Hannah the hiker

Blake Peak and Mount Colvin are two of the 46 High Peaks in the Adirondacks. This trail is about 16 miles long and has 4,000 feet of elevation gain. You also have the option of adding Dial and Nippletop on to the hike to knock out 4 High Peaks in one day, which would be closer to 20 miles long.

I started this hike at 6:30 am on July 7, 2021. The trail I used starts at the Ausable golf club which is on Adirondack Mountain Reserve property. This means that you need to make a reservation to park and hike on this land. Reservations can be made two weeks in advance at this link. Reservations are required from may 1 to Cctober 31.

The first mile of this hike takes you through the golf club, which is private property. You will see parts of the golf course and people’s homes, so you’ll feel a bit out of place with your hiking pack and all. You will come to the trail register and also where the forest rangers are stationed. They will ask for your name and where you are hiking, if you do not have a reservation they will turn you around.

From here I followed the Lake Road trail, which is just a dirt road that brings you to a couple different trails. I followed this trail for about 3 miles before starting on the Gill Brook Cutoff Trail which takes you to the Gill Brook Trail. This is a great trail to stop and refuel on because there is plenty of water and views to take in.

Following this trail to Mount Colvin will take you up about 2,000 feet in elevation gain and around 2.5 miles to the summit. This is not a super tough trail until you get close to the top. there are ladders in place to help you over some sketchy stretches of rock, and honestly sometimes the ladders make me more nervous than the rocks themselves. The view from Colvin is amazing even if it is a bit rainy like when I went. from here you have a great view of the Ausable River and some nice rocks to sit and take a break on. I reached Colvin around 9:30 a.m.

From Colvin there is a sign that will point you in the right direction to continue along the trail to Blake Peak. Blake Peak is about 1.5 miles from Colvin and you lose about 300 feet in elevation. The trail to Blake is not too bad, just a little irritating having to lose elevation. The view from Blake is not much either since it is a wooded summit. But nonetheless it is a nice place to sit and relax before heading back down the trail. I reached Blake Peak at 11:00 a.m

At this point in the hike the weather forecast was not looking good so I decided to head back to my car instead of pushing for Dial and Nippletop (which was the original plan). So to head back to the car was about an 8 mile walk since you follow the same exact trail you took on the way up. It is a nice and easy trail down and not too tough on the knees. Also there are plenty spots along the scenic route down to take pictures and to refuel. I finished the hike at 3:40 p.m.

overall thoughts on the trail

i really enjoyed this hike because i ended up running into 2 people doing the same exact hike. we kept the same pace for most of the way and had some nice conversation which does not happen often when i hike alone.

it was pretty stormy when i went and this prevented me from getting to Dial and Nippletop, it can be pretty dangerous to be alone on the trail when the weather is that bad. i was really worried about tripping and sliding down the trail because of water and mud.

the views were nice on Colvin which made the hike worthwhile since i got to go over Colvin twice! i would recommend hiking this trail with nice weather and maybe even backpacking and tagging Dial and Nippletop on too.

what I brought