Colden Lodge takes its name from Mount Colden, one of the great High Peaks rising south of Lake Placid. That is the neighbourhood you are staying in. Within a short drive of the cabins you can find a twenty-minute family stroll, a half-day scramble to a fire tower, and a full alpine day above the treeline.
Start with Baker Mountain
Baker Mountain is the local classic and the perfect first morning. It is a short, steep climb of roughly 900 feet from the village edge of Saranac Lake, and most guests are up and back inside two hours with time for coffee afterwards.
The reward is the view that sells the region: Lake Flower and the village below you, Whiteface off to the north east, and the McKenzie and Sentinel ranges filling the horizon. Bring a layer, because the summit ledges catch the wind even in July.
Half-day favourites
Ampersand Mountain, on Route 3 west of the village, is the one to plan a day around. It is about five and a half miles round trip with a rocky final pitch onto a wide open summit dome that looks out over the whole Saranac chain of lakes.
Scarface Mountain, near Ray Brook, is quieter and mostly forested with a satisfying summit clearing. Haystack Mountain shares the same trailhead area as Ampersand and delivers big views for less effort. Further north, the St. Regis Mountain fire tower gives you the classic Adirondack tower photo above the St. Regis Canoe Area.
When you want the High Peaks
The Adirondack Loj road and the trailheads around Keene Valley are roughly forty minutes from the lodge, which puts Cascade, Porter, Phelps, Marcy and Algonquin within reach of an early start. Mount Colden itself is a long, rugged, deeply rewarding day for experienced hikers.
Popular High Peaks trailheads fill early and some now use a reservation or shuttle system in peak season, so check the current New York State DEC guidance the night before and leave the lodge in the dark if you want a parking spot.
The Saranac Lake 6er
If you like a challenge with a badge at the end, the Saranac Lake 6er asks you to climb six local summits: Baker, Ampersand, Haystack, McKenzie, St. Regis and Scarface. Several guests have finished the whole set across a long weekend, and the village celebrates finishers.
It is also a very good excuse to book a second stay. Two peaks a visit, three visits, one very satisfying photograph on the last summit.
Good to know
- Sign the trail register at the trailhead and carry more water than you think you need.
- Black flies peak from late May into June; a head net costs a few dollars in the village and is worth every cent.
- Cell service disappears quickly in the woods, so download your map before you leave the cabin.
- Come back to the hot tub on the deck. This is the part of the day nobody mentions in the guidebooks.
