Thru-Hike the Northville-Placid Trail in 9 Days (as a First-Time Backpacker)

The start of the Northville-Placid Trail in Northville, NY.

In July 2022, summer felt like it was rapidly coming to an end. I set my eyes on either traveling to Isle Royale National Park in Michigan or backpacking for the first time.

To my surprise, almost all accommodations for Isle Royale were booked months in advance. I thought it was a difficult national park to access due to the only modes of transportation being an hours-long ferry ride or a small, costly seaplane. Apparently a remote island with no roads in Michigan is a highly sought-after vacation destination!

Disappointed that I wouldn’t be kayaking along Isle Royale, I pondered where else to venture to. My gaze lifted from my computer screen to where my wall calendar was.

July’s image was a summery scene in the Adirondack wilderness. It took seven months of this calendar year for me to realize the map illustration next to the days of the month. The illustration followed lakes foreign to me in an area I felt so at home in. I discovered this seemingly endless web of rivers and wooded forests was the Northville-Placid Trail.

I looked the trail up. The Northville-Placid Trail began construction in 1922 and was completed two years later. It is one of the oldest hiking trails in the United States taking hikers along a 138-mile point-to-point trail from Northville, NY, and ending, of course, in the town of Lake Placid.

This would be amazing, I thought to myself. Naturally, I pitched it to my best friend despite knowing she’d say no. It’s an eight-to-fourteen day thru-hike in some of the most remote corners of the Adirondack mountains. We day hiked 4,000 footers a handful of times, but we’d never done anything like this.

The surprises that summer continued. “Let’s do it” was her answer. It didn’t take her (and myself) long to realize we had no idea what we were in for.

About two weeks after we decided to try backpacking out for the first time, we found ourselves waking up before sunrise in our cabin in Lake Placid to pack our bear cannisters and our packs before our ride in the morning. Yes, we were packing for our trip the morning of. Again, total amateurs.

We had an honest-to-God Cheryl Strayed moment attempting to put our packs on for the first time to get them into the trunk. We were successful (and a little scared at how heavy they were) and met our incredible driver at the Lake Placid Historical Society’s History Museum parking lot.

Bob’s cheerful smile alleviated the stress built up from the backpack fiasco. He talked to us about fishing in Alaska, stopped for us to grab coffee, and told us stories of every town we passed through on our way to Northville.

Bob runs Bob’s Shuttles out of Piseco, New York. I found him through the Northville Placid Trail Facebook group a week before. He gave us tips for the trail and even stores hikers’ re-supply boxes in his garage. I couldn’t imagine having to carry 8-14 days’ worth of food. He’s a true gem.

Update: Though he stopped his services in summer 2024, he was a pivotal part of our NPT thru-hike. There are other driving services advertised in the Facebook group.

He dropped us off at the starting point in town, took our photo where we look incredibly vibrant and naïve, and said he’d see us in a few days in Piseco. Fingers crossed.

Here’s a breakdown of my nine days thru-hiking the Northville-Placid Trail:

Day 1: Northville to Woods Lake (13 mi, 2,300 ft gain)

The beginning of the hike is anti-climatic. We hiked three miles in the blazing sun during one of the most humid days along an asphalt road. Cars honked and people waved to cheer us on. At the end of the three-mile trek, we met a woman who told us of a bear sighting in the woods we were entering. Shortly after, a firefighter told us the same thing. Truly a lovely start for two girls who had never slept in the backcountry before.

We welcomed the tree-covered trails once we got there, and after about a mile, we took a lunch break. We regretted only grabbing coffee for breakfast when Bob stopped for us, and begrudgingly ate lunch early. A tortilla, two buffalo flavored chicken packets, and a little Nutella after sweetened the deal.

Pro-tip (from a beginner backpacker): figure out high caloric food because that lunch will get squashed rapidly down your throat on a hot, humid day carrying thirty-pound packs.

West Stony Creek Crossing

The West Stony Creek crossing, the water crossing I was nervous about getting through, was low, and easy to traverse. However, after heavy rains, we heard it could be impassable.

