The Great Range Traverse in Adirondack Park, NY

Hike The Great Range Traverse Adirondack Park, NY

Class 3 25.4 miles 9700 gain 11-15 hrs Loop Jul 5, 2023
Effort
Beauty
Personality
Solitude

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Each summer I team up with my friend Adam for a big excursion in the northeast, usually to tackle one of the more famous traverse/trail challenges in the area, hikes like the Pemigewasset LoopDevils Path, or Presidential Traverse. Today we decided to go for the Great Range Traverse, a glorious outing that summits many of the Adirondack 46ers in a nearly straight line. Included on this traverse are Rooster Comb, Hedgehog Mountain, Lower Wolfjaw Mountain, Mountain Upper Wolfjaw Mountain, Armstrong Mountain, Gothics Mountain, Saddleback Mountain, Basin Mountain, Mount Haystack, and finally Mount Marcy. Each peak varies in prominence quite drastically, and since it's an undulating and progressive ascent to the high point of the Adirondacks, it's hard to determine quite how long the subsequent ascent to each peak would be/feel. The trails and terrain on the Adirondacks Great Range Traverse is brutal and slow-moving, with lots of Class 2/3 scrambling, muddy sections, and steep climbs. It didn't help that today was 97% humidity with wildly high temperatures. I chugged a total of two full gallons for the duration of the hike. We agreed conditions weren't eactly ideal, but at least we had excellent views all day!

It seems there are multiple options for completing the traverse. Some hikers opt to shorten the hike by including a long car shuttle to the Adirondack Loj, but Adam and I decided to make a loop and thereby skip the lengthy drive. In hindsight, we wish we'd at least set up a short shuttle from The Garden Trailhead to Rooster Comb Trail, which would knock off a couple mile of road walking at the end of the day. You could also do the traverse in reverse, which would allow you to scramble up the more difficult sections rather than downclimb them (e.g., Gothics cables and the west face of Saddleback Mountain), but this means doing all the tedious flatter trail hiking first and the peaks after.

Additionally, there's some debate as to whether Mount Marcy is even technically part of the Great Range and should possibly be left off the official Great Range Traverse route. On a map, Mount Marcy does require a spur trail separate from the rest of the peaks, but it felt really silly skipping the high point of the Adirondacks based on this supposition. Others may disagree and choose to skip Mount Marcy, which sure is tempting when reaching its junction and having the option to just bypass it. We were thrilled to have completed the whole thing and I'd say it's the hardest hike I've done in the northeast to date, surpassing even the Pemi Loop, whose stats are more impressive.

Adam emerged from his fancy van, well-rested and with a personal bathroom and stocked refrigerator, as well as a crate full of shoe choices. I was moving slowly, my rental car not offering the most comfortable sleeping situation and since my airline only permitted a personal item, I was stuck with a meager backpack containing cotton tank tops and sadness. After a bit more caffeine than I usually need, I agreed it was probably time to start hiking, so we set out at the overripe hour of 7:30am from the Rooster Comb Trailhead when it was already too hot, whoops. The forest was lovely on the way up to Rooster Comb, not quite the fantastic mossy and rocky stuff we'd be hiking through later in the day, but the morning light was nice and this was a relatively tame ascent that had us in good spirits thinking the day would be a piece of cake. After a couple of miles we reached a junction with the Rooster Comb summit spir trail. Apparently this summit is historically considered part of the Great Range Traverse, so even when an old trail was re-routed from the ridge crest, it was left as part of the route, though now set away from the main crest trail. Rooster Comb does have a nice view of the snaking route we had ahead of us, the first real view of the day.

Finally warmed up, we headed back to the junction and started up the steeper ascent to Hedgehog Mountain. There were some short scrambly bits on the way up and over Hedgehog Mountain, but without any views we didn't even realized we'd summitted this uninspiring minor named peak and were already descending toward the base of Lower Wolfjaw Mountain. Lower Wolfjaw Mountain introduced some real Class 2 and low Class 3, a bit of a kick to remind us we were hiking in the Adirondacks. Aside from countless little obstacles slowing us down, we progressed next to Upper Wolfjaw Mountain without much effort, though as the ascent became riddled with more Class 2/3 obstacles, it was clear to us both that our pace would be slowed substantially from here on.

