Hurricane Mountain
Location: Elizabethtown, New York
Mileage: 6.92 Miles
Elevation Gain: 1928 Feet
Trails Used: Hurricane Mountain Trail
Views: Several Ledges along the Hurricane Mountain Trail, 1800 from Summit of Hurricane Mountain, 360 from Fire Tower Cab
Difficulty: Moderate
Hiking Lists: Lake Placid 9er/Adirondack Blue Challenge/Adirondack 29er Challenge/Fire Tower Challenge/Adirondack 100 Highest
I’d been wanting to tackle this hike for over a year, and today was finally the day. Ever since my first hike in New York, when I climbed Cascade and Porter, I’ve had my eye on this peak. Since we were working through the Lake Placid 9er list, it was an easy choice for today’s adventure. On a cool spring morning, we arrived at the roadside parking along Route 9N, relieved to find plenty of spots available. We geared up and set off toward the summit of Hurricane Mountain.
Hurricane Mountain is #7 on the Fire Tower Challenge (Adirondack/Catskills), #1 on the Lake Placid 9er List, #2 on the Adirondack Blue Challenge and #6 on the Adirondack 29er Challenge lists.
We started our hike to Hurricane Mountain’s summit from Route 9N, parking along the side of the road. Fortunately, parking was easy to find that day.
The Hurricane Mountain Trail starts with gentle switchbacks, making for relatively easy hiking, and has a feel reminiscent of trails in Colorado or out west.
About half a mile into the Hurricane Mountain Trail, you’ll reach the first scenic viewpoint of the hike.
You cross a few bog bridges through a beaver pond area along the Hurricane Mountain Trail.
Amy crosses the bog bridge in the beaver pond area on the Hurricane Mountain Trail.
The beaver pond sits near Chase Mountain, with a distant peak rising on the horizon.
I’ve noticed there are plenty of white birch trees in New York, especially in the Adirondacks and Catskills.
A glimpse of Hurricane Mountain peeking through the trees along the Hurricane Mountain Trail.
Enjoy a leisurely hike along the Hurricane Mountain Trail, making your way onto the ridge that leads to the summit of Hurricane Mountain.
About three miles in, you reach a ledge with a stunning view of Hurricane Mountain’s rocky summit.
Panoramic views stretch from the ledges just below the summit of Hurricane Mountain.
At the junction of the Hurricane Mountain Trail and North Mountain Trail, which leads to the Crow Clearing Trailhead, a bit of snow still lingers at the higher elevations.
The final rock scramble to reach the summit of Hurricane Mountain was pretty easy.
Unfortunately, this was the sole picture of the 35-foot-tall fire tower atop the cleared summit of Hurricane Mountain, which stands at an elevation of 3,697 feet.
I found all three summit benchmarks on Hurricane Mountain.
The panoramic views from the fire tower cab on Hurricane Mountain are stunning in every direction. The tower could use some minor repairs, particularly to the roof, as shown in the third picture.
More views of the peaks surrounding Hurricane Mountain from the fire tower, without the cab roof in sight.
Amy is making her way to the summit of Hurricane Mountain.
One of the rugged Rocky Mountain-style sections along the Hurricane Mountain Trail on the return to the car.
What a perfect day for this hike and it totally made my favorite hike list in the Adirondacks and one that i would redo in a heartbeat. The straightforward easy hike with the 360 views from the fire tower and even views without climbing the tower made this a must do hike. It even seemed quick getting back to the car, although you probably would want to spend as much time at the summit as you can taking in the views. 10 for 10 hike.
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