10 Best Hikes Near Lake Placid, NY

This is one of my favorite posts to write so far because THERE ARE SO MANY HIKES near Lake Placid and in the surrounding Adirondack Mountains. It’s one of my favorite areas in the United States because of the sheer amount of outdoor activity and beautiful scenery.

In this post, we’ll break down the 10 best hikes near Lake Placid (and if you’d like, then you can click here to read about the hikes with the best effort-to-view ratios… a very important stat, too).

First, some background— Jon and I (and our pup, Lincoln) were in the Lake Placid area for three weeks. (We were staying in Au Sable Forks. If you’re looking for recommendations on where to stay and what to do - besides hiking - during your trip, check out our post with the 6 best things to do in Lake Placid and this post with our pick for a perfect Lake Placid weekend itinerary.)

While we were in the Lake Placid area for three weeks, we were working full-time. We hiked on the weekend and many days after work. So, we’ll share both our favorite longer hikes that would be great for day trips or days off, and our favorite pre or post-work trails if you’re working during your visit. And as always, we’ll also share what’s dog-friendly and what’s not!

If you love the outdoors, hiking, and spending time in nature, this one’s for you! Here’s a map with our pick for the 10 best hikes near Lake Placid.

Above is a map of the hikes we’ll be talking about so you can get a better idea of where each hike starts. You’ll see Lake Placid to the left of the majority of hikes (North of Mt. Van Hoevenberg). This is also where you’ll walk the Mirror Lake Loop.

Many of the hikes are in similar areas to one another, making it easier to double up on hikes and tackle multiple in one day. We’ll share our recommendation for which hikes to “piggyback” to one another below.

So without further ado… here’s a breakdown of the 10 best hikes near Lake Placid (with pictures, of course, to help you decide which you’d most love to explore)!

Table of Contents Hide

1. Cobble Lookout

This 2.4-mile trail makes the list (and gets top billing) because it just might have the best effort-to-view ratio in the area. Plus, it’s a hike you can easily add to a day with other activities… It’s right around the corner from Whiteface Veterans’ Memorial Highway if you want to add a drive + The Alpine Trail to your itinerary.

Other hikes near Cobble Lookout? Bear Den Mountain Trail, High Falls Gorge, and Copperas Pond are on your way back to Lake Placid. Both High Falls Gorge and Copperas Pond are relatively quick, easy hikes (although High Falls Gorge does have stairs). Read more about these hikes here.

RTL Tip: If you’re looking for a trail run before or after work, Cobble Lookout is great… if it hasn’t rained recently. We ran this trail before work a few mornings during our visit and loved it because the trail is relatively short and flat, and provides a great view + turnaround point. That said, when the trail was wet from recent rain, it was muddy + slippery. So while I highly recommend this trail when the sun is shining and the ground is dry, take extra care if it’s wet!

Dog-Friendly? Yes! This trail has exposed roots to be wary of, and if it’s recently rained, then your dog is likely to end up muddy, but this is a great, dog-friendly trail.

2. Balanced Rocks Trail

This trail was just a lot of fun and one of my top trails of our entire trip. During this 3.2-mile hike, you’ll find a walk through the woods, some rock scrambling, a gorgeous view, and a quieter hike than its sister trail (Cascade Mountain).

That said, Cascade Mountain (4.4-miles, dog-friendly) is right next door to Balanced Rocks, so you can easily add both to your trip. These trails are about 13 minutes from Lake Placid and you’ll pass the 3rd hike on our list - Mt Van Hoevenberg East Trail - on your way if you want one heck of a day with all three trails (or two hikes and one visit to an Olympic Legacy site).

From what I’ve read, Balanced Rocks is the easier hike of the two (it’s shorter, with about half the elevation gain, and is supposedly less popular than Cascade Mountain). However, it does include some steep rock scrambling toward the summit. Consider bringing hiking poles, and definitely take your time, especially on the descent.

RTL Tip: Visit Balanced Rocks and Cascade Mountain first thing. Parking is limited at these trails more so than at Mt Van Hoevenberg, and if you arrive early (before 8am), you can park once for both Balanced Rocks and Cascade. (The trails start at the same parking areas. The Cascade trail starts on the same side of the street as the majority of parking, and Balanced Rocks starts on the other.) After your morning of hiking, stop at Mt Van Hoevenberg on your way back to Lake Placid. You can hike the East Trail, go bobsledding, ride the Cliffside Coaster, grab lunch, or simply explore a Lake Placid Legacy Site. Read more here.

Bonus RTL Tip: After you’ve taken in the sights at the Balanced Rocks overlook, make sure to turn around and make your way over to the boulders on the right for solitude and another gorgeous view.