We made our way to Woods Lake, where our driver Bob told us to not camp at because it can get rowdy. The gorgeous Woods Lake is easily accessible by cars and only a .1 mile walk –making it an easy spot to access for the lake views. As we approached sunset, we decided to stay despite Bob’s warning. We took a dip in the lake we had all to ourselves, and I experienced the most magical sunset.

We woke up abruptly in the middle of the night to a couple locals having a good time. They went out on the water blaring music in a boat and returned the boat right next to our tent. Should have listened to Bob.

Day 2: Woods Lake to Canary Pond (14.6 mi, 2,000 ft gain)

After disrupted sleep at Woods Lake, we slept in and ate our oatmeal gazing at the gorgeous lake in front of us. We passed a few tiny bodies of water (Rock Lake, Meco Lake, and Silver Lake) before reaching our destination.

I was thrilled to have our campsite to ourselves with no easy access for cars to drive up to. We were beyond sweaty from another grueling heat wave day, so a dip in a pond was starting to feel like an NPT routine we could get behind.

Little did I realize that something in the water kept leeching onto me and turns out, it was actually a leech! We swiftly jumped out and decided maybe it wouldn’t become a daily ritual on trail.

Day 3: Canary Pond to Piseco (14.5 mi, 1,600 ft gain)

Our saving grace was knowing we would reach Bob on day 3. We had absolutely no service and were hopeful getting into a town would help. We also had a package that Bob kindly let us keep in his garage of our meal refuels and other items. Piseco was the point where my friend was contemplating leaving trail. I enticed her with a hotel stay and when we reached Bob’s Garage, we booked a night at The Inn at Piseco Lake. They offer a thru-hiker’s discount, but even without it it’s worth it. We left behind some oatmeal packs at Bob’s for the next thru-hikers, as we were extremely over it two days in. A nice shower without worrying about leeches was refreshing.

Day 4: Piseco to West Canada Lakes (16 mi, 2,500 ft gain)

Out with Oatmeal… In with Mashed Potatoes

We exchanged oatmeal for mashed potatoes, and used the inn’s microwave to cook this fine dining breakfast of champions.

With renewed spirits (mostly thanks to the shower and an absorbent towel), we embarked toward the part of trail I was most excited for: the West Canada Lakes. We had some turkeys trotting aggressively around us as we started the day, but we avoided the beatdown as soon as we entered the woods. At this point, my feet were blistered and legs bug bitten. My friend convinced me to hike in socks and Crocs… and I finally agreed. It completely down poured our last two miles, but we slogged our way to West Lake Lean-To #2, only to discover a group of college kids embarking on an orientation camping trip. I remember thinking that I wished I had one of those back in college! My other wish was simultaneously that they weren’t there so we wouldn’t have to set up our tent in the rain a little ways away.

Day 5: West Canada Lakes to Cedar River (16.4 mi, 1500 ft gain)

We awoke to dampness, a norm on the NPT in early August. Canada Lakes were rainy, so we didn’t linger too long in the morning. All of our clothes were still soaked, and it was tough to sleep because despite elevating my feet, they wouldn’t stop tingling. I created my own pillow by wrapping my rain jacket around my Ziploc bag of “clean” clothes. Clean is relative on trail.

This morning was rough if the trail images above didn’t give that away. My socks and boots were wet with my first step. The trail’s swamps joined together with last night’s rain to create a large lake. The slog was only two miles, but lasted two hours.

Wakely Dam Camping

As we entered Wakely Dam, we passed by a few campers. To our surprise, a bit of trail magic appeared. A camper saw our packs (and probably our faces) and offered ice cold Pepsi cans. I don’t even like Pepsi, but in that moment, it tasted like pure sunshine. Turns out they were from Northville, NY, so they were delighted to hear we had hiked from their home to this spot.

We washed our dirty clothes in the Cedar River Flow, but with the humidity, they did not dry overnight. Clean, damp clothes may almost be worse than dirty and dry ones.

