Hike the Great Range Traverse in the Adirondack Mountains
An epic weekend summiting 8 peaks of the Great Range Traverse, New York State; one of the most challenging short hikes in the world
Trip Ref #10107
Hike the Great Range Traverse in the Adirondack Mountains
An epic weekend summiting 8 peaks of the Great Range Traverse, New York State; one of the most challenging short hikes in the world
DURATION
2 nights
LOCATION
USA
ANNUAL LEAVE
1 day off work
SEASON
May-Aug
GROUP SIZE
Up to 9 people
MEETING POINT
Central Manhattan
ACCOMMODATION
Lodge
OVERALL RATING
0.0
DIFFICULTY
Tough
Experienced and fit hikers looking to escape the city for a challenging weekend adventure
Reach the highest point in New York State - Mount Marcy - and soak up the spectacular sweeping views over the Adirondack Mountains beneath you
Tackle one of the world's most challenging day hikes, with rugged ascents, technical scrambles and heart pounding descents along the trails.
Hike to the summit of eight peaks above 4000ft which make up the Great Range of the Adirondack Mountains, in the heart of upstate New York.
Day 1
Depart for the Adirondacks and warm up with a hike on Mount Jo
Hiking
2.5hrs · 2.5 miles · 700ft up · 700ft down
You'll depart early in the morning from New York, heading upstate towards your mountain home for the next 2 nights. After arriving in the Adirondack High peaks area, you'll head out on a short hike up Mount Jo. You'll get the legs moving, get ready for the big day tomorrow, and enjoy views across much of the range that you'll be hiking across.
You'll enjoy a hearty dinner before bunking down at the Loj to prepare for the big day tomorrow.
Day 2
Take on the Great Range Traverse
Hiking
10-14 hrs · 21 miles · 9000 ft up · 9000ft down
Alarm clocks will be ringing before dawn today as you get a early start to take the short drive to the trailhead. You'll start hiking just as the sun is rising and you'll soon be taking in some of the finest views New York State has to offer as you make your way along the mountain ridge. You'll pass over eight 4000ft+ peaks and be well on your way to becoming an' Adirondack '46-er' by the end of the day. Be prepared for some heart pounding scrambling and climbing on the Adirondack's notoriously rugged terrain.
The final peak of your hike, Mount Marcy, is the crescendo of our day and at 5344ft; the highest peak in the state of New York. As you descend, you'll make your way back below the tree line and will finish your traverse just steps from the Loj. Here, you'll rest your legs, enjoy a delicious and well-earned dinner and relax by the fireplace.
Day 3
Head back to New York City
You will be able to hit your snooze button this morning before grabbing some breakfast at the lodge. You have a leisurely drive back to New York City, stopping for lunch along the way.
Included
Guides
Expert, certified guides with wilderness first responder training
Accommodation
2 nights in the historic Adirondack Loj
Meals
All meals except lunch on the drive to/from the New York
Transfers
All transfers to/from Central Manhattan
Permits
All entry fees and permits
Not Included
Flights to and from the meeting point
Travel insurance
Personal expenses
Some meals as described
Tips for your guides
Day 1
Lodge · Mixed dorm
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 2
Lodge · Mixed dorm
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 3
Departure day
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
What is the food like?
Evening meals will be based around rice and pasta dishes with fresh vegetables. For breakfast there will be eggs, pancakes and fruit. Lunches will be meat-based sandwiches unless you request a vegan/vegetarian option. During the adventure you'll be kept full of delicious, local snacks! Water, tea and coffee are provided and wine and beer can be purchased in the evenings.
Vegetarian, vegan and most dietary requirements can be accommodated on this trip.
What is the accommodation like?
Adirondack Loj
You'll be staying at this historic lodge near Lake Placid in the Adirondack High Peaks region. Located on the shore of Heart Lake, the Loj was built in 1927 and is owned and operated by the Adirondack Mountain Club. You'll be staying in mixed 4 or 6-person rooms with bunk beds. Much welcome hot showers and tasty meals are served at the lodge.
The Area
Logistics
Starts
Central Manhattan
06:45 on Day 1
Ends
Central Manhattan
Around 18:00 on Day 3 (depending on traffic)
Transfers
On Day 1 you'll meet your host at the corner of Broadway and W 73rd street, northwest corner in front of The North Face store. The drive to the mountains takes around 5-6 hours, with a relaxing stop for lunch. Alternatively - you are welcome to make your own way directly to the first night of accommodation if you wish.