Dog-Friendly? Yes, but… Balanced Rocks is dog-friendly. Just be careful if your dog likes to pull because the rock scrambling does get steep when you’re doing down. (For safety, I had to let Lincoln off-leash during parts of our descent - she’s trained voice command - because her pace and mine were too different while descending steep parts of the trail.)

View of Balanced Rocks from Main Overlook

Main Overlook

Side Overlook

Balanced Rocks

Map with nearby hikes

3. Mt Van Hoevenberg East Trail

This was an amazing 3.2-mile hike we had all to ourselves. And while it might be hard to replicate one of the things that made this hike so amazing - a double rainbow at the summit - this was one of the best hikes of our trip and one of my favorite hikes near Lake Placid.

Mount Van Hoevenberg is not (yet) a popular trail because it’s still fairly new. That means, it’s quiet and in great condition. And even if you don’t get to see a double rainbow at the summit, the view is pretty spectacular. Even better, this trail starts at the Mt Van Hoevenberg Site, which means you can bobsled or ride the coaster, then hike (or vice versa)!

RTL Tip: If you don’t have a dog with you, plan to experience one of the activities at Mt Van Hoevenberg before or after your hike. You can ride the Cliffside Coaster, try out the Bobsled Experience, or just take gold atop the podium.

Dog-Friendly? Yes! This one’s great for dogs.

Double rainbow at the first overlook

Second Overlook

At the base of the Mt Van Hoevenberg Complex

4. Mirror Lake Path

During your trip to Lake Placid, I highly recommend catching sunrise over Mirror Lake. (Mid’s Park and Mirror Lake Public Beach are great places to do so. You can grab coffee and pastries from Bluesberry Bakery before or after. Read more about crafting a perfect weekend getaway to Lake Placid here.)

The full Mirror Lake Loop is a 2.6-mile flat path. While following the loop, you’ll walk around the entirety of Mirror Lake (though you won’t always be able to see the lake) and through Lake Placid downtown. When you don’t have a direct view of the lake, you’ll be strolling by gorgeous homes, many of which sit on Mirror Lake, and pass by a Lake Placid Lake access site.

RTL Tip: The village of Lake Placid sits on Mirror Lake, while Lake Placid Lake is to its side. When you see the Lake Placid Lake Access Site, walk across the street to view Lake Placid Lake.

Dog-friendly? Yes! Very!

Mirror Lake Public Beach

Walking Mirror Lake Loop (walking counter clockwise)

Mirror Lake Loop pathway

Lake Placid Lake (view from Access Site)

5. Alpine Trail on Whiteface Mountain

You can hike Whiteface Mountain… or you can drive the Whiteface Veterans’ Memorial Highway, park your car in the parking lot at the top, hop out of your car, then hike. If you do this, walk to the Alpine Nature Trail and take the stairs to start the 1/5-mile-long trek to the summit of Whiteface Mountain.

This is one of the shortest trails near Lake Placid, with one of the best 360-degree views in the area!

RTL Tip: Make sure to turn around as you’re walking up the stairs to the summit of Whiteface Mountain and enjoy your gorgeous bird’s-eye view of Lake Placid Lake!!

Dog-Friendly? Yes! The trail starts with a bunch of steps, so that’s something to be prepared for but this is a dog-friendly trail. You will be on top of a mountain (that can get very windy), so make sure your dog is okay with heights and you feel comfortable you won’t get pulled.

6. Bear Den Mountain

Want to hike to view Whiteface Mountain but not hike or drive up Whiteface Mountain? Consider the Bear’s Den hike. This 4.7-mile loop trail will reward you with a beautiful mountain view (in which you can see the ski lifts on Whiteface Mountain).

RTL Tip: Follow the trail all the way to the summit to find places for more solitude. (Once you can view Whiteface Mountain, you can keep walking to find additional places to rest and take in the scenery.) We were at the summit around 9am on a Saturday (started the hike around 8am) and had the summit mostly to ourselves for about 45 minutes.

Oh, and consider a stop at Adirondack Chocolates after your hike to fuel up post-trail!!

Dog-Friendly? Yes. This is a hike near Lake Placid that’s great for dogs. There is a relatively steep incline towards the summit, but not as much rock scrambling.

7. Silver Lake Mountain Trail

THIS HIKE WAS MAGIC.

Here’s what you need to know about it, though (and why it’s not higher on this list of best hikes near Lake Placid).

This is a STEEP hike (you’ll get a workout in climbing this mountain), but it’s SHORT (1.9 miles round trip), and the view is spectacular. This was probably my favorite view of any hike we did. There might have been something about the climb that made the reward at the top that much better. Or there was something about the view, and being able to see multiple lakes + mountain ranges, that made this view feel so BIG.