Armstrong Mountain is really just a lump on the side of Gothics Mountain, but it's an official 46er and required significant work to reach, being that there's quite a low saddle between Upper Wolfjaw and Armstrong and the terrain continues to be steep, so much so that there's even a ladder to climb up. The view toward Gothics is excellent from Armstrong Mountain, and we only paused a minute before biting flies decided we seemed like a nice meal. More light descending and ascending, plus the introduction of muddy/boggy terrain we all know and love about the Adirondacks, and we reached the summit of Gothics Mountain. It was at this point Adam and I both realized we were dangerously low on water, and decided we'd bail if we didn't find a creek to fill up. I also realized I was low on food, a rare oversight that I cursed myself for.

We descended from Gothics using the popular Gothics cable route, a series of huge eye bolts with steel cables connecting them. The slab is steep enough to be Class 3, but when wet it's nice to have the cable to avoid slipping. It would have been more fun to ascend this way, but alas, a descent it would have to be to complete the traverse from this direction. More Class 2/3 obstacles and step hiking got us down from Gothics and up to Saddleback Mountain, where we received more lovely views. The descent from Saddleback required Class 3, another section that would have been more fun to climb up rather than down, took us along the well-marked scramble route. This included a series of ledges and a Class 3 crack. A fall wouldn't be ideal here, but the holds are big enough that moving slowly should do the trick.

Aside from a few other tricky obstacles, the traverse continued with more of the same rough terrain and gorgeous views from Saddleback Mountain to Basin Mountain. Next up was Haystack, and for the first time since Rooster Comb, the trail didn't follow the ridge crest. Instead, it dropped farther to the left and hugged the slope. Both Mount Haystack and Mount Marcy, our final teo peaks, were pretty notable undertakings, and we decided we would skip them if Haystack Brook wasn't flowing in order to refill water. Fortuantely, it turns out this water source is pretty reliable year-round, so we trusted that would be the case and we were in luck. After filtering and replenishing our water supply, we strengthened our resolve.

To reach Mount Haystack, we needed to first ascend Little Haystack, which is really just a large rock outcropping requiring some Class 2/3 scrambling to get up and over on the way to Mount Haystack, as well as on the way back. The scenery here is outstanding, the summit ridge above treeline and with excellent views toward the Great Range Traverse and beyond. There's some light scrambling over various little cliffs and through little alpine meadows. I think Mount Haystack is my favorite peak in the Adirondacks.

As we backtracked from Mount Haystack and headed toward the Phelps Trail to hike up to Mount Marcy, we noticed some serious clouds coming in, complete with thunder. At the junction with the trail to Mount Marcy, we started up and then came back down, mirroring our vascillating defeat and resolve. We ultimately decided to head up, probably not the safest option. We passed a guy humorously holding  an umbrella who seemed to be having the same conflicting emotions, but was alone and therefore didn't have a friend to get riled up with and make a poor decision. We took the Phelps Trail to the junction with the more popular ascent trail to Mount Marcy, where the peak came into view again. We made quick work ascending to Mount Marcy from here, fun Class 2 sections on similar rock we'd experienced all day taking us to the Adirondack Mountains high point. The views were excellent of course, and fortunately the clouds passed by us with quite a large margin.

We backtracked to the junction we'd hesitated at and started down. This portion of the hike was a bit rough, large boulders leading down terrain steep enough that the trail is now basically a new watercourse. We got quite wet and when we thought the trail couldn't possibly degrade any further, found ourselves trudging through deep mud and struggling a couple of times to stay on the official trail. Fortunately this wasn't a long-lived portion, but it was a little disheartening since we mistakenly thought we were home-free.

