by Bill Ingersoll
Published: January 2010
Blue Mountain is a wildly popular hike, and although I admit to a personal bias against it – too many towers on the summit and not enough “wildness” – I recently decided to give it another look. With my dog Lexie leading the way, and with a new pair of mountaineering snowshoes to break in, I climbed Blue and decided this was an especially good winter hike with several things going for it: a well-used trail with a reliably good base, and one of the most celebrated views of any Adirondack peak. The terrain is comparable to the High Peaks but requires only a fraction of the time and effort.
Located near the geographic heart of the Adirondack Park, Blue Mountain is a hike that everyone should do.
Getting There
The route begins at the prominent parking area at the height-of-land just north of the Adirondack Museum on NY Routes 28N and 30, about 1.4 miles north of Blue Mountain Lake. Although the summer trailhead is not plowed, enough snow is winged back from the highway to allow ample parking for winter hiking. Note that two hiking trails begin from this location. The yellow-marked trail to the left leads to Tirrell Pond, and the red-marked trail to the right is the route to Blue Mountain.
The Trail
The trail leads east from the parking area, elevation 2,205 feet, cutting through the woods to a logging road and bearing right. The first part of the trail is on private land, and courtesy demands that hikers remain on the trail corridor. You cross numerous small streams as you traverse the lower slopes of the mountain, encountering only moderate grades in the first 1.2 miles. You crest one height-of-land and descend slightly into the next drainage on a course leading just to the east of south.
At the end of the 1.2 miles, at roughly 2,835 feet in elevation, you reach a junction with the old trail to the summit, which began closer to Blue Mountain Lake and which was closed years ago. You will not likely notice this junction now, except that this point now marks the turning point where the current trail bears northeast and begins the steep ascent towards the summit, which begins immediately.
Thousands of feet have worn the trail to bedrock, so that in summer the trail is like a paved sidewalk for most of the rest of the climb. Winter snows provide a decidedly softer walking surface, although this trail is traveled often enough that the snow will be packed down for most of the season. The climbing is steady with few pauses, until you reach the summit ridge where the grade becomes quite pleasant and mild. If the recent weather has been harsh, then the surrounding trees will be coated with thick layers of frost.
Eventually you step up one last ledge to reach the large summit clearing at 3,759 feet in elevation, with the fire tower at its center. Trees block most of the ground-level views, but you can find openings to the east and north in the spruce-covered summit. Rock perches provide quiet picnic spots. The tower provides a more commanding view of the central Adirondack region, including Blue Mountain Lake at the foot of the mountain and the High Peaks to the northeast.
You reach the summit after a 2.1-mile hike and a 1,550-foot net elevation gain. Allow 90 minutes or more for the climb, and about 60 minutes for the descent. Weather on the summit can be quite rough, so bring the appropriate layers of clothing.
Bill Ingersoll of Barneveld is publisher of the Discover the Adirondacks guidebook series (hiketheadirondacks.com) and author of Snowshoe Routes: Adirondacks & Catskills. For more on this region, consult Discover the Central Adirondacks by Barbara McMartin and Bill Ingersoll.
