Hannah the hiker

Tabletop and Phelps are two of the 46 Adirondack high peaks. the trail is about 12-13 miles long with about 3,700 feet of elevation gain. This is another trail that begins at the Adirondack Loj. Parking is $12-15 a day, get there early to ensure you have a parking space or else you will have to park 2-3 miles down the road from the trail.

I began the trail on September 6, 2020 at noon with two friends. our idea was to do a “sunset” hike. We began on the Heart Lake Loop Trail which offers some nice views of surrounding mountains. After half a mile we went left on to the old Marcy Dam Trail. At the 1 mile mark you take the Van Hoevenberg Trail which will take you through Marcy Dam, a great spot to enjoy the view and refuel.

From Marcy Dam you continue on to the Van Hoevenberg Trail which will take you to where the trail diverges to either the left for Phelps or to the right to Tabletop. This is around the 4 mile mark. We hiked Tabletop first since it does not offer great views. The trail to Tabletop is not marked, and is instead a herd path which is easy to follow. The trail to the summit is about 2 miles long, and is almost 2,000 feet of elevation gain.

From the summit of Tabletop there is not much to see since it is heavily wooded, but hey its another one of the 46! You take the trail back down to the junction with Phelps Trail, and begin the climb to the summit of Phelps. Phelps is the smaller of the two, and it is about two miles from the junction to the top and about 1,500 feet of elevation gain. Phelps offers great views of the surrounding mountains, and made for a nice place to watch the sunset. from the top of Phelps back to the trailhead is about 4 miles. you can either walk back the same way, or at Marcy Dam you could take the Van Hoevenberg Trail instead of the Old Marcy Dam Trail. Both ways are comparable in mileage.

overall thoughts of the trail

These were two easy 46ers to cross of the list. there were no technical sections and the elevation gain was pretty gradual. Going back down to the car felt long but was not terrible on the knees. We started pretty late and combined with a slow pace, lots of breaks we did not get back to the car until midnight. Which was much later than I expected, and wanted. But we did have headlamps and were able to navigate in the dark. It is not a great idea to be in the Adirondacks that late at night hiking because of bear activity, so just be cautious if you follow in my footsteps.

This is a hike that i would suggest for beginners, nothing too complicated or strenuous.

what I brought

• 10 L hiking pack
• 2 L Camelback
• Nalgene (with more water)
• Merrell Moab 2 Mid Ventilator Hiking boots
• running shorts
• tank top
• light jacket
• baseball cap
• hiking socks
• headlamp and extra batteries
• small first aid kit