Click here for larger-size photo. There are two usual routes to the summit, either from the west or east, both on trail. Giant Mountain and Rocky Peak Ridge Trail is a 9.2 mile moderately trafficked point-to-point trail located near New Russia, New York that features a lake and is only recommended for very experienced adventurers. There is a nice open rock ridgeline going up Giant, allowing views back down the trail, towards Round, Noonmark and Bear Den mountains. The 2.2-mile ridge along the way often allows fantastic views in all directions, especially around photogenic Mary Louise Pond. Giant Mountain - East Trail via Rocky Peak Ridge East Trail in Giant Mountain Wilderness extends 6.7 miles and ascends 3,600 feet from the trailhead on Route 9 to the 4,420-foot summit of Rocky Peak Ridge and its 360- d egr vi w. Mu ch of tal snp ky Posted by tgace459 on July 27, 2018 August 28, 2018 In July of 2018 my co-worker (and climbing partner) and I were sent to Quebec City Canada for a work conference. The parking areas for Giant Mountain often fill quickly, especially in the summer, and it is illegal to park along Route 73. ADIRONDACK HP SERIES: Giant Mountain-Rocky Peak Ridge (RPR)- Bald Peak, To The New Russia, NY / Route 9 Trailhead From Route 73 via the Roaring Brook Trail (RBT) and the East Trail mfulleringer says: Each hill ahead of us made us think ‘how will we make it up that monster’? They sit separated from the mass of the Adirondack High Peaks by Route 73. Park the first car at the trailhead in New Russia on Route 9. Again, this is one of the better marked trails in the Adirondacks. Just east of Giant Mountain sits Rocky Peak Ridge, which rises to a lofty elevation of 4420 feet and is the 20th highest of the Adirondack High Peaks. It was a hot day, and the haze interrupted what would have been an awesome view had we been there in different weather. Giant’s Washbowl. I headed down from the summit of Giant and quickly arrived at the fork to Rocky Peak Ridge. … Side trip to Rocky Peak Ridge. As this hike is a traverse, two cars are required. Giant Mountain and Rocky Peak Ridge. This becomes an out-and-back, and you simply retrace your steps when you’ve reached the summit of Rocky Peak Ridge. Rocky Peak, while above 4,000 feet, does not count as a 46er given that its prominence is not great enough to distinguish it as a unique peak. At 0.7 miles we came across the washbowl, a small pond where the trail skirts around shortly before heading up hill again. Posted by tgace459 on July 27, 2018 August 28, 2018. There are two usual routes to the summit, either from the west or east, both on trail. You can see a ton of mountains like Sawteeth Gothics, Dix, Nipple Top, and Marcy. Giant Mountain is the 12th highest peak in the Adirondacks; Giant can also be approached by first climbing Rocky Peak Ridge Follow Leave No Trace principles; Parking. Here is some of what you need to know: This trail head is across from chapel pond; there is also a trail head on the other side of Saint Huber which is slightly longer and has a waterfall. I drank a 1.5 liters of water but it was cool out, if it was warm I am sure 3-4 liter would not be unreasonable. We had a snack or two on top of Giant at 10:15AM! It was something that started to worry my dad because we had planned to come back up and over Giant Mtn to get home after reaching the summit of Rocky Ridge. After reaching Rocky Peak Ridge, hikers decent a small col before ascending to Giant Mountain. Giant ranks as the twelfth highest peak with an elevation of 4,627 feet and Rocky Peak Ridge is the twentieth at 4,420 feet. Begin hiking at the trailhead on Route 73. This route is more commonly used by those attempting to become Adirondack Forty-Sixers, since Rocky Peak (4420 feet) is a required peak. Another approach is to climb up Giant first from the W or N and then head over on the ridgeline E to this peak. The forecast for this day was full sun, 10 mph winds and 32 degrees. Leesa wanted a hike that would be about 6 hours or so. Amazing view from the top of Giant (2017-09-10). Giant Mountain is also called "Giant of the