The Phelps Trail eased up quite a bit, and aside from a couple of creek crossings and junctions there's not much to note in terms of difficulty. We enjoyed the sounds of Johns Brook and the general lushness of the trail. I certainly hadn't brought enough food and my blood sugar was low. Adam was out as well, but had done a better job staying fed than I had. I probably would have been fine to hike out with my current state of caloric deficiency, but we reached Johns Brook Lodge and I headed in to scour for sustenance. A friendly hiker noticed I was penniless and offered to buy me a candy bar, a new experience that left me a little embarassed, but I was thrilled to get a sugar spike.

Adam and I continued along the trail back to The Garden Trailhead, a long walk that would have been a lot nicer if we weren't rushing to get back before restaurants closed. From The Garden Trailhead, we headed back on roads to reach the Rooster Comb Trailhead where we'd left our cars many hours before. If you're up for a day like this, I couldn't recommend it more. We saw some of the best the Adirondacks has to offer, both with views and trail scrambles.

PEAKS ON HIKE
Elevation (ft) / Prominence (ft)
Peaks on hike
Elevation
Prominence
1
Rooster Comb
2789 ft
230 rise
2
Hedgehog Mountain
3389 ft
141 rise
3
Lower Wolfjaw Mountain
4173 ft
663 rise
4
Upper Wolfjaw Mountain
4203 ft
266 rise
5
Armstrong Mountain
4429 ft
98 rise
6
Gothics Mountain
4734 ft
699 rise
7
Saddleback Mountain
4528 ft
361 rise
8
Basin Mountain
4826 ft
725 rise
9
Little Haystack
4692 ft
66 rise
10
Mount Haystack
4961 ft
827 rise
11
Mount Marcy
5344 ft
4914 rise

