3 Hikes with Elevation Gain <2,000 Feet
Majestic views from the top of St. Regis Mountain
These mountain hikes may not be as difficult as the 46 High Peaks, but they are plenty challenging for many hikers and offer great views. As I’ve said before, the designation of easy, moderate or hard is completely in the eye of the individual hiker. HYOH! Hike your own hike.
Here are three of our favorite hikes with less than 2,000 feet of elevation gain (but more than 1,500 feet of gain). All these trails allow dogs, but keep in mind your dog’s size, fitness and abilities. The same holds true for children and adults. Small kids may struggle with some of these if they aren’t used to big hikes. For less difficult hikes, refer back to my previous post about our list of favorite hikes with less than 1,000 feet of elevation gain. You might also want to check our post about the Lake Placid 9er Challenge.
St Regis Mountain: 1,538 feet of elevation gain; 6.2 miles roundtrip.
We’ve hiked to the St. Regis Mountain fire tower two or three times. Once I remember it was quite muddy at the top, and we were covered by the end of the trip. Muddy boots, muddy pants, everything. And it was still fun! You just can’t beat the views over the lakes and ponds. We’ve also paddled across Upper St Regis Lake and picked up an older trail. Although I love to combine a paddle and hike, the side trail was overgrown, not well marked and we lost our way a couple times. So, I recommend following AllTrails’ guidance to park at the trailhead. This hike is part of the Saranac Lake 6er Challenge as well as the ADK Fire Tower Challenge. The trailhead parking is about 23 miles, or 30 minutes, from our cottage.
Catamount Mountain: 1,594 feet of elevation gain; 4.6 miles roundtrip.
We’ve hiked Catamount twice. It’s quite a bit steeper than St. Regis with shorter mileage, but the chimney is what makes this hike. I’m 5’2” and it takes a little work to climb up the chimney, but Eric who’s 6’2” has no problems. Show off. We’ve also taken our dog Maddie on this hike and she needed a boost, but did okay. The trailhead is about 22 miles, or 30 minutes from Lake Placid. This hike is part of the Lake Placid 9er Challenge and is usually fairly busy.
Ampersand Mountain: 1,765 feet of elevation gain; 5.4 miles roundtrip.
Ampersand delivers the wow factor with gorgeous 360 degree views from the summit. The hike starts fairly mild, but is quite steep and rocky at the top. It’s most definitely a scramble, and we had to give Maddie a boost. If you’re hiking in the summer, you can end the day with a splash or dip in Middle Saranac Lake, accessible by trail from the parking lot. As you might imagine — being so close to Saranac Lake — this hike is another check box on the 6er Challenge. The trailhead is about 16 miles or 20 minutes from our cottage in Lake Placid.