Valley" because it beautifully looks over Keene Valley and St. Hubert's to the west. To get to Rocky Peak you will have to backtrack 0.1 miles to an intersection where there is a marked trail to the mountain. Giant Mountain – 4,627 ft. Rocky Peak Ridge – 4,420 ft. August 1, 2014. In the clouds on Giant Mountain’s peak. Liz and I hiked up Giant Mountain via the Ridge Trail, hiked down the back of Giant and over the ridge to Rocky Peak Ridge before turning back. There are three major trails that lead to its summit, two from the East – along Rt. Only have one car and looking for a workout? We promise not to annoy you, but if you wish, you may unsubscribe at any time. The Ridge trail is steep and rocky, you will gain 3000 ft of elevation over 3 miles. We will describe the route up Giant via the Ridge Trail here because it is the shortest and most popular route to the top. The next day, we ascended Giant, (12th at 4627 ft.), and then hiked over to Rocky Peak Ridge to the east, (20th at 4420 ft.). Peaks 3 and 4 - Giant Mountain and Rocky Peak Ridge near Keene, NY. At an elevation of 4,626 feet, Giant Mountain sits at number 12 on the Adirondack 46er Peak List – right behind Colden and just ahead of Nippletop. Click here for larger-size photo. Giant Mountain, the 12th highest peak in the Adirondacks is a very popular mountain due to its proximity to the highway, its great views and (somewhat)short trail mileage. The Roaring Brook Trail is pretty popular way to climb these mountains, but I chose to climb the Zander Scott Trail which starts by Chapel Pond on route 73. Giant Mountain & Rocky Peak Ridge ” Christine says: March 24, 2013 at 10:24 pm I suspect that a lot of the butt slides were from me from the day before. She is a good running companion who keeps pace easily enough on three to five mile runs. HALF WAY THERE! From Giant Mountain the fun really begins. We hiked down the back side of Giant and across the ridge before starting the ascent to Rocky Peak Ridg e. The back side of Giant is somewhat steep, be careful. Map and location information for Giant Mountain in New York: Giant Mountain is one of the Summits in Essex County, NY and can be found on the Rocky Peak Ridge USGS topographic quad map. Rocky Peak Ridge stands as the high point on the ridge extending east from Giant. We grabbed a bite to eat while soaking up the sun on the warm rocky summit before … The two most popular routes climb the southern ridge of the mountain, meeting up about a mile south of the summit. Summited Giant Mountain for the second time and Rocky Peak Ridge to bring our total to 23 out of 46 High Peaks. Above Chapel Pond . No problem. This hike was tougher than anticipated. Start: 52 F , Middle: 72 F , End: 76 F. The Ridge (Zander Scott) Trail to Giant Mtn. Instagram- @jonathanzphotography_ Song- Joakim Karud - Love Mode See the description above. The trail descends steeply for a bit only to start climbing again. The normal route for Rocky Peak Ridge is to start from the E up and over Blueberry Cobbles and Bald Peak and then along the open ridge to the summit. Send me an email and tell me about your ADK stories at Everywherehiker@gmail.com, Check out the fire tower page for a list of ADK towers; the High Peaks on our list are, Big Slide             Redfield                                Dial and Nippletop, Marcy, Skylight, Gray                  The lower Great Range: Roostercomb to Gothic, A The Pennsylvania Grand Canyon Lookout Tower, A worlds End State Park; Canyon Vista Trail Hike, Alander Mountain; Taconic State Park and Mountain Range NY, Albert Mountain Fire Lookout Tower; Appalachian Trail NC, Azure Fire Tower Hike; Adirondack Mountains, Backbone Mountain; Maryland High Point Hike, Bald Mountain, Maine; Oquossoc fire Tower Hike, Balsam and Eagle Mountains; Catskill 3500 Hike, Balsam Lake Fire Tower Hike- Catskill Mountains 3500, Bash Bish Falls Hike; Massachusetts Tallest Waterfall, Beech Mountain Fire Lookout Tower; Acadia National Park ME, Belfry Fire Tower; Adirondack Mountains Hike, Big Slide Mountain hike; The Brothers Trail, Adirondack High Peaks, Birch Knob