC sign for the high peaks. Right at the start of
the road you are treated to a impressive panoramic view of the high
peaks afforded by the open fields next to the road. Take the road to
its end at the Loj. There is a fee to park there which helps to
maintain the facilities. There is a Hikers and Campers Building with
items for sale – like guide books and maps (hint, hint). There are
also staff members that can give you good advice. Take advantage of
it. You don't want to be a subject in the “incident report”
about an outing gone bad.
The Van Hoevenberg trail starts
at the end of the parking lot where there is a registration kiosk.
Trail junctions are well signed. In about 1 mile there is a trail
junction where the trail to Algonquin goes straight. The trail left
goes to Marcy Dam (or what was Marcy Dam – it washed away with
hurricane Irene) and Mount Marcy. The Wright Peak trail branches
left 3.1 miles from the Loj and leads to its summit in 0.43 miles. A
notable feature of Wright's summit is that in 1962 a B-47 bomber
crashed into the mountain. There is a plaque just north of the
summit on a rock wall memorializing the 4 airmen who lost their lives
and some pieces of the doomed plane are scattered about. It is
another 0.9 miles (about 4 miles and almost 3000 feet vertical gain
from the Loj ) to Algonquin's summit. You're treated with
spectacular views of mountains near and far dominated by Mt Colden
with it open rock slides and dike or cleft in the rock face that is a
famous non technical but still challenging climbing route. At the
base of Algonquin is Lake Colden and Flowed Lands. There will likely
be a summit steward at the top to, among other things, educate you
about the attempts to maintain and reestablish fragile alpine
vegetation. If you want to continue on to Iroquois the trail
continues over the top of Algonquin, drops down to the col where a
marked trail to the left continues down to Lake Colden and the herd
path to Iroquois continue straight. It goes over an intermediary
peak, Boundary which has 2 summits, before the final ascent to
Iroquois. Make sure you give yourself enough time if you want to
climb Iroquois. It is a 2 mile round trip from Algonquin with a lot
of steep up and down over open rock. This route however, if you've
got the 46er itch, is the shortest way to climb Iroquois and scratch
it.
