Adirondack High Peak: esther mountain 21/46
What up Road Trip Warriors! This past Saturday (1/5/19), my brother and I hiked Esther Mountain in the Adirondacks! It is one of the High Peaks of the Adirondacks and I am very excited to share info and pictures from this beautiful hike! This post is going to be relatively short because most of this trail follows the Whiteface hiking trail. You can read about the majority of this trail by clicking here.
Short Summary of Esther Mountain
- Difficulty (with snow): I would rate this hike as moderate. Hiking in the snow makes the trek a little more cumbersome, but I do not believe most hikers would have any issue with this trail. I was informed that we still should have had snowshoes on us. That being said, snowshoes are an important item to have with you when hiking. It prevents post-holing the trail, protects yourself from injury, and protects the trail for others’ use.
- Length: Roughly 9.4 miles round trip.
- Elevation: 4,240′. The summit is rather anticlimactic as it is surrounded by trees. It does offer a nice view of Whiteface Mountain.
- Hiking time (with snow): Including all of our pitstops to hydrate and take photos, it took us about 3 hours and 15 minutes to summit Esther Mountain. It took us roughly 2 hours to get back to the car at the Wilmington Atmospheric Research Center.
- Photo opportunities: There is a cool spot on top of Marble Mountain where you can take photos. There is a large cement footer on top of this mountain as it used to be a ski mountain. The snow makes the trees look picturesque, so anywhere along the trail during the winter could prove to be a beautiful picture. Lastly, the summit of Esther Mountain offers some great views of its neighbor, Whiteface Mountain.
Photos From The Esther mountain Hike
Since most of the hike is detailed in the Whiteface Mountain post, I figured I would share some of the photos from this hike. Sometimes during the winter you end up really lucky. What I mean by this is that every once in awhile, the weather cooperates, the temps are tolerable, and the sky is blue. That was the type of day we had on 1/5/19.
Dog-Friendly
This hike is friendly for our dog friends! I did not come across any spot on this trail a dog would have an issue with.
Family-Friendly
I would say that this hike is family-friendly, especially during the spring, summer, and fall. During the winter, hiking in the cold temps can be tough on children and inexperienced family members. I would personally wait to bring children or amateur hikers until it is warmer out or after they gain experience. It is only 7.8 miles round trip to Whiteface, but the cold weather can be brutal. You can also drive the family up to the summit when the road is open!
Clothes Worn
- Timberland Boots
- Nike Compression Leggings
- Long-johns
- Athletic shorts
- Adidas joggers
- Athletic T-shirt
- Athletic long sleeve top
- LL Bean Jacket (rated for -20º F)
- Beanie
- Ushanka hat
- Gloves
Gear Brought
- 3L of water
- Almonds and peanut butter sandwiches
- Wind/Rain pants
- Extra layers (UnderArmour)
- Extra hiking socks
- Knife
- Paracord and two carabiners
- Water-proof matches
- LifeStraw (water filtration, costs about $20)
- Adhesive body warmer
- Hand Warmers
- Balaclava
- Trekking poles (A MUST => weight off knees, helpful when dealing with ice)
- First-Aid Kit
- Garmin inReach (satellite device that has a GPS, can send texts, send SOS, and has many other helpful features)
RTW Note
I hope you enjoyed this post and these photos my Road Trip Warrior pals! I have so much planned for 2019 and I look forward to sharing it with you all. If you liked this post, hit the like and follow buttons and leave a comment! There will be many more mountain photos and info to come throughout this year!
-Ant