We hiked Silver Lake Mountain multiple times during our stay (this is a great after-work hike), and each time I was speechless when we got to the summit. You climb, climb, climb, then see this gorgeous, big view!

(I truly have no other word than “big” to describe it.)

If this were closer to Lake Placid (it’s about a 30 minute drive), I’d put it higher on this list of best hikes near Lake Placid, BUT… I would still caveat this ranking with: You have to be up for a climb.

RTL Tip: Looking for a trail run or to start/end your day with exercise? Choose this trail!! Climb up at speed, then enjoy the view at the top before (more slowly) making your way back down the mountain.

Dog-Friendly? Yes! And the trail is fairly quiet (at least after work on weekdays - I’m sure weekends are busier). Just be careful of the steep descent if your dog is on leash.

8. Indian Head & Rainbow Falls Trail

While researching the best hikes near Lake Placid, I kept coming across the Indian Head and Rainbow Falls Trail, with most people naming it as the most popular or best hike to do. While this was a good hike, with a great view, it wasn’t mine or Jon’s favorite. (Though that may have been in part because the afternoon is not the best time to visit for photographs or to see the overlook in its full glory.)

The Indian Head + Rainbow Falls Trailhead is about 33 minutes from Lake Placid. This hike is ten-miles-long and not dog-friendly, and requires reservations in advance for parking. If you’ve got a full day and you’re looking for a hike, or this one has been on your bucket list, absolutely go for it! It’s gorgeous. But if you’d prefer to see more during your time and still find some amazing views, we recommend the others on this list instead.

RTL Tip: Want to hike Indian Head and Rainbow Falls Loop? You can skip breakfast in Lake Placid to save time and grab coffee + breakfast on your way at the Old Mountain Coffee Company in Keene.

Wondering when is the best time for photographs? We’ve found various recommendations, including sunrise, sunset, and midday (around 1-2 when the sun is high enough in the sky to illuminate both sides of the mountain). We made it to the summit around 5pm in the summer (mid/late August), and while the side overlook was lit well, the main overlook was not. (Check out the photos below.) If I had to go again, I’d choose to be there midday. (Have you hiked the Indian Head Trail near Lake Placid? Please let us know your thoughts on this hike + best time to see the overlook in the comments below!)

Dog-Friendly? No. (Perhaps another reason this wasn’t our favorite. If we’re going to hike 11 miles, we’d love for Lincoln to be able to join us!)

Trail

Main overlook

Side overlook

9. Ausable Chasm

There are 5 miles of trails to explore and hike at Ausable Chasm, plus there are tons of other activities to keep you busy here.

RTL Tip: Arrive early! We got to the Ausable Chasm about 15 minutes after it opened, and there was already a full line waiting to purchase tickets. By the time we finished our adventure trail and headed to the rafts, we waited about an hour for a raft.

There’s so much to do here, so plan to arrive early (as close to when doors open as possible, particularly if you’re visiting on a weekend day) and fill your day with a mix of trails, rafting, tubing, or tackling the Adventure Trail. Learn more about the Ausable Chasm here.

Dog-Friendly? No.

10. Mount Jo & Jay Mountain Lookout

We didn’t hike Mount Jo or Jay Mountain Lookout, but these were two additional hikes that came up while researching the best hikes near Lake Placid. If you’ve done either of these trails or hike them during your next Lake Placid getaway, please leave a comment below letting us know your thoughts!!

(According to AllTrails, the Mount Jo Loop is a 2-mile loop that is dog-friendly. The Jay Mountain Lookout trail is a 4.7-mile hike that is dog-friendly. There’s also a Jay Mountain Trail that, according to AllTrails, is 8.7-miles-long and dog-friendly.)

Have time for more? Keep Planning Your Trip to Lake Placid, NY

There are tons of things to do in Lake Placid and the surrounding Adirondack Mountains, so here are a few more resources to shorten your planning time and help you find the perfect adventures and activities for you!

Here are more hikes that might fit the bill if you’re looking for great views for less effort.

Here’s our pick for the perfect weekend itinerary in Lake Placid.

And here are the six best things to do in Lake Placid, NY.

Have extra time and up for a road trip? Here’s a one-day itinerary for a road trip to Burlington, Vermont (about two hours away). And here’s a great foodie road trip with 8 fun things to do near Stowe, Vermont (about 2.5 hours away).

Your turn! Leave us a comment below!

We’re always looking for inspiration, and would love to hear about your adventures too! What’s the best road trip you’ve ever taken (and why), or which of these Lake Placid hikes sounds the best to you? Please share with us in the comments below!

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