Observation Tower Hike; Virginia, Black Mountain Fire Tower Hike; Adirondack Mountains, Blue Mountain Fire Tower; Adirondack Mountain Hike, Blue Mountain Loop; Appalachian Trail Pa Hike, Buttermilk Falls Hike; Tallest Waterfall in NJ, Buzzard Rock Trail Hike; Shenandoah Mountains, Cathedral Rock Fire Tower, Adirondack Mountain Hike, Clingman’s Dome Lookout; Tennessee High point, Cook Forest Fire Lookout Tower and Seneca Point, Crane Mountain Hike: Adirondack Mountains, Deboullie Mountain and Fire Lookout Tower; North Maine Woods hike, Dial and Nippletop Mountains; Adirondack High Peaks, Dickenson Hill Fire Tower; Grafton lakes State Park, Ny, Dingmans Falls; Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area PA, Federal Hill Fire Tower Hike New Hampshire, Ferncliff Forest Lookout Fire Tower; Hudson Valley Hike, Ferncliff Penninsula, Ohiopyle State Park Hike, Flume and Liberty Hike; New Hampshire White Mountains, Flume Gorge; Franconia Notch State Park Hike, Frankenstein cliff and Ripley Falls Hike NH, Giant Ledge and Panther Mountain Hike; Catskill 3500, Giant Mountain and Rocky Peak Ridge Hike: The ADK High Peaks, Gillespie Point Hike: Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, Goshen Fire Tower Massachusetts; D.A.R. The prominent rock slides on the mountain's steep western face and its location away from most other large peaks make it quite an imposing figure, leading to its name. They sit separated from the mass of the Adirondack High Peaks by Route 73. We made plans to stop in the Adk Park and hike Giant Mt and Rocky Peak Ridge (RPR) along the way home so we packed our gear and took it with us. For the most part the clouds blocked the view from the top but for a minute we were able to see Lake Champlain. This is the next destination. The traverse between Giant Mountain and Rocky Peak Ridge ranks among the nicest hikes in the Adirondacks. Giant Mountain and Rocky Peak Ridge - Giant Mtn Wilderness - 4/6/14 In picking a hike for today, Giant and Rocky Peak Ridge were the only peaks that I had in my head. One hiker coming down made clear to me that not only was the trip to RPR worth it, but that the views were better than Giant. It only took us about 35 minutes to travel the 1.2 miles down giant and up Rocky. I'm not sure why. What! Giant and Rocky Ridge stand as the 12th and 20th highest peaks in the Adirondacks. These were peaks #5 and 6 for me and I cannot wait to bag my next one. Rocky Peak Ridge (#27) I headed down from the summit of Giant and quickly arrived at the fork to Rocky Peak Ridge. Bald Peak also offers 360-degree views, as its name would suggest. Towards the top, I passed a junction sign for Rocky Ridge Peak, saying the peak of Giant was 0.3 miles away. There is a nice open rock ridgeline going up Giant, allowing views back down the trail, towards Round, Noonmark and Bear Den mountains. The 1.2 miles contains a 1000 foot drop to a 700 feet incline over it's 1.2 mile distance. Giant and Rocky Peak via the Ridge Trail. The Zander Scott trail offers spectacular views of the Adirondacks over nearly it's entire distance. The forecast for this day was full sun, 10 mph winds and 32 degrees. Leesa wanted a hike that would be about 6 hours or so. Some clouds hung around but they added to the incredible view. Headed up to the Giant Mountain Wilderness Area in the Adirondacks to hike 4627 foot Giant Mountain with Kalli today via the Ridge Trail. The best way to tackle this is to do it like Cascade and Porter. Ridge Trail to Giant Mountain and Rocky Peak Ridge is a 8.9 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Keene, New York that features a lake and is rated as difficult. Aspiring 46ers! The originally named Ridge Trail was renamed Zander Scott in 1992. Starting on Route 73 will save a lot of elevation gain. From Rocky Ridge Peak, Giant Mountain is a mere 600 feet down to a small col and 800 feet up. Giant Mountain and Rocky Peak can be hiked by the trails mentioned above. This hike is 16 miles and the elevation gain is intimidating for a two-summit hike in the Adirondacks. 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