Phelps Brook drains northeast from the high country between Whiteface and Esther, threading through state forest before joining the West Branch of the Ausable River near Lake Placid village. It's a cold, fast-moving feeder stream — the kind of water that holds wild brookies in its headwater pockets but gets overlooked by anglers focused on the main-stem Ausable or the more accessible branches closer to the road. The brook runs through dense mixed hardwood and spruce, crossing under a few forest roads on its way down, but there's no formal trail system tied to it. If you're bushwhacking off Whiteface or Esther and intersecting a drainage mid-slope, this is likely it.
Closest parking lots within range, ranked by walking distance. Accessibility flags come from Google verified-data; surface and capacity from OpenStreetMap. Confirm hours and seasonal closures before you go.
+22 more on the map above
Free, takes thirty seconds. Yours forever.
Every page on this site gets better when readers contribute. Mark a peak you’ve climbed, drop a photo, file a field note, or flag a correction — every addition makes the next visitor’s page better.
Sunrise on the dock, a cairn at the summit, a bend on the trail. Your camera roll, our archive.
Add a photo →Trail conditions, water level, bug pressure, blowdown. The kind of detail that helps the next person plan.
Write a field note →Wrong elevation, outdated access notes, a coordinate that's drifted. We'd rather hear it than miss it.
Suggest an edit →
What to do, where to stay, and what's reopening across the Park as the snow melts and the calendar fills.
A complete planning guide: difficulty by peak, common combo days, seasonal realities, and a sortable, filterable table of every summit.
Overnight, day, and trip camps in the Park — the camp belt, choosing the right fit, costs and financial aid, ACA accreditation, and the questions every parent should ask before they commit.