Lake Placid 9er challenge
What up Road Trip Warriors!? This is part two of the Lake Placid 9er Challenge. You will find three more of the mountains needed to complete this challenge below. Cobble Hill, Mount Jo, and Pitchoff Mountain are all relatively easy ascents with decent views on the summit. If you had the full day you could complete all three of these within one trip!
Cobble hill
Cobble Hill is basically in downtown Lake Placid. You can park in downtown or find a spot further down on the side of the road. The trailhead is off Mount Whitney Road. You’ll walk along the road briefly and then the trailhead will be on your right.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Distance: 2.2 miles round trip
- Elevation: 2,332′
- Hiking Time: This really depends where you’re able to find parking. The closer to Mount Whitney Road, the less you will have to hike in. I had to park in downtown Lake Placid so that added extra time. It took about 40 minutes to reach the trailhead and then another 40 minutes to an hour to reach the summit.
- Photo Opportunities: This hike does not have astounding views on the summit. The best views come before the summit when you can see over Mirror Lake and downtown Lake Placid. I suggest taking some photos here. The summit offers an okay view but it lacks in comparison to the other Lake Placid 9ers in this challenge. Echo Lake is a nice spot to capture a few images.
The trail is well-marked and pretty easy to follow. It can be turned into a loop by going up the “steep” shorter way and then going down the longer, more gradual route. You will pass by Echo Lake on the more gradual route. Its a pretty spot to hang out for a bit.
Mount jo
Mount Jo has its trailhead located at the Adirondack Loj which is at the end of the Adirondack Loj Road. It is a left turn before reaching the Olympic Center ski jumps. You will have to pay $15 for parking at this trailhead. The trailhead can be found across the road from the parking booth on the opposite side of the parking lots.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Distance: 2.6 miles round trip
- Elevation: 2,876′
- Hiking Time: This hike could take you anywhere from an hour and a half to three hours depending on pace and how long you spend on the summit.
- Photo Opportunities: The best spot to take pictures on this hike is definitely from the summit of Mount Jo. It overlooks Heart Lake below it and I have heard it is beautiful during the Fall. I only have a picture from the winter for reference, but even then it was still very pretty!
The signs are pretty clear when it comes to the trail for Mount Jo. The signs you will see for Mount Jo are included below. The trail is well-maintained and you should have no issue following it.
Pitchoff mountain
The Pitchoff Mountain trailhead is located across the road from the Cascade Mountain trailhead on Route 73. There is a wooden sign at the end of a rock retaining wall. Pitchoff Mountain is an awesome hike and not because of the summit. The summit itself is wooded, but about a quarter to half a mile before the summit there is a trail to the Balanced Rocks. This is an open, rocky area that has views of Cascade Mountain, the Adirondack bobsledding slides, and Lake Placid. The Balanced Rocks are two large boulders that sit adjacent to each other where many people take photos.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Distance: 5.2 miles round trip, but can be done as a through hike if you have two vehicles
- Elevation: 3,500′
- Hiking Time: It will probably take you 2-3 hours round trip if you don’t spend a lot of time at the Balanced Rocks. If you spend a lot of time there, it could take longer. The summit is wooded and offers limited views so there isn’t much reason to hangout up there.
- Photo Opportunities: The best spot to take photos on this hike is at the Balanced Rocks. It is a large, open area that offers views of Cascade Mountain, the bobsledding facility, the surrounding forests, and more. People usually take photos jumping from one rock to the other!
Unless you have two vehicles, I suggest doing this hike as an out and back from the Route 73 trailhead located nearest to the Cascade Mountain trailhead. You will want to get here early because it is a very popular parking area due to the Cascade Lakes, the Cascade Mountain trailhead, and the Pitchoff Mountain trailhead. The trail is easy to follow since it is pretty heavily trafficked. My only advice is to visit the Balanced Rocks so you get some views of the area.
RTW Note
That’s three more of the mountains included in the Lake Placid 9er challenge! These hikes are all awesome and I would recommend them to anyone looking to spend some time outdoors. If you enjoyed this post or found it helpful, HIT the follow and share buttons and toss a like. Thanks for taking the time to check out the site! Below is the link to the Lake Placid 9er website where you can register once this challenge is completed!
-Ant
