I'm headed up to the 'Daks this weekend with my girlfriend to basically veg out, catch up on some rest and unwind. Those of you who read AAG might remember that my girlfriend's house burned to the ground back in the middle of March. So we're looking for a nice quiet weekend to recharge our batteries and to spend some time outdoors.

I want to take a hike or two, and wondered if you folks have any favorite hikes that have some good views, aren't incredibly strenuous, and take maybe 4 - 7 hours, roundtrip.

Thanks.

-em

strat suggested Algonquin to me, and i will pass the suggestion on to you.

easy hike, with a fun slab section near the end.
4 miles each way.

on a nice day the view is probably spectacular.
the day i proposed to my woman, we blinded by clouds, mist, and about 30mph winds.

Noonmark Mt. in Keene Its about 3 - 4 hours (round trip) if you rush or longer if you take your time and enjoy. It has tremendous views along the way and up top. Also sports a nice 90' crag at the summit. (if she's willing to belay )

Big Slide out of Keene Valley is probably 4 miles each way and has fantastic veiws of the great range across JBValley.

I second Algonquin. Stunning Mountain, though perhaps a tad bit of a workout to get up it! I must say that I've always been partial to Colden, sandwiched between Marcy and Algonquin, it affords great views of Algonquin and Avalanche Mountain and Pass from above (you can see how much of a cleave it is).

Really easy is Avalanche Pass to Avalanche Lake from Marcy Dam/Loj. Fantastic views at Avalanche Lake of rock walls going straight up out of the lake. Also amazing is the up-close view of what a slide can produce (in the pass). And one of the more beautiful low-land lunch spots around at the lake!!

PM if you want more...like trailhead directions, trails, etc.

jk

Strat reccomended Cascade and Porter to me a couple years ago and I'm glad I took his advice. The climb was quite moderate and the views from the top were awesome! The last few hundred feet of climbing is all open rock offering a complete unobstructed 360 degree view.

Daryl

p.s. Evan, Do Cascade. If you're both not awestruck I'll pay for your weekend trip!

The suggestions that everyone has offered are good ones but they will be very crowded, particularly cascade and porter. But, if I may offer one or two more.

1) Hurricane Mountain (this may have crowds on it too)
2) Ampersand Mountain (outside of saranac lake, this will not be as crowded but is just as nice as cascade is)

I tried to come up with another low-land hike, but, I just can't beat Joe Kayak's Avy Pass suggestion.

Stop in for a beer/glass of wine/shot of jameson, all of the above, some of the above if you find yourself in Keene Valley, I'll be there in about 6 hours!

These are all good - would you recommend any of these for overnight trips with wife and kid?

(We camped at Little Yosemite and hiked most of the way up and down Half Dome so I'm not too concerned about the mileages here more the destinations as far as camping goes.)

Thanks.

I just came back from a week backpacking in the Daks. It has rained there almost daily for most of the summer. The mud factor is absolutely unbelievable, at any elevation. Hikers, trying to avoid the mud, are ruining the trails by enlarging them, creating more erosion to the already poor topsoil condition, thus contribution to the mud problem, present or futur...

This said, I would recommend the least travelled trails, south of 28N, and to try avoiding the High Peaks region or any 46er for that matter at all costs.
Also, bears in some areas have become quite a nuisance, and putting your food cache up high (at least 10 feet up and 5 feet from any other branches) will be helpful.

As far as a day hike goes, try to do the Owls Head. I did it when my kids where quite small (4 & 8) and they loved it.

For seasoned adults, Rocky Ridge Peak next to Giant, is supposively really amazing, as you walk on a treeless ridge with views all around you.

I also recommend browsing this Adirondak Peaks Discussion Forum for info.

New recommendations:
1) Treadway Mountain. 8 miles round trip, not alot of elevation change, for the first two miles you are in the constant companionship of streams, ponds, and bogs. The second two miles is a very unique hike for the adirondacks, something akin to walking on the Millbrook Ridge only nicer views than the Hudson Valley.
2) For rainy days, Crowfoot Pond, 6 miles round trip, pleasant woods walking to a nice pond.

Mim,
I respectfully disagree with your recommendation to avoid the high peaks region to avoid soil erosion. The fact of the matter is that the most heavily travelled high peaks like: Cascade, Porter, Giant from any direction, Alqonguin, Wright, Marcy, Big Slide are on trails that are 10 and even sometimes 20 feet wide. These trails also get a high amount of maintenance and are increasingly engineered for erosion control. To suggest the avoidance of these peaks does a dis-service to people asking for recommendations for enjoyable and responsible hiking.

Do you care to offer any specific recommendation south of 28N? Snowy Mountain is superb. Blue Mountain is nice. Blue Ledges on Hudson is nice. Vanderwacker Mountain is Nice. Goodnow Mountain is nice. These last three are on route 28N. Watch Hill over Indian Lake is pleasant albeit far too short. Wakely Mountain is very nice.

Fraser, Avalanche Pass that JK recommended is appropriate for family overnighter as is Treadway Mountain. The rest are more or less day hikes that don't lend themselves too well to overnighting.

... Watch Hill over Indian Lake is pleasant albeit far too short ...

i love watch hill in the heat of the summer -- if you go down the other side there is a beautifully lonely sandy beach on indian lake -- it might be too chilly now for skinny dipping though ...

Strat:
There were 18 trail crew workers last summer ('03). As a result of fund cutting, they could only afford 2 this summer...
there is no way, given how much rain the park received this summer, that even 10 would be able to keep up.

The added erosion as a result of enlarging trails that used to be narrow by trying to avoid stepping in mud will compound the problem even more for years to come on trails that didn't have a steady mud problem to begin with.

I backpacked 60 miles, 50 in ankle deep mud. The park rangers I spoke with were getting a lot of grief from hikers. He went into great lengths to explain that they cannot keep up with the trail maintenance demands as a result of heavy usage. Hence my suggestion to stay away from those peaks.

The Park itself recommends staying away from the High Peaks during the spring season because of the mud. Ankle deep mud in August at any elevation should grant this recommendation as well.

Given the cut in budget and the rain, there aren't many other alternatives but to try to give these mountains a break.

Mim,
Specifically, which high peaks did you backpack that had ankle deep mud for 50 miles that you are recommending people avoid.
Thanks
strat

Northlake-Placid Trail = mud
Connecting trail to Cold River 3&4 lean-to, including trail to Indian Pass = mud
Two trails from Forge Parking lot = mud
Floats to Colden = Mud
Colden to Panther Gorge Lean-to = Mud
From Lean-to to parking lot = NO mud.
Dix = Mud

Thank you for clarifying that you did not hike any of the peaks that were recommended by others such as Algonquin, Cascade, Porter, Big Slide, Noonmark, Hurricane Mountain, and Giant.

I just took 2 young kids up Chimney Mountain (near Indian Lake) 2 weeks ago. RT is about 2.5 miles. There is a 40-foot rock pinnacle at the summit that requires technical skills to climb, but there is plenty of scrambling for the kids. There are also a number of small caves and one larger cave to explore. The large one requires technical equipment also.

Just another data point for a nice kid-appropriate day hike.