Day 6: Cedar River to Lake Durant (12.2 mi, 1300 ft gain)

A shorter mileage day in terms of distance, but not feeling. It was wonderful to get into the Lake Durant campground, book a campsite, and set up camp with plenty of daylight left though. I walked down to the lake for a short dip. We finally caught up on journaling and showered in the campground showers. We laid inside our tent for hours before we succumbed to sleep.

I usually sleep well in the woods, but with wet socks all day, my feet were blistered beyond repair. My camp sandals (chacos) only made worse. One of the top priorities in town the next day was to find a pair of Crocs if I hoped to continue the trail.

Day 7: Lake Durant to Long Lake (14.5 mi, 1800 ft gain)

We left Lake Durant with puffy eyes set on our next resupply in Long Lake. Bob wonderfully left our second resupply at the Adirondack Hotel in Long Lake. To keep spirits high (and to have company on this thru-hike), we booked a night at the hotel to recharge once we made it.

This was the second rainy day on trail and we would reach the highest point of the entire trail just past Tirrell Pond at 3,008 ft in the Blue Mountain Wild Forest. Rain fell consistently as we had the longest stretch of wooden planks, a quarter-mile, lined with wet ferns brushing up against both sides of our bodies. My feet were utterly drenched. Once we reached the parking lot, my shoes came off immediately.

Adirondack Hotel in Long Lake, NY

We barely reached service enough to call Jim, one of the sweet owners of the Adirondack Hotel, who gave us a ride into town. There’s very little a burger, beer, and a Stewart’s milkshake can’t fix. It was just the fuel we needed to explore four stores before finding a pair of Crocs in my size! My hopes of finishing the trail in the next three days were high. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

The sunsets along the Northville-Placid Trail were unreal, and this view just steps from the Adirondack Hotel in Long Lake was no exception.

Day 8: Long Lake to Cold River (12.5 mi, 1300 ft gain)

It was tough leaving Long Lake for the trail. We ate at a diner before our ride back to the Northville-Placid Trail. With new crocs in tow, things were looking up. We knew we were roughly 2/3 done, but we still had a third to go. Southbound hikers informed us of plenty of blowdown in this last section to top it off.

We walked along Long Lake, stopping at Plumley Point for lunch. It felt like the best day on trail yet mostly due to weather and views. Long Lake truly goes on for a long time (so it felt) and the heat wave finally broke. If I was to hike the NPT again, I would spend an extra day soaking in the lake views.

We continued on with our sights set on one of the Cold River lean-tos. We would’ve loved Lean-To #3 because of its higher vantage point of Cold River, but a father-son duo celebrating their last hurrah before the son went off to college occupied it. Cold River Lean-To #4 was right along the water. Not a bad consolation prize. True to its name, it was our first chilly night on trail. On one of the last nights, I finally got to wear the leggings I had carried for eight days but hadn’t used. The father and son came by to let us know of a bear sighting, but sadly it never said hello to us.

Day 9: Cold River to Lake Placid (24.2 mi, 2,800 ft gain)

Sitting on the rocks taking in the morning cold, we sipped our coffee. So refreshing after so many sweaty days. Each morning we were packed up and on the trail earlier than the day before. Things were in a groove it felt like.

The smell of pine and sound of the Cold River filled the first few miles of the morning.

We passed through Shattuck Clearing, awed at views of the Seward range (that I was tempted to summit), and explored the Rondeau Hermitage site. We hit ten miles by noon and decided to keep going to our spot for the night.

There was a tricky spot to navigate here with a massive tree log serving as a bridge. I was impressed I managed to walk across with my pack with ease. We approached our lean-to for the night in the late afternoon. Moose Pond had a beautiful lean-to, but the pond wasn’t easily accessible. With 15.2 miles behind us for the day, and several hours of daylight to go, we thought we’d do what we hadn’t done yet: a twenty-mile day.

It didn’t feel like the final night at Moose Pond, so we decided to tackle on the additional nine miles to finish the trail a day early. It felt amazing to hit a twenty-four mile day for our finale, and even better to make it to Big Slide Brewery for their honey pepperoni pizza that might’ve been devoured in record time.

Mileage and elevation gain rounded up to the nearest tenth.

