Nine peaks around Lake Placid, none on the 46 list. The recommended post-46 introduction to the lower peaks — short days, big views, and a finisher's patch from ROOST.
The Lake Placid 9er is administered by ROOST — the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism. Nine peaks that ring the village, all hikable in a day, none above 4,000 feet. The list reads like a greatest-hits of the lower High Peaks region: Mount Jo above Heart Lake, Hurricane’s fire tower over the Jay Range, Catamount’s exposed open summit, and Pitchoff’s long ridge across the road from Cascade.
Several sections of the Pitchoff Mountain Trail, including the segment to "Balanced Rocks", are severely eroded.
Cobble Hill rises to 2,336 feet in the eastern Adirondacks. A short bushwhack from nearby trails; the wooded summit offers no views, but the climb is quick and the peak sees few visitors.
Mount Jo rises to 2,877 feet above the Adirondak Loj trailhead — a 2.3-mile round-trip climb that delivers summit views of Mount Marcy and Heart Lake in under two hours. Short trail, open rock ledges, and reliable footing make it the standard warm-up hike for newcomers testing their legs.
Baxter Mountain rises to 2,425 feet in the southeastern Adirondacks near Keene Valley. The 1.5-mile trail from Route 9N climbs steadily to open ledges with views across the Champlain Valley — a short hike rewarding hikers with minimal time investment.
Mount Van Hoevenberg rises to 2,936 feet between Lake Placid and the High Peaks Wilderness. The summit trail is a moderate 4-mile round-trip from the Olympic Sports Complex parking area — steady climb, forested views, quiet compared to its famous neighbors.
Big Crow Mountain rises to 2,812 feet in the northern Adirondacks with no maintained trail to its summit. Bushwhackers climb it for solitude and a modest view — most approach from the north via logging roads near Debar Mountain Road.
A sub-peak of Whiteface near the Memorial Highway base lodge. Member of the Lake Placid 9er challenge.
Pitchoff Mountain rises to 3,497 feet along Route 73 between Keene and Lake Placid, offering multiple open ledges with direct views of the High Peaks across the valley. The ridge traverse covers roughly 5 miles with several summit knobs — steep in sections, but the exposed rock slabs make it a reliable viewpoint hike.
Catamount Mountain rises to 3,173 feet in the southern Adirondacks, a trailless peak climbed by bushwhack from Wakely Dam or Mill Creek Road. The route demands navigation skills and tolerance for thick spruce — count on slow miles and no views until you summit.
Hurricane Mountain stands at 3,678 feet in the Champlain Valley region, topped by a fire tower that survived decommissioning in 1971. The standard route climbs 3.6 miles round-trip from Route 9N — steep in sections, but the summit tower delivers a 360-degree sweep of the High Peaks, Lake Champlain, and Vermont's Green Mountains.
ROOST publishes the 9er as a post-46 introduction to the lower peaks, but in practice it’s also become the go-to for visitors who want a single trip-checklist that scales from a long weekend to a full week. Big Crow at 1.2 miles RT and Hurricane at 6.8 are the reasonable bookends; the conventional shape is building a four-day itinerary out of pairs (a shorter peak and a longer peak per day).
Three of the nine share trailheads with 46er routes. Cobble Hill and Mount Jo both leave from Heart Lake / Adirondak Loj — same parking, same fee, same first quarter-mile as Marcy. Mount Van Hoevenberg leaves from the Olympic Cross Country Center. That means the 9er can double as reconnaissance: bag the lower peak as a half-day, then come back the next morning for the 46er from the same parking lot.
Bear Den Mountain is the asterisk on this list. ROOST counts it; USGS doesn’t recognize it as a named peak (it’s a shoulder of Whiteface). The trail leaves from the Whiteface Memorial Highway base lodge; ROOST’s 3.4-mile RT figure includes the parking loop. Don’t look for it on a USGS topo — look for the highway base lodge and walk uphill.
Register, download the printable log, submit your completion for the finisher's patch.
Lake Placid as a base — hotels, restaurants, what to do on weather days.
The trailhead lodge for Cobble Hill + Mount Jo + most 46er routes. Bunks, parking, gear shop.
The bigger list. Many 9er finishers cross over directly — these were the warmup.
Closures, advisories, and bridge-outs across the Park, refreshed hourly from the DEC feed.
Sortable table of all 46 with difficulty, mileage, suggested order, and routing notes.
Browse the full Adirondack trail network. Filter by region, length, and difficulty.
Trail stewardship, the Adirondak Loj, education programs, advocacy. Membership funds the trails you hike.
Register through ROOST, log each summit, and submit your completion form. ROOST sends a finisher’s patch and lists you on the official roster. Many hikers use the 9er as a warm-up for the 46 or as a parallel project for friends and family who don’t want to commit to the longer list.
