Rooster Comb Mountain
Region: Adirondacks, High Peaks Wilderness
October 25, 2020 | Keene Valley, NY
The background: This was the start of my fall-cation in Bolton Landing in the Lake George region, and I wanted to spend as much time as I could in the High Peaks region during the weekend since it would probably be my last time up there until spring. A few friends were down for a hike, so we had planned either Noonmark or Rooster Comb. After passing The Ausable lot and seeing it full (due to restricted capacity this year) we drove over to the lot for Rooster Comb, where plenty of parking spots still awaited us. This would turn out to be a great choice for this particular late Autumn Sunday!
Getting there: From Lake Placid, head east on route 73. You’ll make your way to Keene Valley, where the trailhead parking will be on your right-hand side about 25-30 minutes later, after you pass the Noonmark Diner which will be on your left. There is a designated (free) parking lot that fills up fast on nice days and peak weekends. There is spotty AT&T cell service, but as always, don’t rely on it, since you will most likely lose it once you start the hike.
The hike: Rooster Comb is a 5-mile (8.04km) hike if completed out and back as I will describe; however, you can also complete as a loop or add on Snow Mountain to your day. Note, the Rooster Comb trail is also a common start (or ending point) to the Great Range Traverse, which is a well-known but very challenging multi-summit traverse through the High Peaks.
We started out on the Rooster Comb trailhead behind the parking lot on a primarily flat, tree-covered trail. We approached the pond where we remained to the left to stay on trail (although if you do go around the pond, it will loop and bring you back to the same trail.) We continued on until we reached the next junction, where we continued straight towards Rooster Comb (veering left will take you on the Flume Brook trail, which will bring you to another junction for Snow Mountain, but also eventually looping you to Rooster Comb.) It was a crisp, autumn day, with the dancing leaves past peak foliage. This is a mostly tree-covered route, winding through pleasant terrain as you gain elevation.
After some good laughs and steady, gradual inclines up the trail, we reached another junction, which directed us to the remaining 0.5 miles to the summit of Rooster Comb. On this section, you are basically making a big u-turn up the trail, until you reach an overlook, granting you beautiful views of the Giant Mountain wilderness and beyond. After a quick stop here, we made the final push onwards to the summit. And then we made it! Breakfast /snack time and a well-deserved break included stunning views of snow-capped peaks, namely Lower Wolf Jaw staring right back at us. The views of the many other high peaks are phenomenal. Despite the brisk temperatures, we spent a considerable time at the summit, as we met a trio of awesome women who had been hiking the high peaks for years. It was SO inspiring to connect and hear their stories; I hope one day to run into them again! After some photos, more laughs, and saying farewell to these insane views and our new friends, we began our descent the exact same way as our ascent.
After passing a few more groups and having a pleasant trip back down to the trailhead, we then took a walk over to Old Mountain Coffee (as of November 2024, this is sadly permanently closed…) to fuel up with much-needed hot drinks. I also devoured a chocolate chip pumpkin muffin, which was unbelievably good…now, if only they shipped to NYC…
Concluding notes: This is without a doubt, a great hike. You get views of the formidable high peaks, without actually being on one. The trail is never too challenging or technical, and is well-marked and easy to follow for most of the hike. This is an ideal trail for anyone looking for an introduction to hiking in the region, or really, for anyone of any skill level who’s looking for an all around awesome hike!
My recommendation for an ideal day and what you can pair this hike with:
Add on Snow Mountain while you’re on the trail!
If you’re feeling really up for something else and have energy and daylight (or headlamps ready) on your side, take a walk over to the Ranney trail which will take you to Hopkins (not a quick hike, but a beautiful one. Read more about it here.)
Grab a bite to eat or coffee in town at Noonmark Diner, only a short walk west of the parking area towards town.