Hiking in the Mt Adams: trails, map and practical info

Mount Adams is a 3,520-foot (about 1,073 m) summit in Newcomb, Essex County, in the Adirondack Park of New York State. It carries a former fire tower that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) lists as a restored tower, located on private property within the High Peaks Wilderness.

The trail

The Town of Newcomb describes a day hike of 4.76 miles (7.66 km) round trip with 1,800 feet (549 m) of elevation gain. The first section follows a DEC yellow trail. At 0.9 miles you reach the observer's cabin on a newly marked red trail, which branches off to the left. The town notes that the trail is steep at the top.

Adirondack Life places one of the more demanding stretches near the summit: the trail climbs "aggressively" along the base of a vertical rock face with little protection, and a bypass is available on the right.

The tower

According to Wikipedia, a first wooden lookout was built in 1912 and replaced in 1917 by a 47-foot steel tower. It ceased fire lookout operations at the end of the 1971 season, and the fire observation station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.

The DEC says the restored tower gives views of the High Peaks that cannot be seen from the ground at the summit. The tower stands on private property, though, so check with the DEC or the Open Space Institute (OSI) about access before you go.

The start: Adirondac Upper Works

The trailhead parking lot is 0.15 miles beyond the Old MacIntyre Blast Furnace on Upper Works Road (Town of Newcomb). OSI describes the Adirondac Upper Works site as a southern entrance to several major High Peaks Wilderness trails. It provides trailhead parking for the Mount Adams Fire Tower, East River, Calamity Brook and Indian Pass trails, and has a 60-car lot. The site also has the 1856 blast furnace and a one-mile footpath running alongside the Hudson River.