Hannah the hiker

Cascade and Porter are two of the 46 High Peaks in the Adirondacks. the trail is about 6 miles long with 2,300 feet of elevation gain. the trailhead is just off of the state highway 73, and there are a limited amount of parking spaces. The spots fill up pretty quickly since these are two of the easiest in the 46 High Peaks. I suggest getting there early, and hike during the week if you want to beat the crowd.

I began the trail on June 19, 2021 at 6:30 a.m. with my brothers dog Lindy. this was my first hike with a dog, and she did great for it being her first hike ever.

We signed in to the trailhead register and began the hike on the Cascade Mountain Trail. This trail is pretty straightforward and easy to follow. There are several trail markers and the path is pretty worn down. there were not any issues for Lindy on the trail, so I would say that it is dog friendly, just remember to bring a leash since that is one of the rules on trails in the Adirondacks.

At the 2 mile mark the trail diverges and you can either go right up to the Porter Mountain Trail or left to Cascade. I went up Porter first since it does not have as great of views as Cascade. Porter it is only about half a mile from the Cascade Mountain Trail and only about 200 feet of elevation gain. So it goes by pretty quickly. we rested here for a couple minutes then made our way back to the main trail.

The trail to the summit of Cascade is pretty short a little less than half a mile and about 200 feet of elevation gain. This part of the trail is fun since it is exposed rock and above tree line. When walking on trails this exposed make sure you do the “rock walk” and refrain from stepping on any fragile vegetation. The summit is a great spot to enjoy lunch or breakfast in my case. we reached the summit around 8:30.

From the summit you have about 3 miles to your car and can follow the same trail you took on the way up. This trail took me 3 hours and 40 minutes.

overall thoughts of the trail

This was one of the easiest hikes I have ever done. It had great views and was dog-friendly. This is a great warm up for the rest of the 46 High Peaks.

The parking situation is frustrating but as long as you show up early you should be able to beat the crowd. Also there are porta pottys near the trailhead which are convenient.

what I brought

• 10 L hiking pack
• 2 L Camelback
• Nalgene water bottle (for Lindy)
• foldable bowl (for Lindy)
• dog food & treats
• running shorts
• tank top
• long sleeve shirt
• light jacket
• baseball cap
• hiking socks
• Merrell Moab 2 mid ventilator hiking boots
• small first aid kit
• rope for Lindy (i forgot her leash)
  • food
  • peanut butter and jelly sandwich
  • cliff bar
  • vegan beef jerky
  • apple