ADK 46: Giant/Rocky Peak Ridge Traverse
September 16, 2020
Keene Valley to New Russia, NY
The background: I was headed back to the Adirondacks for a few days in mid-September, eager to hike a few more of the 46 High Peaks. I was excited to see my hiking partners and spend the day with them on what was supposed to be a beautiful Wednesday – and it was! I had always envisioned I would complete Giant Mountain and Rocky Peak Ridge High Peaks as an out-and-back hike, but when the point-to-point traverse was mentioned, I was all in!
The route: This is a point-to-point ~10-mile hike described below – you will need two cars or a way (bike or a ride) to get back to your car at the initial trailhead. We traversed from west to east, but you can certainly flip the order and start in New Russia.
Ridge Trail (which meets up with Roaring Brook) to Giant Mountain, continuing on the East Trail to Rocky Peak Ridge and Bald Peak, finishing in New Russia.
Getting there:
Ridge Trail in Keene Valley: Depending which direction you come from: if driving from downstate up the Northway, take exit 30, and make your way onto NY-route 73. After about 6 miles, the parking spots parallel to the road will come into sight on your right. Parking is limited, and this is a popular trailhead due to the shorter length of Giant (compared to other High Peaks.) Note there is also the Roaring Brook Trailhead, which is further down the road with a small parking lot (across the street from the AMR parking lot.) This is another trail that leads to Giant’s summit.
East Trail in New Russia: From the Northway exit 30, instead of continuing onto route 73, veer right to stay on route 9. In about 7 miles, the trailhead parking lot will be to your left. (This is a designated lot that can hold a decent number of cars.)
First stop: Giant Mountain
We all met at the Ridge trailhead at 6AM. Parking was still available but starting to fill up while we were gearing up (despite being a weekday.) They dropped a car at the New Russia trailhead beforehand, so we were all set and ready for the traverse to New Russia. We soon started the ascent on the Ridge Trail on this brisk, but beautiful morning. Before I knew it, I was already stripping off my clothing layers as we were already starting our ascent, quickly after beginning and keeping a steady pace as the temperatures heated up. As we ascended, we stopped often to look behind us – we were already greeted with views! We also noticed the hazy skies from the wildfires out West (so sad) which created a foggy-esque backdrop and would be apparent for most of our day. Soon, we reached a junction for Nubble/Washbowl and the Ridge Trail – we didn’t hit Nubble (a slight detour from the trail) so continued on to Giant. We kept a good pace, looking back more frequently than not to soak in the views. This was my first time up this trail, so I was completely in awe! This trail is maintained and marked, therefore, relatively easy to follow; there were also no technical sections nor anything incredibly difficult on this part. But the elevation gain is for real!
We soon reached the next junction for the Roaring Brook trail (this is another approach to Giant) and continued our way straight up to our destination. Finally, we reached the sign for the East Trail, and continued straight for our final push to Giant – we would come back this way later to continue onto Rocky Peak. And there it was – we made it! The summit area here is smaller than other peaks, but the views you can see from here are amazing! You can also continue on the North Trail (if you keep going straight) for alternative viewing spots. The North Trail is another (longer) approach to Giant (more on that if I complete it one day!)
We took our time refueling on the summit, when suddenly two women appeared- it was Katie and Bethany, the two rock stars who were in the middle of their unsupported 46-er High Peaks hike! This was such a treat to see them, as we were talking earlier about how awesome they were to embark on this journey. We exchanged a few words and cheered them on, as they had to keep moving.
Rocky Peak Ridge (RPR)
After a nice break on Giant, we made our way back to the junction, and turned left to follow the yellow trail markers on the East Trail to Rocky Peak Ridge, 1.2 miles away. I had read a few daunting things about this section, as some hikers said it was sketchy and difficult to descend Giant to RPR; however, I found that with the support of my friends and on a day with good conditions like this one, I had no trouble at all and did not feel it was overly technical. As always, watch your footing and hand placement, and you should be able to navigate this section just fine. This section was muddier than the Ridge trail, for sure though, and I know this would be the constant from here on out.
We then arrived at our second stop of the day – Rocky Peak Ridge. This sprawling summit with 360-degree views is something else entirely. I felt like I was on top of the world here. This was High Peak #22 for me and would for sure be one of my new favorites. You can see as far as Lake Champlain to the East, from the High Peaks to the west – it is truly unbelievable. We stopped and chatted with two men from downstate who couldn’t get parking at the AMR and chose to hike here instead, and then spent some time refueling and soaking in all the goodness of this glorious summit. We could also see Bald Peak ahead of us, our third major stop for the day, and knew it was time to keep moving towards New Russia.
Bald Peak
We could see our next stop in sight so kept following the yellow trail markers on the East Trail. Bald Peak looked so close to us, yet still so far away... within 40 minutes, we had descended RPR to the col and approached Lake Mary Louise, a serene lake accompanied by a much welcomed but short, flatter trail section. This section felt totally remote – we saw not a soul from RPR to New Russia!
I guess I was feeling overly confident, having passed what I thought was the “tricky” section of the day after Giant, so I slipped and took a fall on a slippery rock – fortunately, I only endured a (very) cut-up elbow and was able to keep moving…a good reminder to always carry a first-aid kit! I would be sore the next day with some bruises, but nothing that would keep me from hiking as planned the following days.
This section definitely tested me mentally, as we just completed two High Peaks and still had a bit of a way to go – but the rad friends I had with me kept me laughing and moving forward. This is certainly the benefit off hiking with others- they have your back and keep the laughs coming!
After consistently losing and gaining elevation over smaller peaks, we finally made it to our final destination of the day: Bald Peak. This mountain, along with RPR, is truly incredible, even though it is at lower elevation than a High Peak. I feel like this is an underrated gem in the Adirondacks that sometimes gets overlooked (maybe I’m wrong though?!) We took our final, well-deserved break of the day, soaking in some last bit of sunshine (and wind! Lots of wind!) before descending to the trailhead. I also noticed my trust Merrell boots now had ripped at the seam – we had been through so much together! Fortunately, they were able to make it one last leg back to the car <3.
After some more hiking on the ridge following the numerous cairns and rockpiles, you will enter a tree-covered trail, welcoming you to the final push of the traverse. There is a right you can take to Blueberry Cobbles at one point, but you can also stay on the trail, which is clearly marked, back to the trailhead. This part of the trail was gorgeous, offering a gentle descent covered by trees after you pass the initial steepness of the descent off the summit. After a day that seemed never-ending (in a good way!) we saw it – the car. I felt immense gratitude as we had just completed another rad, adventurous hike in the High Peaks.
Concluding notes: This is an absolutely incredible hike and might actually be one of my new favorites. Even if you are not up for the whole traverse or only have one car, I highly recommend exploring Bald Peak from New Russia – the ridge offers stunning views of the surrounding area and is a pleasant trail to hike.
That said, you will be hiking through exposed open ridge for a good portion of the day- make sure you pack (in addition to longer-hike essentials) sun and wind protection (hat, sunscreen, layers of clothes) should conditions be strong, or even change during the hike, that day. You will be gaining and losing significant elevation constantly throughout the hike, and there are spots on the East trail you will need to watch your footing and exercise caution; however, the rewards you gain from this experience will outweigh the challenging parts. As always, your mental strength may be tested during certain sections; this is a long day.
My recommendation for an ideal day and what you can pair this hike with: Depending where you are headed next, stop by a local restaurant in town (Big Slide Brewery was it for me) and rest – you deserve it. Be proud of yourself that you completed a strenuous, incredible traverse such as this one!