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Starting from the Rooster Comb Trailhead.
Starting from the Rooster Comb Trailhead.
Passing a little pond shortly after leaving the trailhead.
Passing a little pond shortly after leaving the trailhead.
Ascending the Rooster Comb Trail.
Ascending the Rooster Comb Trail.
Junction for the spur trail to Rooster Comb.
Junction for the spur trail to Rooster Comb.
A ladder on the spur trail to the Rooser Comb summit.
A ladder on the spur trail to the Rooser Comb summit.
Rooster Comb summit.
Rooster Comb summit.
Close-up south of the Great Range traverse to come. Mount Marcy is way out there in the center
Close-up south of the Great Range traverse to come. Mount Marcy is way out there in the center
Rooster Comb summit, view east.
Rooster Comb summit, view east.
Back at the junction, ascending to Hedgehog Mountain.
Back at the junction, ascending to Hedgehog Mountain.
Some rocky scrambling obstacles begin getting introduced, but overall the trail is still easy to hike on and less burly than the rest of the day.
Some rocky scrambling obstacles begin getting introduced, but overall the trail is still easy to hike on and less burly than the rest of the day.
Gorgeous morning forest as we head up to Hedgehog Mountain.
Gorgeous morning forest as we head up to Hedgehog Mountain.
We went up and over Hedgehog Mountain without even realizing it. It was just a viewless bump.
We went up and over Hedgehog Mountain without even realizing it. It was just a viewless bump.
Image 12 from gallery
Ascending Lower Wolfjaw Mountain.
Ascending Lower Wolfjaw Mountain.
One of many obstacles on the way up to Lower Wolfjaw Mountain.
One of many obstacles on the way up to Lower Wolfjaw Mountain.
Approaching the summit of Lower Wolfjaw Mountain, seen through the trees ahead.
Approaching the summit of Lower Wolfjaw Mountain, seen through the trees ahead.
Some low Class 3 scrambling up roots and big slabs below Lower Wolfjaw Mountain.
Some low Class 3 scrambling up roots and big slabs below Lower Wolfjaw Mountain.
View back at the cool scramble section, Hedgehog Mountain seen behind Adam.
View back at the cool scramble section, Hedgehog Mountain seen behind Adam.
Lower Wolfjaw Mountain summit view.
Lower Wolfjaw Mountain summit view.
Trail junction below Lower Wolfjaw Mountain. We kept along the crest.
Trail junction below Lower Wolfjaw Mountain. We kept along the crest.
Dropping down from Lower Wolfjaw Mountain, Upper Wolfjaw Mountain seen ahead.
Dropping down from Lower Wolfjaw Mountain, Upper Wolfjaw Mountain seen ahead.
Progress descending from Lower Wolfjaw Mountain.
Progress descending from Lower Wolfjaw Mountain.
Pretty brutal terrain that lasts the majority of the traverse from now on.
Pretty brutal terrain that lasts the majority of the traverse from now on.
One of many fun features to overcome a cliff.
One of many fun features to overcome a cliff.
And more, and more.
And more, and more.
The rock was a bit wet, making the scrambling a little more dangerous, but I suppose the rock is pretty much always wet in the Adirondacks.
The rock was a bit wet, making the scrambling a little more dangerous, but I suppose the rock is pretty much always wet in the Adirondacks.
View back toward Lower Wolfjaw Mountain.
View back toward Lower Wolfjaw Mountain.
More cool mossy ledges the trail navigates on the way up to Upper Wolfjaw Mountain.
More cool mossy ledges the trail navigates on the way up to Upper Wolfjaw Mountain.
Image 28 from gallery
Image 29 from gallery
View back toward Lower Wolfjaw Mountain from Upper Wolfjaw Mountain.
View back toward Lower Wolfjaw Mountain from Upper Wolfjaw Mountain.
Armstrong Mountain is next, seen ahead.
Armstrong Mountain is next, seen ahead.
Close-up toward the traverse to come.
Close-up toward the traverse to come.
Fun scrambling bits, continued.
Fun scrambling bits, continued.
And more glorious, mossy forest hiking.
And more glorious, mossy forest hiking.
A ladder below Armstrong Mountain.
A ladder below Armstrong Mountain.
More Class 2/3 ledges.
More Class 2/3 ledges.
Image 37 from gallery
Summit of Armstrong Mountain, excellent views.
Summit of Armstrong Mountain, excellent views.
Close-up toward Gothics Mountain, next on the agenda.
Close-up toward Gothics Mountain, next on the agenda.
Image 40 from gallery
Descending from Armstrong.
Descending from Armstrong.
It can't all be fun! The mud starts around here, starting sporadically and becoming more of a nuisance later on.
It can't all be fun! The mud starts around here, starting sporadically and becoming more of a nuisance later on.
Ascending Gothics.
Ascending Gothics.
View back toward Upper Wolfjaw on our way up Gothics.
View back toward Upper Wolfjaw on our way up Gothics.
Gothics ahead.
Gothics ahead.
View back as we near the summit of Gothics.