A few recommendations:

1. Purchase both the Northville-Placid Trail Map and the latest edition of the Northville-Placid Trail book. Both come in a pack for $30 from ADK.org.

2. Use Piseco and Long Lake as refueling stations if you need them, not Blue Mountain Lake. Blue Mountain Lake adds a handful of miles in one direction that you may not be up for. The post office there also could be closed depending on when you make it in.

3. Do not rely on phone signal. We had no service with T-Mobile or Verizon the first three days from Northville to Piseco for us. We only had service at The Inn at Piseco Lake when we connected to wi-fi.

4. The Northville-Placid Trail is extremely isolated. Over the span of nine days and 138 miles traversed, we only saw 1-2 groups (whether it was a solo hiker, a couple, or a college group closer to the end) daily. There is little room for error if you are injured or need assistance until you reach the town milestones: Piseco, Long Lake, Lake Placid. Plan accordingly.

The Northville-Placid Trail only furthered my love for the Adirondacks. I had only hiked a handful of the 46 at this point, but it instilled in me a desire to complete them all. The remoteness of this trail appealed to me, despite the challenges being very isolated in the woods can create.

Have you heard of this thru-hike? Would you do it?

If you enjoyed this post, check out other hiking adventures:

Hike Esther Mountain in the Adirondacks

9 Hikes Around Lake Placid

Take on the Vermont 5 Hiking Challenge

Lake Placid 9er Hiking Challenge

I never grow tired of the beauty of these majestic mountains.

If I’m being honest, the Lake Placid 9 originally didn’t appeal to me. I love the brutal nature of a long day hike. Of miles and hours spent climbing a couple thousand feet for the triumphant feeling at the summit. Even if the view isn’t there.

I first heard about the Lake Placid 9 after hiking a couple of the ADK 46. I thought, why spend my limited time in these gorgeous mountains on very short hikes? Well it turns out, these short hikes sure know how to hold their own.

When mapping out my fall foliage adventures, I usually spend one weekend in the Adirondacks and the rest chasing the colors in New Hampshire. This year, after spending an early September weekend in the Adirondacks showing my parents the beauty New York has to offer, I decided to spend more time in upstate NY. Instead of New Hampshire. I know, I hardly recognized myself too.

My parents were up for a short hike, so I picked the shortest one of the Lake Placid 9: Cobble Hill. After this hike, I had an idea.

What if I combine my fall foliage chasing adventures with this short hiking challenge? It’d motivate me to get out there, and I’d gain more experience up in these rugged mountains. Plus, I’m a sucker for the foliage photos.

And thus began my multiple trips to Keene and Lake Placid, NY in September to October, with one final lap in November.

Over the span of 31.31 miles, I climbed 10,388 ft along these 9 summits. Here’s how I broke down the challenge:

1. Cobble Hill

Distance: 2.89 mi

Elevation Gain: 610 ft

Location: Lake Placid, NY

With my parents visiting for a short weekend, I wanted them to experience an ADK hike without too much exhaustion. Since we were staying in Lake Placid, I figured why not finally check out Cobble Hill.

We hiked the steep, shorter way up, and took the longer, gradual way down. I highly recommend this route because you get a bit of rock climbing with a rope ascending, but descend on a lovely trail walk next to a private pond. It’s a great way to get your feet wet starting out on this challenge!

My route to Cobble Hill is above.

2. Mt. Jo

Third trek up this mountain gave way to a new view!

Distance: 1.94 mi

Elevation Gain: 761 ft

Location: North Elba, NY

Technically this was my third time hiking up this mountain. Every time I hit the trail, my hope to find the iconic view is strong. This hope slowly withers away as I simply couldn’t find the lookout point.

After two failed attempts, I wasn’t leaving the summit this time around without seeing the heart-shaped lake in its entirety. Aptly named, Heart Lake. You’re in luck, because my determined self found it this time so you won’t have to hike up multiple times (unless you choose to!).

