Trip report
Jun 29, 2020 — Whiteface Mountain is one of the Adirondack High Peaks, but it's located farther from most of the more famous ones. The hike up Whiteface Mountain starts with a short descent along a dirt road before climbing steeply up what felt like what could have been the remains of an old powerline clearing. The wide trail heads up the mountain face in basically a direct line without switchbacks or thought of any sort. There's a nice viewpoint at the top of the steep section listed on some maps at Marble Mountain (though it's really not a "mountain" of any note), before the trail becomes more pleasant, winding up through the forest along Whiteface Mountain's east ridge.
Eventually I hit the junction with Esther Mountain, which I would head up to later. The trail continues onward toward Whiteface Mountain, a couple of Class 2 boulder-hopping sections to contend with, before reaching a massive human-built wall constructed for the road that leads to the summit. The trail follows this wall briefly and then ascends some boulders as it parallels the road. I'd say this section to the summit was the best part of the hike, where normally nice views (I had mostly fog) are visible most of the way up.
On my way back, I took a detour to Esther Mountain, which involved ascending and re-ascending the bump known as Lookout Mountain before reaching the forested and viewless Esther Mountain.
Unfortunately, my camera broke halfway through this hike, so I resorted to using my phone for photos.