Lake Placid NY
As it turned out, my annual birthday hike happened on the same mountain, for two consecutive years. It wasn’t really planned out as such, but that’s how it worked out. The mountain was Mt Van Hoevenberg, in Lake Placid NY.
Last year (2021), we hiked the mountain from the Adirondack Loj Road. This 5-mile trek is the traditional route. It’s everything you expect in a trail in the Adirondacks. Roots, ruts, mud, water, beaver dams- the full complement of challenges. I had done this trek years ago and knew what to expect. Other than the brutal wind that morning, it was just as great as I remembered.
This year we decided to make the climb from the recently added “East Trail”. This leaves from the Mt Van Hoevenberg Olympic complex. The trail is considered by many to be the flagship model for sustainable trail construction. And it may well be. I strongly doubt that we will ever see existing trails brought to this level, but new trails should follow the east Trail’s template. Money and manpower always seem to be in short supply when it comes to trail maintenance and construction, so I suppose we’ll see how it works out in the future. Let’s keep our collective fingers crossed.
The trail has been carefully laid out to avoid steep/straight pitches which generally lead to erosion and wet spots. The use of switchbacks makes the trail longer but keeps it at a gradual accent. It also makes the climb easier.
Another key design feature is the use of rock stairs/steps. These also help immensely with erosion prevention and keeps you out of the mud. This is a very labour-intensive way of trail construction but will last for countless years.
The trail leaves from the Olympic center parking areas and is a bit of a conundrum to get started on the actual trailhead. It starts just past the Mountain Pass Lodge. (Which by the way, has the nicest trailhead restrooms that you’ll find- no gnarly old outhouse here!) The trail starts amongst the bobsled runs, maintenance shop, and the mountain coaster rails.
Pretty much as you start climbing, you’re walking on the stone steps. At 0.6 miles, you cross onto state wilderness property. Things get a bit more like you would be used to on a hiking trail, but still, have the same attention to design. The switchbacks make for a gentle accent and offer nice views along the way. Even though its sustainable construction is obvious, the routing makes use of as many natural features as possible. There is no doubt that you are on a real-live Adirondack mountain.
At the 2-mile mark, we had reached the summit. This overlook gives a great view of the High Peaks region. There is a second overlook about 100 yards further down the trail.
I was apprehensive about hiking this trail truthfully. From what I had read & heard, I expected it to be like walking a nature trail in a park. While you will seldom be out of sight of a man-made trail improvement, you also are never out of sight of the mountain itself. The design takes you past rock ledges covered in moss and ice. You’ll navigate through split glacial boulders and stunted evergreen trees. The bottom line is that while this will never convince you that you are deep on a mountainside where man rarely treads, it still maintains the amazing character of a real Adirondack mountain, without the rough & muddy trails and steep pitches.
There are plenty of remote mountains around for those who crave that. But this trail can be enjoyed by folks looking for a more friendly route but yet offers the real mountain experience and views. At 4 miles round-trip, and 924’ of elevation gain, you get some great views for your investment in time and labour. The traditional trail is a mile longer with very close to the same elevation gain.
I wouldn’t hesitate to climb this again, but I also would climb the traditional again as well. The difference is just a matter of what you are looking for in a trail experience. The new East Trail would be a much better choice during wet & muddy days. I would expect on nice days, especially in the summer and early fall that the new trail would be much more heavily trafficked. The best-case scenario would be to have a car on each end and do a through hike incorporating both trails. There is no bad choice here.
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Hiking the trail to yesterday 