Hannah the hiker

This hike goes over three Adirondack High Peak and is about 12 miles long. All of the summits offer 360 views of the surrounding peaks so it is definitely worth the trek. I hiked this trail on September 4, 2021 at 6:30 a.m. My feet/toes were not healed when i went on this hike so it made for a long and slow day. Regardless of the pain i was feeling i still had an amazing time out there on my own.

I started this trail from the Adirondack Loj. When i showed up at 6 a.m. the parking lot was completely full so i had to park near South Meadows. So, plan ahead and show up early so you do not have to walk an extra 1.5 miles to the trailhead. Parking at the Adirondack Loj is not free either. More information about parking at the Loj is available here.

I signed into the Van Hoevenberg Trail head and followed this trail to the Algonquin Trail which is about 1 mile in and up about 2,000 feet. The switch to the Algonquin trail is pretty seamless since you continue in the same direction. The Algonquin Trail follows closely to MacIntyre Brook, in case you are looking for water sources along the trail. I didn’t notice any outstanding mud on this trail.

At around 3.5 miles you will be at a trail junction and at around 4,000 feet in elevation. If you take a left you will be on the way to Wright Peak. I suggest going up Wright first since you might not want to summit it after the other two peaks if you are tired. The summit of Wright Peak is about .5 miles from the junction and up about 500 feet. It isn’t too bad of a climb since it is exposed rock. It was windy when i went and at times it felt like i could just get blown off the mountain. It is kind of a funny feeling, but adds to the joy of hiking.

Near the summit of Wright Peak there is a bronze plaque honoring victims of a plane crash. I didn’t get a chance to look at the plaque, but if you have the time i suggest taking a look at it. There are still remains of the plane on the mountain. I enjoyed a windy and cloudy summit and had about a 5 minute window to take photos while the clouds moved. I got to the summit at 9:30 a.m.

From the summit, head back down the same trail and turn on to the Algonquin Trail. From the junction, Algonquin is about 1.2 miles away. You go up at least 1,000 feet in elevation, which is a pretty steep climb. Most of it is within the trees, and the last little stretch is exposed rock. It isn’t too technical, just remember to stay on the rocks at the summit so you don’t disturb the fragile vegetation. Algonquin has amazing views and you can see both Wright Peak and Iroquois from this summit. There are also Summit Stewards up here that can help you with directions or give you some information about the mountain. There are lots of places up here to take a break and have a snack before continuing on to Iroquois. I got to Algonquin around 10:40 a.m.

To get back to the Loj, head back over Algonquin and then take the same trail you followed on the way up. I got back to my car around 4. The descent was extremely slow because my toes hurt pretty bad from constantly jamming them into my boots.

overall thoughts on the trail

i enjoyed the views and terrain of this trail, but was in a lot of pain most of the way. My feet were bleeding when i took my boots off, so this was the last hike i went on for a while.

When i was almost to the top of Algonquin there was a couple that asked me if i was going to Algonquin, and if they were headed in the right direction. Then one of the summit stewards asked me if i was also a summit steward since he saw me talking to the couple. This made me feel like people notice me as someone who looks like they know what they are doing.

Since my feet hurt so bad i treated myself to a Stewarts Peanut Butter and Chocolate milkshake, which was soooo tasty. This has become one of my post hike rituals now. So next time you go hiking i recommend you do the same.

what i brought