Big Slide Mountain is the twenty-seventh tallest mountain in New York. A popular way to climb Big Slide is to make a 9.6 mile loop by going up the mountain via The Brothers — a scenic series of three smaller mountains — then returning by way of Johns Brook Valley.
Distance: 4 miles to the summit,9.6 miles total when returning via the Johns Brook Valley loop
Ascent: 2,800 feet
Elevation: 4,240 feet
Primary Trailhead: The shortest and most popular route leaves from the The Garden parking lot in Keene Valley. To reach The Garden parking lot from Lake Placid on Route 73, continue through Keene and into Keene Valley and turn right after the Ausable Inn and continue for 1.6 miles, the last 0.2 mile follows a narrow dirt road. The Garden parking lot (operated by the town of Keene) costs $10 per day ($13 Canadian) from mid-May through the end of October. An attendant is on duty 1 p.m.-7 p.m. Fridays and 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. Town employees and DEC rangers monitor the lot during the week. Space in this lot is limited and almost always full early on weekend mornings.
When The Garden lot is full, free overflow parking is available at Marcy Airfield 2.5 miles north of Keene Valley. From the Marcy Airfield lot, hikers can plan to be shuttled to the trailhead via a shuttle bus. There is a $10 round-trip charge to ride the shuttle the 3.5 miles to The Garden trailhead. The shuttle operates from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays from late May to mid-October. Depending on the hike you’ve planned and your start time, you could run the risk of completing your hike after the last scheduled bus pickup returning to the Marcy Airfield parking lot. Please plan accordingly.
More information about The Garden parking lot and shuttle information.
Trail Route: From the trail register at the Garden parking area, turn right and continue climbing past the trail junction for Porter Mountain. Shortly after a pretty brook crossing, the path begins a steep ascent to an overlook on the First Brother at 0.8 mile. This view is the first of many along this extremely scenic route. After reentering the woods, the trail passes a couple more views before climbing steeply over open rock to the summit of the 2,940 foot First Brother at the 1.5 mile mark.
Now that the ridge has been gained, the climbs aren’t as strenuous until Big Slide is reached. Leaving the summit of the First Brother, the path dips gently into a col, levels off, then climbs briefly to the mostly open and slightly higher summit of the Second Brother at 1.7 miles. The trail remains level for a bit, then descends past a couple more ledges before climbing moderately to the summit of the Third Brother at 2.7 miles, elevation 3,681 feet. There is a great view of Big Slide from this vantage point.
Continuing on, the path descends gradually and eventually levels out. Shortly after, the trail begins to climb moderately to a junction at 3.8 miles. Left is the descent into Johns Brook, right heads to the summit of Big Slide. Turning right, the path immediately becomes very steep, so much there are large wooden ladders (more like steep log staircases) in place to aid hikers. Be sure to check out the herd path to the left. Carefully following it a short distance leads to an outstanding view of the peak’s namesake slide, an impressive strip of open rock on the face of the mountain. The relentless incline eases after this side trail and the summit, with its magnificent view of the Great Range, awaits at the 4-mile mark.
For the loop, simply head back down the trail, and instead of turning left to return over the Brothers continue straight down into Johns Brook Valley. Turn left and follow the scenic, rolling path back to the Garden, bearing left at the four-way junction for the DEC interior outpost. For a longer hike, continue straight over Big Slide and on to the seldom-visited summit of Yard Mountain. Take the path from Yard down into Johns Brook Valley and turn left to head back to The Garden.
History: Big Slide Mountain was named as named for the prominent steep cliff that rises to its summit.
Location: Big Slide Mountain is located in the Town of Keene, in Essex County, in the Northern region of New York State.