Adirondack Hikers are passionate about hiking throughout the Adirondacks. More than 2,000 miles of scenic trails wind through forested paths leading to mountain summits with breathtaking views of New York’s most cherished wilderness.
With so many trails to choose from, you might wonder, where do I begin?
Since there are risks involved with hiking, first consider these 5 important factors as you whittle down your trail options:
- Fitness level
- Trail difficulty
- Total distance
- Location of hike
- Hiking gear
Fitness level
Let’s face it. If you’re in poor shape, hiking will be significantly more challenging and risky. This fact isn’t meant to dissuade you from adopting one of the greatest activities to boost your physical fitness, rather, it reminds you to take a sensible and realistic approach to hiking. Just as one should approach walks, jogs, and runs, you need to work your way up to longer and more challenging hikes. Even if you’re in relatively good shape, your body will not be able to meet the demands of a strenuous hike if you’re using muscles and movements you’re not accustomed to. For example, a physically fit sprinter or weightlifter is strongly encouraged to start off on beginner level hikes until their fitness level adapts to the demands of hiking.
The quickest way to get turned off by hiking is to attempt a hike that is beyond your fitness level. You’ll be grateful that you started off slow with easier hikes and worked your way up to more challenging hikes should that be your goal. You shouldn’t attempt a hike that is too difficult for the least experienced and/or least fit member of your hiking group.
Trail difficulty
For the sake of simplicity, let’s assume hikes can be divided into 3 levels: easy, moderate, and difficult. Unfortunately, Adirondack hikes are not so simple to label. Typically, we rely on ascent and distance to help us gauge the difficulty of a hike; however, other factors such as “unmarked” trails or “herd paths” might come into to play, as well as the occasional need to utilize “rock climbing” maneuvers or a cable hand-line. Other challenges you might encounter include clambering up giant wooden ladders, navigating tricky stream crossings, or traversing muddy patches of trail. Many of these obstacles contribute to the sense of fun and adventure of hiking in the Adirondacks.
Generally speaking, an easy travel will have little or no steepness with well-maintained paths to follow. A moderate trail will be longer in distance with more steepness and less stretches of easy footing. Lastly, a difficult trail will have significantly tougher terrain, sections of the trail with greater angles of steepness that can be quite intimidating, and a greater chance of feeling disoriented with regards to directions if you’re not paying attention.
Start with easy trails. As your body gets accustomed to hiking, graduate to more challenging hikes. Many of the most spectacular hikes in the Adirondacks fall under the easy and moderate categories.
Total distance
Notice we didn’t simply say distance. We want to be very clear about this since inexperienced hikers can get fixated on the mileage required to reach a mountain’s summit; failing to take into consideration the distance covered on their return trip. Granted, there are Adirondack hikes where you may finish at a different spot than you originally started; however, that typically involves multiple cars or even a boat pick-up to coordinate. The overwhelming majority of Adirondack hikers will make the return trip to their original starting point and need to have the energy and stamina to safely achieve this.
The distance you can cover per hour is impacted by numerous factors including altitude, elevation gain/loss, makeup of the trail bed, and weight you’re carrying on your back.
There are some estimates that experienced hikers are able to hike at 3 miles per hour on average but it’s unclear if that is on flat ground and what other conditions are factored in. If you’re new to hiking, err on the side of caution and anticipate you will not cover more than 1 mile per hour. There is a reason Adirondack Hikers affectionately refer to it as an “Adirondack mile”. It feels like it takes forever to complete. Likewise, a mile uphill will go much slower than a flat mile.
Location of hike
When you’re new to hiking, you might want to avoid trails leading to more remote locations. You’ll have a better sense of your surroundings, as well as the wildlife in that area. While it makes sense to avoid heavily trafficked trails, it is safer to choose a trail where there is likely to be other hiking groups you’ll encounter throughout your trip. Other parties can certainly come to your aid and lend a hand in case of an emergency. As you and your hiking group are more experienced hikers, then it makes sense to consider less popular hikes should you desire greater solitude.
Hiking gear
If you already have a passion for Adirondack hiking, you’ll likely want to invest in proper hiking gear. While one of the benefits to hiking is its low barriers to entry, you will eventually want to acquire some quality gear to enhance your safety and overall hiking experience. This becomes increasingly important as you transition from easy to moderate to difficult hikes. Lightweight gear makes a big difference on longer and steeper hikes. Likewise, higher quality gear typically equates to greater durability, thus you get an excellent return on investment over the years. Anyone venturing out into the wilderness will want to have the appropriate gear on hand to aid in a survival situation whether that’s sudden illness, an injury, or quick change in weather conditions.
Hikers attempting moderate to difficult hikes should invest in a good pair of hiking boots, rain jacket and daypack. Beginner hikers sticking to easy trails can get by with a lightweight backpack. As long as you’re able to comfortably transport water, food, medical supplies and other key accessories, it shows an attitude toward being a responsible hiker. The more you hike the more familiar you’ll become with the appropriate items to pack based on the trail you plan to go on. For more tips, check out Safe Hiking in the Adirondacks