Hannah the hiker

The Dix Range includes 5 of the 46 Adirondack High Peaks. These are Macomb, South Dix, Hough, East Dix, and Dix. The trail is near North Hudson, New York. It’s about a 15 mile hike and has about 5,190 feet in elevation gain. I started this trail at 6:41 am and didn’t get done till 6:30 pm. It was a long hike but had some amazing views along the way, plus you can knock out 5 high peaks in one go!

The trail is off of Elk Lake Road, parking here is free but get there early. The lot fills up quickly and the next parking area is 2 miles from the trailhead. I started on the Hunters Pass Trail right next to the trail register. In the beginning of the trail it was a bit muddy, but manageable. There are a couple water crossings and then you make it to where the trail separates. At 2.5 miles you can either go to the right and make your way up to Beckerhorn and Dix first or go to the left and get Macomb first. I went to the right which I thought would work in my favor since it seemed to be a super steep portion of the trail. However, I would suggest going up Macomb first so that you do not have to navigate the treacherous rock slide going down.

Anyway, I continued up to Dix and in about 4 miles you gain around 2,500 feet in elevation. This portion of the trail is steep and rocky with a bunch of switchbacks. Be careful in this part because it is easy to lose grip on the loose dirt and slide down the trail. This part was hard but I just kept a steady pace and drank lots of water. Near the summit of Dix you will reach Beckerhorn. This part of the trail is steep as well since you have to climb up and over this rock and then continue on to Dix. There are yellow marks on the rock to show you where to go and this part is a real climb, I had to use my hands and feet to pull myself up. I am sure if you looked around a bit there is probably a herdpath that doesn’t go straight up the rock. After Beckerhorn you just have a short walk over to Dix, which you can see from the top of Beckerhorn. The top of Dix is pretty exposed with views of the rest of the range. I got to the top of Dix at 10:45 am. It was super windy so I just had a quick snack and threw my fleece on to stay warm before continuing on the trail.

To get to Hough do not go back over Beckerhorn, there will be a trail that veers to the left and will take you to the next peak in the range. Hough is about 3 miles from Dix and you go down and up a couple hundred feet. This part isn’t difficult, I got to the top of Hough at 12:13 pm.

The trail to get to South Dix just continues on over Hough and South Dix is about 1 mile away. You go up and down a couple hundred feet on the way there. South Dix has some nice views but I wouldn’t stay up there long since you have to go back over it on the way back from East Dix. I got to the top of East Dix at 1 pm. The trail to East Dix is to the left of South Dix and about a mile away. Again, you go up and down a couple hundred feet, nothing too terrible. I got to the top of East Dix at 1:50 pm and had a quick lunch before heading to finish the trail. To get to Macomb go back over South Dix and take the trail that continues to the left off of South Dix.

Macomb is a little less than a mile away from South Dix and the last steep climb of the trail. You go down about 300 feet and back up closer to 500 feet. This part of the trail is a nice break from the rest of the range. There is a bit of rock climbing up to Macomb and down it but easy to do as long as you take your time. The summit is a little wooded but still offers some views of the surrounding mountains.

Getting down Macomb was scary. I didn’t realize how steep and dangerous the rock slide was until I got to it. At first you encounter a little “rock garden” that takes you down into the woods, keep your eyes peeled for the rock cairns that point you in the right direction. After this garden you go through the woods for a bit then come to a huge opening, this is the infamous rock slide. This slide is covered in loose sand and dirt with small pebbles and loose rock. So it is not easy to keep your footing secured making your way down this. There also doesn’t seem to be any rock cairns or trail markers telling you where to go until the end of this section of trail. I was terrified to go down this at first, but just came up with a game plan and went slow. I slipped a couple of times but eventually came to the rock cairn that points you to go back into the woods. You do not want to miss this cairn because the trail becomes even more dangerous after this point. There is a large rusty nail sticking out of this rock cairn. From this point of the trail to the end it is pretty easy with lots of trail markers and large losses in elevation. Eventually you will reach a rock cairn that sits between three trails. Going to the right will take you back up to Dix and going a bit to the left will take you to the parking lot (which is the same way you took on the way in). I got to my car at 6:30 pm with sore legs but a feeling of accomplishment.

Overall thoughts on the trail

I thought that this was an amazing hike with lots of elevation gain and low mileage. The trail was scenic and not too difficult until you get to Macomb.

If you do not feet comfortable navigating/moving over loose rocky terrain then do not do the range on this trail. There is an alternate range trail that starts at Route 73 and does not go over the steep rock slide.

There are plenty of spots on the 3 mile hike in to filter water, however once you get put to Dix there aren’t any spots to refill water bottles. So I would suggest bringing a lot of water because you will need it on this hike.

What I brought

Since I am leaving for the Pacific Crest Trail I carried my pack with all of the gear I am bringing on my hike, so I am not going to list all of that here.

• 50 L backpack
• Hiking pants
• T-shirt
• Fleece
• Trekking poles
• Rain jacket
• Beanie
• Sunglasses
• Garmin inreach mini
• Wool hiking socks
• Trail runners
• Sawyer squeeze
• 32 oz nalgene
• 2 32 oz smart water bottles with hydration mix
  • Food
  • Peanut butter sandwich
  • Potato Chips
  • Fruit Roll up
  • Granola bar
  • Apple
  • Almonds