This is a list of the 46er peaks - the 46 peaks whose summit is above 3800'. Those are some aggressive hikes! I have us trying to hike just one of them, Algonquin Peak, which has a difficulty 5 on their scale of 1 - 7.
I tried to pick out hikes that had a four or five star rating for scenery in the Five Star Trails: Adirondacks: 46 Spectacular Hikes. The book helpfully rated each hike for scenery and trail condition and difficulty and solitude. I put together a list of candidate hikes. The ratings in this table are from that book.
Trail | Scenery | Trail Conditions | Difficulty | Solitude | Distance | Duration | Peak Elevation | Elevation Gain |
| Shelving Rock Falls | 4 stars | 5 stars | 1 stars | 1 stars | 4.1 miles | 2 hours | 450' | none |
| Owl's Head Mountain | 5 stars | 4 stars | 3 stars | 4 stars | 6.3 miles | 4 hours | 2,762' | 1,097' |
| Castle Rock | 3 stars | 3 stars | 2 stars | 5 stars | 3.7 miles | 2 hours | 1,880' | 550' |
| Algonquin Peak | 5 stars | 3 stars | 5 stars | 3 stars | 8 miles | 8 hours | 5115' | 2936' |
| Sleeping Beauty Mtn | 4 stars | 5 stars | 3 stars | 2 stars | 3.6 miles | 3 hours | 2,347' | 1,012' |
| Ausable River Loop Trail | 5 stars | 5 stars | 3 stars | 3 stars | 11.3 miles | 10 hours | 2,493' | 1,227' |
| St. Regis Mountain | 5 stars | 4 stars | 4 stars | 3 stars | 6.7 miles | 4 hours | 2,874' | 1,252' |
| Floodwood Loop | 4 stars | 3 stars | 2 stars | 5 stars | 8.5 miles | 4 hours | 1,590' | minor |
| Ampersand Mountain | 5 stars | 3 stars | 4 stars | 1 stars | 5.2 miles | 4 hours | 3353' | 1803' |
| Giant's Nubble | 5 stars | 4 stars | 4 stars | 3 stars | 4.4 miles | 4 hours | 2750' | 1443' |
| Big Crow and Little Crow | 4 stars | 5 stars | 3 stars | 5 stars | 2.4 miles | 3 hours | 3353' | 1803' |
The itinerary shows more than one hike per day. The second hike is aspirational, meaning we would only do it if we had time and energy.
Sunday August 28, 2022 |
Monday August 29, 2022Take off at 10:20 PM on Alaska Air nonstop flight to Boston. 5 1/4 hrs. |
Tueday August 30, 2022Land in Boston at 6:45 AM Pick up rental car Drive 224 miles, 4.5 hrs, from Boston Car Rental to to Shelving Rock Falls No tolls. Shelving Rock Falls, Lake Shore & Mountain Trail Map Drive 84 miles, 1.5 hrs, from Shelving Rock Falls to Elizabethtown Stay in AirBnB in Elizabethtown Check-ins not allowed until 4 PM. |
Wednesday August 31, 2022Drive 68 miles, 1.3 hours to Owl's Head Mountain trailhead Owl's Head Mountain Hike. 6.3 miles, 4 hoursTrail Map Drive 14 miles, 25 min, from Owl's Mountain to Castle Rock Trailhead Castle Rock Mtn Loop Hike. 2.8 miles, 1.5 hoursTrail Map Drive 10 miles, 17 min, from Castle Rock to Buttermilk Falls Trailhead Buttermilk Falls Hike. 0.5 miles, 0.5 hours Drive 57 miles, 1.25 hrs, from Buttermilk Falls to Luna Restaurant Group dinner at 5:30 PM at Luna Restaurant in Lake Placid. Drive 27 miles, 40 min back to AirBnb in Elizabethtown Stay in Elizabethtown AirBnB. |
Thursday September 1, 2022Drive 27 miles, 0.75 hours to Algonquin Peak trailhead Meet at 6 AM at Loj parking lot for Algonquin Hike Algonquin Peak Hike. 8 miles, 8 hours (Skip Wright Peak)Trail Map Add 2.2 miles and 700' elevation if we continue onward to Iroquois Peak. Trail Map Drive 45 miles, 1.0 hrs, back to Elizabethtown Stay in Elizabethtown AirBnB. |
Friday September 2, 2022Melanie & Leslie to Schenectady Art / Paul / Mark / Carol hike? Lake George area? Sleeping Beauty Mountain hike? Visit Schenectady also? Stay in Elizabethtown AirBnB. |
Saturday September 3, 2022Drive 50 miles, 1.25 hrs, from Elizabethtown to St. Regis Trailhead St. Regis Mtn. Hike. 6.7 miles, 4 hours. Trail Map Drive 15 miles, 0.5 hrs, from St. Regis Mountain toBaker Mountain Baker Mountain Hike. 1.7 miles, 1.5 hours Trail Map Drive 35 miles, 0.75 hrs, from Baker Mountain to Elizabethtown Notre Dame vs Ohio State on ABC at 7 PM. At Flattery RV at Wilmington/North Pole KOA. Stay in Elizabethtown AirBnB. |
Sunday September 4, 2022Drive 16 miles, 0.3 hrs, from Elizabethtown to Ausable River Trailhead 7 AM at AMR Parking lot. Free parking reservation required Ausable River Loop Hike. 11.6 miles, 10 hours. Trail Map Drive 16 miles, 0.3 hrs, back to Port Henry Stay in Elizabethtown AirBnB. |
Monday September 5, 2022Labor DayDrive 43 miles, 1.0 hrs, from Elizabethtown to Ampersand Mountain Trailhead Ampersand Mtn. Hike. 5.2 miles, 4 hours Trail Map Drive 13 miles, 0.25 hrs, from Ampersand Mountain to Floodwood Floodwood Lake Loop Hike. 8.6 miles, 4 hours Trail Map Drive 53 miles, 1.25 hrs, from Floodwood toElizabethtown Stay in Elizabethtown AirBnB. |
Tuesday September 6, 2022Drive 16 miles, 0.3 hrs, to Giant's Nubble and Roaring Brook Falls Trailhead Meet at 7 AM at parking lot for Giant Mountain Giant Nubble Hike 4.4 miles, 4 hours.Trail Map Roaring Brook Falls Lower Lookout. 0.6 miles, 0.5 hours Drive 4.75 hrs, 240 miles, from Giant's Nubble trailhead to the Lakeside Inn in Reading Stay in Reading MA at Lakeside Inn |
Wednesday September 7, 2022Drive 26 miles, 0.75 hrs, from Lakeside Inn to Alamo Car rental Drop off rental car, take shuttle to terminal Take off at 8:30 AM on Alaska Air nonstop flight to Seattle. 6 1/3 hrs. |
Thursday September 8, 2022 |
Friday September 9, 2022 |
Saturday September 10, 2022 |
Item | Cost | Comment |
| 2 Plane Tickets | $536 | Non-stops btwn Seattle and Boston |
| Thrifty Car Rental | $757 | 1 week and two days |
| AirBnb | $772 | With kitchen |
| Lakeside Inn | $105 | |
| Food & Gas | $300 | Depending on how often we eat out |
Grand Total | $2474 |
This is the route to the North Pole KOA in Wilmington, near Lake Placid, where the Flattery's will have their RV.
"Woodhill Lodge" is in a small town called Elizabethtown, which is about 20 miles northwest of Port Henry. "Woodhill Lodge" is a apartment attached to the owners house