Mt. Jo is an extremely popular mountain because of the trails, location, and views. When you arrive at the ADK Mountain Club Loj, you’ll pay $15 as a non-member for a full day or $7 for a half day. Depending on the weekend, you may get lucky with an afternoon. If it’s peak foliage season on a late September or early October weekend, you may way to

After parking, you embark on a short traverse before finding two roads diverged in the woods. You can take the short way, or the long way. I’ve never taken the long way, but be prepared for some stairclimbing if you take the short route.

The trail is a swift one mile up, and I took the same route back. Stay cautious heading down on the rocks, especially if you’re taking this on in the fall where often times rocks are wet due to those rainy autumn forecasts.

Tip: The view at the summit isn’t the best view. The best view is easy to miss. When you’re near the ladders, there’s a trail a few steps away that is sure to give you a reason to love Mt. Jo.

My route is on the left.

3. Mt. Van Hoevenberg

Distance: 4.7 mi

Elevation Gain: 1,047 ft

Location: Lake Placid, NY

Mt. Van Hoevenberg has two trails to the summit: a newly constructed one, and the old one. I was already familiar with the ADK Loj area, so I chose the older path. The parking here is extremely limited – maybe less than ten cars can fit. I went at a less popular time of day, so it worked in my favor.

The distance of this hike is longer than Mt. Jo, but the first mile is a simple walk in the woods. It’s quite lovely! After climbing 1,000 feet in roughly a mile, expansive views of the valley open up. This hike is a true gem!

It’s definitely one I’d love to revisit in winter when the peaks are snow-capped. The trails are an out-and-back, unless you have another car to park on the ski area side where the new trail begins.

Here’s my route:

The trail to Mt. Van Hoevenberg.

4. Big Crow Mountain

A solo summit on a moody evening.

Distance: 1.34 mi

Elevation Gain: 610 ft

Location: Keene, NY

When I entered Keene for this hike, the clouds decided to join me. I knew it was a short distance, so I thought I’d knock it out and if I got a view, I’d be two for two. The parking lot for Big Crow is also the lot for one of the routes up Hurricane. An AWD vehicle would be best as the last mile felt a little sketchy in my RAV4, but still doable. This road isn’t maintained in the winter months, so get this hike in in the summer or fall from this trailhead.

A speedy, consistent climb of 600 feet in under three-quarters of a mile again opened to wide-scaping views of these mountains that are slowly feeling like home to me. I set up my tripod as the clouds rolled in, took a few pictures at the top, and headed back down.

I made a mental note to come back to hike Hurricane from this parking lot since I was now familiar with the drive up.

Here’s my route:

Route map above to Big Crow Mountain.

5. Baxter Mountain

Distance: 3 mi

Elevation Gain: 869 ft

Location: Keene, NY

After the stormy wonder of Big Crow, I knew I had to try out Baxter on this trip up to Lake Placid despite the rainy forecast. I woke up to the steady pitter-patter of raindrops. Contemplating just driving back home, I thought, why not just get out for a three miler?

I made my way over to Keene and parked along the road for this trailhead. The sprinkles fell from the sky and with each step, my disappointment of seeing a view grew. On the way to the summit, there are great viewpoints (arguably better than the summit!). For the fifth time on my Lake Placid 9er journey, I lucked out with the views.

Tip: Always go for it when there’s light rain and you don’t think you’ll get a view. You may just end up with this.

My route is on the right. The photos are where the viewpoints are.

If you’re tackling the challenge, head to the summit to say hello, then stop for the views on the way back.

6. Bear Den Mountain

Distance: 3.82 mi

Elevation Gain: 1,542 ft

Location: Wilmington, NY

The day I embarked up Bear Den was a toasty one. A crisp marshmallow in the campfire on a summer night. Quite the opposite of my previous visit to the mountains with the rainy hike up Baxter. Park at the Whiteface Mountain Ski Center and you’re right at the trailhead. The first mile of this hike doubles as a mountain biking route, so be aware if you have a furry friend with you. The trail’s switchbacks keep things interesting as you make your way up. Just tell yourself you’re almost there, trust me, it helps.

It doesn’t help, but every step is a step closer to the summit! I was in absolute awe atop the summit. The foliage, in unison with the summery weather, lit Whiteface Mountain on fire. It was incredible to gaze my eyes upon.