View back as we near the summit of Gothics.
Gothics summit, view toward the remaining peaks on the Great Range Traverse.
Gothics summit, view toward the remaining peaks on the Great Range Traverse.
Close-up of the peaks to come.
Close-up of the peaks to come.
Descending from Gothics.
Descending from Gothics.
The famous cables route up Gothics, which of course we were descending rather than ascending.
The famous cables route up Gothics, which of course we were descending rather than ascending.
View back up the first set of cables.
View back up the first set of cables.
More cables farther down.
More cables farther down.
A view back up at the steep cables route.
A view back up at the steep cables route.
A tricky Class 3 slab without cables. Adam wrapped around on the left.
A tricky Class 3 slab without cables. Adam wrapped around on the left.
Junction at the saddle of Gothics and Saddleback Mountain.
Junction at the saddle of Gothics and Saddleback Mountain.
Onward to Saddleback Mountain.
Onward to Saddleback Mountain.
Ascending more steep, fun Adirondacks trails on the way to Saddleback Mountain.
Ascending more steep, fun Adirondacks trails on the way to Saddleback Mountain.
Saddleback Mountain, view toward Basin Mountain, our next peak.
Saddleback Mountain, view toward Basin Mountain, our next peak.
A fun ledge as we start down Saddleback.
A fun ledge as we start down Saddleback.
Class 3 downclimb from Saddleback.
Class 3 downclimb from Saddleback.
View back up the first set of scrambling.
View back up the first set of scrambling.
A fun Class 3 crack. Basin Mountain ahead.
A fun Class 3 crack. Basin Mountain ahead.
Close-up at the crack.
Close-up at the crack.
Adam coming down the Class 3 crack.
Adam coming down the Class 3 crack.
Back on a trail instead of rock slab as we continue toward Basin Mountain.
Back on a trail instead of rock slab as we continue toward Basin Mountain.
Heading up toward Basin Mountain.
Heading up toward Basin Mountain.
View back toward Saddleback on our way up Basin Mountain.
View back toward Saddleback on our way up Basin Mountain.
Tricky Class 3 slab.
Tricky Class 3 slab.
View back from the top of the slab.
View back from the top of the slab.
Image 70 from gallery
Basin Mountain ahead.
Basin Mountain ahead.
More scrambling.
More scrambling.
View back at the traverse so far.
View back at the traverse so far.
Nearing the summit of Basin Mountain.
Nearing the summit of Basin Mountain.
Descending Basin Mountain. You can see Mount Marcy on the right, but first we needed to head over to Mount Haystack, seen left. This is the only portion of the hike that doesn't follow the ridgeline, instead keeping to the left of the crest.
Descending Basin Mountain. You can see Mount Marcy on the right, but first we needed to head over to Mount Haystack, seen left. This is the only portion of the hike that doesn't follow the ridgeline, instead keeping to the left of the crest.
Descending from Basin Mountain.
Descending from Basin Mountain.
Mount Marcy top left.
Mount Marcy top left.
Steep descending, pretty much as usual, coming down from Basin Mountain.
Steep descending, pretty much as usual, coming down from Basin Mountain.
View back at some of the rocky terrain.
View back at some of the rocky terrain.
Another ladder descent.
Another ladder descent.
Adam coming down the ladder from Basin Mountain.
Adam coming down the ladder from Basin Mountain.
As you can see, the trail descends lower than the crest, which is top right.
As you can see, the trail descends lower than the crest, which is top right.
Passing over Haystack Brook. It was flowing, fortunately, because we were in trouble if not.
Passing over Haystack Brook. It was flowing, fortunately, because we were in trouble if not.
Ascending toward Little Haystack.
Ascending toward Little Haystack.
Signage before leaving treeline.
Signage before leaving treeline.
Class 2/3 to Little Haystack.
Class 2/3 to Little Haystack.
Little Haystack, view toward Mount Haystack ahead.
Little Haystack, view toward Mount Haystack ahead.
A short descent off Little Haystack that we needed to come back up and over later.
A short descent off Little Haystack that we needed to come back up and over later.
Mount Haystack ahead.
Mount Haystack ahead.
View back toward Little Haystack.
View back toward Little Haystack.
Gorgeous views and interesting slickrock hiking up to Mount Haystack.
Gorgeous views and interesting slickrock hiking up to Mount Haystack.
Mount Haystack ahead.
Mount Haystack ahead.
View back, Little Haystack seen left, the traverse we just did seen right.
View back, Little Haystack seen left, the traverse we just did seen right.
More scrambling below Mount Haystack.
More scrambling below Mount Haystack.
Mount Haystack ahead.
Mount Haystack ahead.
View back from just below the summit of Mount Haystack.
