This past weekend, my good friend Breanna and I decided to venture up to the Adirondacks together for a day of hiking. We chose Snowy Mountain, which is the highest in the Adirondacks south of the High Peaks region. The trailhead is just south of the town of Indian Lake on NY 30. We arrived just around 11:30 and got started.

Side note: All of the following photos are taken by cell phone.

The first 2.5 miles or so was relatively easy, aside from quite a muddy path. There are several stream crossings which weren’t much of an issue, especially since we both had waterproof boots on.

After the last stream crossing the trail gets quite a bit more difficult. This last about 1.5 miles becomes a much steeper climb along the slow flowing river bed, gaining about 1300ft of elevation in this last bit of the hike.

This was definitely a challenge for us, but the payoff couldn’t have been better. Just before the wooded summit is a nice flat clearing with a gorgeous view to the East and South. At the actual summit is a fire tower allowing for a full 360 degree view of the surrounding mountains and a beautiful view of Indian Lake.

As we were getting ready to make our way back down the mountain, a couple chipmunks popped out from the brush and started eating some of the trail mix we had dropped. We sat there for another 5 or so minutes watching them as one came closer and closer and ended up running right by me, coming as close as about a foot away!

Although less tiring, the hike down wasn’t without it’s own difficulties. The stress on my knees and the slippery rocks proved to be a challenge, but we still managed to knock about a half hour off our time up. We then drove the 7 miles up to Indian Lake and get some food. We ended up going to Indian Lake Restaurant, which had some fantastic food that really hit the spot!

Can’t wait to head back up to do another mountain. Any suggestions?