Where are you (park, forest, etc.)- The parking for Mount Baker is on the edge of Moody Pond, about a 20 minute drive Northwest of Lake Placid.
Nearest town (s)- Lake Placid, NY
How long is this hike- Day, overnight, backpack – The hike up Mount Baker is a simple afternoon hike. Not meant to be very strenuous, or an all day affair, but rather another remarkable viewpoint of the Adirondack area.
Miles- Approximately 1.8 miles
On your toughness scale (1 easiest, 10 toughest): 5
Tell us about it
So you’re in the midst of a road trip through the great Northeast. At this point in time, you’ve already navigated the trails surrounding Lake George, driven up Whiteface mountain, and of course taken a cruise on the historically rich Lake Placid. On the way to bigger and better things, you stop just a short ride Northwest of Lake Placid near Lake Saranac at Moody Pond. There is no parking lot, and most likely the residents of the neighborhood you have to drive through to get to Moody Pond will be walking their dogs or jogging around your car. Nonetheless, on the back right corner of the pond is the beginning of the trail that leads to the top of Mount Baker.
The trail itself starts off much like any other trail, mostly level with cover from the maturing, overarching trees. Approximately .8 miles in, the trail starts a steady decline that continues for the remainder of the hike. Be warned; if it is raining, or has rained the night before, the trail can be rather difficult given the amount of large rocks, and increasingly steep incline. So what makes this trail worthy or a Trail Tuesday slot?! Well, the view. If you're not exactly a seasoned veteran hiker, but you’re looking to experience those life reflecting views that most people only see in photographs, this is one of those trails. An hour later (20 minutes give or take) you’ll be at the top of Mount Baker, and you’ll see something along the lines of this….
Would you recommend? Yes.
How about according to the FNO scale- I am giving this hike a 7, because of its seclusion, and the unexpected view/reward at the end of your hard work.
Tell us a little about yourself: Alex Crofoot. Has been hockey player, proud owner of all Apple products and a tuxedo cat.
Trail Tuesdays is a new weekly segment of Father Nature Outdoors. We realized that we have friends and colleagues all across the country so why not take advantage of their knowledge, and hear some fun stories in the process. If you would like to contribute to Trail Tuesdays yourself just go to the “Contact Us” page and let us know. In return we will reward you with a free FNO microfiber headband. We get to hear some awesome stories and in return we’re rewarding you just to go get some fresh air! That’s a win-win in our book.