July 2011
Adirondack State Park is a huge park covering an area of 6.1 million acres.
The Adirondacks contain thousands of streams, brooks and lakes making it a
popular outdoor destination especially for those who love to hike. One of my
favourite hikes in the Adirondacks is Mount Colden via Avalanche Lake. This
trail is certainly one of the most scenic trails and provides a great variety of
scenery and landscapes. It probably is one of the Top Hikes in the Adirondacks.
The trailhead begins at Adirondack Lodge and leads to Marcy Dam. This is a
perfect place for a photo opportunity as Marcy Dam offers spectacular views of
Mount Colden. From Marcy Dam, the trail continues to Avalanche Pass and
Avalanche Lake. Avalanche Lake is a great spot to go for a swim or to have lunch
especially on a hot summer day. But before you get to Avalanche Lake, there is a
bit of a workout as the trail quickly climbs to Avalanche Pass. Avalanche Pass
is such an amazing part of the trail. Walking through this area is like walking
through a tornado zone as there are many fallen trees and debris. In 1999 a
massive slide took place and caused severe damage. From Avalanche Pass, it’s
nothing but downhill to Avalanche Lake. As you make your way down, you’ll be
exposed to stunning scenery with glimpses of the sheer cliffs of Avalanche
Mountain before emerging from the forest.
Avalanche Lake is a worthy destination of its own as it offers magnificent
views of the vertical cliffs of Mount Colden and Avalanche Mountain rising from
the surface of the lake. Continuing to Mount Colden, you’ll have to make your
way along the shore of Avalanche Lake by climbing over and around large
boulders, up and down ladders and across bridges and wooden catwalks bolted
directly into the cliff face making passage possible. This is an amazing section
of the trail and can be quite technical at times. Upon reaching the far end of
the lake, there are nice views looking backwards towards the cliffs of Avalanche
Mountain and Mount Colden.
The trail then continues to Mount Colden where the final ascent to the summit
is rather steep and strenuous consisting of a climb of 600m in 2.5km. At one
point, you have to climb a 20 foot ladder. The summit offers spectacular views
of the Adirondacks two highest peaks Marcy and Algonquin and is worth spending
some time enjoying the panoramic vistas before heading back down.
In all the hike is about 22 kms round trip and takes around 9-10 hours
depending on a person’s hiking level. We started the hike at 9:30 AM and reached
the peak of Mount Colden at around 4 PM before heading back down and returning
to Adirondack Loj at 7:45PM. This was an extremely rewarding full day hike.
While staying in the Adirondacks, it is really worth spending some time
visiting the town of Lake Placid, home of the 1980 Winter Olympics. Lake Placid
is the gateway to the High Peaks region providing a great selection of
accomodations, restaurants , activities and events.
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| View of Mount Colden from Marcy Dam |
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| View of Wright Mountain from Marcy Dam |
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| Avalanche Lake looking southwest.Avalanche Lake is 9 acres in size and sits at
2885 feet (879 m) between Mount Colden, left and Avalanche Mountain, right. |
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| Avalanche Lake |
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| Avalanche Lake, looking northeast, showing Mount Colden, right, and Avalanche
Mountain, left |
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| Mount Colden is known for its distinctive Trap Dyke, a large crevice running up
the center of the mountain seen here from Avalanche Lake |
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| On the hiking trail to the summit of Mount Colden |
