0.7 miles | 138 ft gain | Difficulty: Easy | Rating ★★ After a week of moderate but intense hikes, 6000 ft gain and 30+ miles, we wanted an easy trail to end on a high note. Barely a hike, but part of the Adirondack Fire Tower Challenge, we decided to quickly run up Belfry mountain on our way home.
fire tower challenge
Hike 29: Hurricane Mountain
6.7 miles | 1,493 ft gain | Difficulty: Moderate | Rating ★★★★ Hurricane Mountain is often touted as one of the premiere non-high peak hikes in the High Peaks region. While a great climb and potential views for miles, the recent abundance of wildfires has covered much of New York state in haze. At the top of the fire tower, we could see the direction of mountains, like Vermont's Green Mountains, but we had to use our imagination to really make them out. That's the only reason I knocked the stars down to four.
Hike 28: Cathedral Rock
1.8 miles | 246 ft gain | Difficulty: Easy | Rating ★★★ After two days of moderately intense hikes in the Adirondacks, we needed a recovery but still craved views. The Adirondack Fire Challenge was on our list, consisting of 24 towers across the park and 5 in the Catskills. Many of the towers are spread widely across the park and involve a few miles and/or thousand feet of elevation. Not quite recovery. Luckily, we discovered Cathedral Rock was only a bit past Cranberry Lake and a short hike with plenty of payoff.
Fifty-Two Hikes 