View back from just below the summit of Mount Haystack.
Image 97 from gallery
View toward Mount Marcy from the summit of Mount Haystack.
View toward Mount Marcy from the summit of Mount Haystack.
Mount Haystack summit, view south.
Mount Haystack summit, view south.
Close-up toward Basin Mountain, etc.
Close-up toward Basin Mountain, etc.
Image 101 from gallery
After backtracking from Mount Haystack , we descended toward Mount Marcy's base, seen ahead.
After backtracking from Mount Haystack , we descended toward Mount Marcy's base, seen ahead.
Adam taking advantage of more flowing water along the trail.
Adam taking advantage of more flowing water along the trail.
Descending to a junction with the Phelps Trail. We'd be returning here after summitting Mount Marcy.
Descending to a junction with the Phelps Trail. We'd be returning here after summitting Mount Marcy.
Ascending the Phelps Trail.
Ascending the Phelps Trail.
View back toward Mount Haystack (right) and the other peaks on the Great Range Traverse (left).
View back toward Mount Haystack (right) and the other peaks on the Great Range Traverse (left).
Mount MArcy ahead.
Mount MArcy ahead.
Because it started raining, I didn't take photos of the ascent to Mount Marcy, so I'm using photos from a previous trip report. Here you can see a boardwalk over a marsh. Mount Marcy stays visible for the last half mile or so.
Because it started raining, I didn't take photos of the ascent to Mount Marcy, so I'm using photos from a previous trip report. Here you can see a boardwalk over a marsh. Mount Marcy stays visible for the last half mile or so.
Some Class 2.
Some Class 2.
Looking back as we ascend to Mount Marcy.
Looking back as we ascend to Mount Marcy.
Mount Marcy ahead.
Mount Marcy ahead.
Image 112 from gallery
A nice little slab on the ascent to Mount Marcy.
A nice little slab on the ascent to Mount Marcy.
Looking back the way we came.
Looking back the way we came.
Gorgeous, open views on the way up to Mount Marcy.
Gorgeous, open views on the way up to Mount Marcy.
Image 116 from gallery
Mount Marcy summit view to the south toward Mount Skylight.
Mount Marcy summit view to the south toward Mount Skylight.
Summit of Mount Marcy. Back to photos from the day we did the Great Range Traverse. You can see Mount Haystack on the right, as well as much of the Great Range traverse stretching back to the center. Our next goal is to drop into the valley on the left.
Summit of Mount Marcy. Back to photos from the day we did the Great Range Traverse. You can see Mount Haystack on the right, as well as much of the Great Range traverse stretching back to the center. Our next goal is to drop into the valley on the left.
Back on the Phelps Trail, heading north. We had many, many miles still to go, but all the peaks and notable vertical elevation was done for the day.
Back on the Phelps Trail, heading north. We had many, many miles still to go, but all the peaks and notable vertical elevation was done for the day.
This portion of trail was steep, flooded severely, and muddy.
This portion of trail was steep, flooded severely, and muddy.
Descending along the Phelps Trail.
Descending along the Phelps Trail.
Stream crossings.
Stream crossings.
Along Johns Brook.
Along Johns Brook.
Lovely water sounds to break up the monotony.
Lovely water sounds to break up the monotony.
Image 125 from gallery
Junction with the Shorey Shortcut Trial, which leads back to the ridge crest near Basin Mountain, no thanks.
Junction with the Shorey Shortcut Trial, which leads back to the ridge crest near Basin Mountain, no thanks.
Passing Slant Rock.
Passing Slant Rock.
A cute stream crossing with a little cascade.
A cute stream crossing with a little cascade.
Image 129 from gallery
Crossing Johns Brook.
Crossing Johns Brook.
Descending parallel to Johns Brook on our way to Johns Brook Lodge.
Descending parallel to Johns Brook on our way to Johns Brook Lodge.
The trail follows Johns Brook for a bit.
The trail follows Johns Brook for a bit.
Johns Brook Lodge.
Johns Brook Lodge.
A junction with the Southside Trail. We continued along the Phelps Trail, which gained a small amount of vertical away rom the creek.
A junction with the Southside Trail. We continued along the Phelps Trail, which gained a small amount of vertical away rom the creek.
Continuing along the now far less rocky Phelps Trail.
Continuing along the now far less rocky Phelps Trail.
Image 136 from gallery
Very pretty mosses and scenery.
Very pretty mosses and scenery.
Image 138 from gallery
The Garden Trailhead. We hiked on roads back to the Rooster Comb Trailhead, slightly annoyed we hadn't just set up a short shuttle.
The Garden Trailhead. We hiked on roads back to the Rooster Comb Trailhead, slightly annoyed we hadn't just set up a short shuttle.

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