Hiking Esther Mountain in the Adirondacks
On my hike up Whiteface, we took a slight detour in the wrong direction. When we approached the trail sign for Esther, and read, “path not maintained or marked,” we trudged on to Whiteface. After all, I wasn’t chasing the 46er list.
Joke’s on me because three years later…
I first discovered the Adirondacks from one of my best friends in college who was living in Hawaii at the time. She sent me a picture of Whiteface’s stony summit path and said, “you have to go there.” Naturally, I drove four hours the next morning (luckily it was the weekend), drove the road up Whiteface, and indulged in the best foliage I had ever seen. Still possibly the best foliage in all my years living in New England since.
I mean look at those colors. I took the photos of Whiteface Mountain below back in October 2016. I had only survived the Franconia Ridge the summer prior and had no idea the mountains and views in store when I’d move to Massachusetts the following year.
Little did I know that five years later I’d hike up the very mountain that first introduced me to the Adirondacks.
Whiteface Mountain in October 2020
Featuring a naive me, thinking I wouldn’t take on the Adirondack 46 at some point.
It also comes in at 4,867 feet, making it one of the highest peaks in the Adirondacks. Of course this places Whiteface on the 46er list (New York’s 46 highest peaks). Along one trail to Whiteface is a short detour to Esther Mountain.
On my hike up Whiteface, we took a slight detour in the wrong direction. When we approached the trail sign for Esther, it read, “path not maintained or marked.” Dejected from the detour, we trudged onward to Whiteface. After all, I wasn’t chasing the 46er list. I was there to spend time outside, and see the foliage. Not push on to a viewless summit in uncharted terrain.
Joke’s on me because three years after my Whiteface ascent, I decided I wanted to tackle the 46 highest peaks in the Adirondacks. So here I was with a free Saturday and a craving for a good climb. The weather was sunny and the temperature was moderate. I made a go for it!
Last weekend, I parked at the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center at 110 Marble Mt Ln, Wilmington, NY 12997. Plenty of parking here, but be sure to not park at the center itself. The trail is indicated with a visible sign.
From the start of the trail, it’s a lovely (short-lived) flat path before the 2,000 foot climb begins. A real-world, snow-covered stair climber. What more could you wish for?
Trail Route from Strava
An out-and-back 6.3 miles with about 2,800 feet of elevation gain.
The great part in summer is that the sunshine is covered for this brutal, sweaty climb. The best part in winter when all the tree branches are bare, is that the sun shines just enough to warm your uncovered face, while the rest of your body is fired up.
I love a good climb, and Esther was no different. At about .8 miles, you reach Marble Mountain, roughly 2,700 feet. A great break spot, complete with rocks to sit on and a view worth gazing at. When you’re done, the next leg of the trip continues to climb (shocking, I know), up to Lookout Mountain at 4,075 feet.
Snowshoes are actually required in the Adirondacks during the winter with more than 8 inches of snow.
The trail was very packed down, so I used microspikes on the ascent. I thought I’d try out my new snowshoes on the descent and they were incredible. These Winter Walker snowshoes from L.L.Bean are super affordable and did me well on a 4,000 footer! They are currently on sale too!
Esther Trail
The iconic Esther sign I referenced earlier is at this point, where you can either turn left for Whiteface, or head right, to the “not maintained” path. The beauty of winter (and several snowshoers before you) is having a very clear path outlined for you. I never faltered from the trail.
After a bit more climbing (several hundred feet), I soaked up the summit to myself. Everyone I have talked to Esther about always brings up the summer mudfest, or the lack of summit views. I’m not sure if it was because this was my first hike back in the Adirondacks after months away with marathon training, or if there were several feet of snow that elevated me, but I loved the far-off views of Whiteface I saw.
I’m a little biased because I also love winter hiking. A lot. I spent about an hour on the summit wanting to enjoy the perfect day before I headed down.
When I reached my car, I clocked in about 2,800 feet of climbing in 6.3 miles of going out-and-back on the Marble Mountain trail to the Esther trail.
The mountain is apparently named after Esther, a fifteen-year-old girl who was the first known person to summit. Turns out, she hiked up here just for the love of hiking. How fitting considering that was the exact way I felt all day up there. Hiking up Esther Mountain in the winter is definitely the way to go.
This was my 21st peak of the 46. Here’s to many more summit smiles!
If you enjoyed this trail review, check out these mountains:
Cascade and Porter Mountains in the ADKs
Twins, Zealand, Bonds Traverse in the Whites
Hiking Cascade and Porter Mountains in the Adirondacks
Winter in the mountains is surreal. Growing up in Texas meant only seeing snow once or twice, and it was mostly ice. I am absolutely enamored by the winterscape in the northeast. From snow-capped peaks to the crunch of spikes in snow on the trail, to the summit sunsets that are more frequent with shorter daylight times. Selfishly I also enjoy having trails to ourselves and not heavy crowds.
This past week, we ventured up to the Adirondacks, a magical gem in New York that feels like New York’s best kept secret. It’s a long drive for many, and it’s not a national park, so it’s not extremely well-known. However, for hikers in New England, it’s a popular destination. Like the New Hampshire 48, there’s a list of 46 high peaks in the Adirondacks that results in accomplishment (and a patch, of course) if completed.
I’ve hiked a couple, but never in winter. Winter in the Adirondacks feels otherworldly to me because of my few trips up there. My first trip up was five years ago. One of my best friends who lived in Hawaii at the time sent me a picture of the Adirondacks and told me I should go. I made a day trip that weekend, which became the first of an annual fall foliage trip.
This trip, however, would be the first attempt of a winter trek in these vast mountains. We set our hearts on two of the 46: Cascade and Porter. After arriving in the early afternoon to a nearly empty parking lot, we set out on the 2.4 mile ascent to Cascade along the Cascade Mountain trail. The trail was packed down and clearly labeled. Right before the summit of Cascade, at about 2 miles, there is a y on the trail. One direction leading up to Cascade (head toward “privy”), and the other about .6 miles to Porter. We headed up Cascade first.
One of my favorite parts of winter hiking is the lowered probability of getting lost because you only have two options: follow the trail another hiker sweetly packed down for you, or dive into feet of untouched snow. Seems obvious.
The wind was brutal at the summit, so we descended almost as quickly as we made it above treeline. Beautiful bluebird days can be deceiving weather-wise since we were met with 20 mph winds producing a negative windchill experience atop Cascade.
Afterwards, Porter was a fast and beautiful jaunt with views of Cascade. I love ridgelines because you get to see how far your hike has taken you.
Cascade Mountain trail to the summit of Cascade Mountain (view from Porter Mountain).
We headed down Porter the way we came up and the rest of the hike was a swift and smooth descent. It was also our dog Koah’s first two of the 46! After this trip, I’m already starting to plan the next. The 46 just might be the next hiking challenge we take on.
Should the ADK 46 be our next list to take on? Have you hiked any of the 46 high peaks?