After awhile of solitude on the summit, I realized the group I passed quite some time ago never summited. As my mind pondered, my eyes wandered. A couple odd colors caught my eye. Those little dots were the other hikers! They had made their way to a rocky surface across the way.

I was curious where they had turned for that added bit of solitude (plus a different angle!). When I headed down, I realized this was another case of the Mt. Jo hidden treasure.

The view of Bear Den’s summit.

As you approach the Bear Den summit, you turn left. Instead, turn right at this sign. There is a very well-trodden trail that leads to that open-rock summit with these views of Bear Den’s summit.

Here’s my route, including the totally-worth-it right turn detour.

7.  Pitchoff Mountain

The famous Balanced Rocks!

Distance: 4.15 mi

Elevation Gain: 1,744 ft

Location: Lake Placid, NY

I was saving Pitchoff for a perfect day. The summit itself is hardly impressive, but a steady climb leads you there with views to the right of Cascade and Porter. It’s neat to see where you’ve hiked before.

After the summit, I returned back to finally see Balanced Rocks. It doesn’t look like much on the trail, but it’s another iconic view like Heart Lake from Mt. Jo. I’ve seen it from the road more times than I can count. Two rocks sit on a very open summit looking as if you could just flick them and they’d fall off. Almost like the Glen Boulder trail in the White Mountains.

Truly the perfect sunset hike in the Adirondacks.

You’ll have incredible water views from here, as well as a great shot of the Olympic jumping complex. It’s a phenomenal sunset spot if you decide to take this mountain on later in the day. The trail is easy to follow with a headlamp at night afterwards.

Here’s my route to both Pitchoff Mountain and Balanced Rocks.

8. Catamount Mountain

Distance: 4 mi

Elevation Gain: 1,624 ft

Location: Wilmington, NY

Oh, Catamount. When researching the Lake Placid 9, this hike was advertised as fun with a side of scary. I took this trail on thinking I’d get Catamount done by the early afternoon with enough time to also trek up Hurricane in the same day. This hike didn’t go as planned at all!

The elevation gain was serious and the hike feels very isolated on a weekday. The trail itself is well-marked and easy to follow. The “fun” comes into play when you’re closer to the summit and features all sorts of rocks to climb. Everyone’s favorite is this little sliver to climb up and through in order to continue the hike.

If I was alone, I think it would’ve felt more enjoyable, but when I hike with my dog, she occupies my mind. I worry about her moves and how she’s going to climb up. The drop is a little steep. After this point, the rest of the trail is smooth sailing.

I would advise against hiking this one on a rainy day, which the summit for me ended up being a little rainy. After eight summits out of nine, I was bound to have a clouded summit. It was fitting it was the toughest one for me! I was able to sneak a peek of what some of the summit views might’ve looked like on my descent.

My route to Catamount Mountain.

9. Hurricane Mountain

Incredible views all around atop Hurricane.

Distance: 5.47 mi

Elevation Gain: 1,581 ft

Location: Keene, NY

The final peak for me was Hurricane Mountain, and as I told myself a month earlier, I was going to park where I did for Big Crow. This trailhead is a popular summer one as it’s the shortest ascent to the famous Hurricane Mountain fire tower.

I made it just in time before winter entered the mountains and the road would have to be maintained (which it isn’t). At the end of November, I lucked out with a beautiful day to myself on this summit. I summitted swiftly, to my surprise. This hike turned out to be one of my favorites. Catamount for me came in as one with the most elevation gain, but Hurricane is the longest distance-wise. Though after hiking the NH 48 and a few of the ADK 46, a 5.5 mile hike feels light in my mind.

Maybe it was the solitude, or the fire tower, or even the fact that it was shoulder season, so all the foliage chasers sat this one out that day. Whatever it was, it sure felt good to end in this moment.

The hike up Hurricane Mountain offers incredible views from the summit, as well as from the fire tower.

My very straightforward route is on the left.

Are you ready for a winter challenge? Take on the Lake Placid 9 in the winter months to earn a special patch for the added difficulty of navigating winter.

Would you hike these nine mountains? Let me know!