On Day 3 you'll typically arrive back roughly between 1600-1800, however, it is entirely dependent on traffic coming into New York City, which is very unpredictable. We strongly recommend you don't make any plans for the evening or book flights departing until after 2200 - in case of delays.
Travel options
If you are flying in - there are direct flights to New York via JFK, LaGuardia and Newark airports from across the US and Europe. From there you can easily make your way into central Manhatten.
Enjoy 12.5% Off Outdoor Gear
In need of a few more items? All bookings receive a 12.5% discount to use at Cotswold Outdoor, Snow + Rock and Runner's Need.
What do I need to bring?
Bags
- Rain cover or plastic bags to waterproof backpack
- 30+L backpack
Clothes
- Hiking boots
- Moisture-wicking, non-cotton base layers (top and bottom).
- Fleece
- Insulating top layer
- Insulating bottom layer
- Fully waterproof top and bottom layers that can be worn over all other layers
- Long underwear for sleeping
- Fleece hat
- Neck buff
- Sun hat
- Light and comfortable camp/lodge/car shoes
Other
- Personal toiletries
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Bug spray
- Head torch
- Trekking poles
- Water bottles or bladder (must have 3L capacity in total)
No optional extras are available for this trip.
We’re still waiting to collect any reviews from other travellers on this trip. However, all our hosts go through an extensive vetting process to ensure that your adventure is awesome.
We've crunched the numbers to work out the total carbon footprint of this trip, and plant enough trees to suck 2x as much back out the atmosphere.
What's the number?
It works out on average at 110kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, guides, staff and office operations.
The only thing it doesn’t include right now is flights and travel to the destination. We do make an overall estimate across all our customers separately, but as we don’t book flights, have customers from all corners of the world, and no way of reliably knowing their travel plans, we simply can’t include an individual number in the figure on display here. We’ve got a goal for 2023 to fix that, so that when you book, there is a way to measure and mitigate the carbon emitted by your flight too.
But what does the number mean?
Yep, hard to picture eh? To give you an idea:
- Driving 1000miles/1609km would be approx. 281kg of CO2 in an average car (or 140.5kg per person if there was 2 of you in it).
- A return economy class flight London - New York would be approx. 1,619kg (1.66 tonnes) per person.
- 10 trees in a temperate forest are estimated to remove approx. 250kg of CO2 from the air in a period of 5-10 years.
What are we doing about it?
Our trips are relatively low-carbon by design, and we're working with all our hosts to develop long term carbon reduction plans. For every person booked with us since 2016 we’re planting enough trees to suck at least 2x more carbon out the atmosphere than is emitted by their trips. All native trees, as part of amazing projects that are re-foresting degraded land, tackling the biodiversity crisis and supporting local communities at the same time. We go further than that too, also funding re-wilding projects worldwide to help protect important keystone species from extinction. See the reforestation and re-wilding schemes we support. See our carbon action plan.
Want to know more?
Amazingly, no international travel company has ever publicly published their carbon measurements before, as far as we know. We believe that must change, quickly. So we’re openly sharing the method we used in the hope that other companies will be able to more easily follow suit and build on what we've done so far. You'll find it all here.
This trip is for experienced hikers and fit individuals only, so you'll need to arrive prepared for a big challenge. Day 2 involves passing over eight peaks with a total elevation gain of over 9000ft / 2700m.
The hike is designed to set you up for success - with plenty of water resupply points, a refuel and bail-out option midway through, and the support of experienced hiking guides. You'll be able to travel light and move fast and will be encouraged to hike at your optimal pace.
Sure can! Over 50% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
Tips are not included in the trip cost. The amount to tip is entirely at your discretion but there is an expectation to tip in the USA; your guides will rely on tips for a considerable portion of their income.
We suggest to budget for 10%-20% of the trip cost as a guideline.
Of course, you are free to tip more or less, and the amount should be reflective of your perception of service and quality - a tip is not compulsory and should only be given when you receive excellent service.
The hiking route has several water re-supply points, so you just need to bring reusable water bottles to fill up throughout the hike
Room is limited in the van, so participants should only bring their backpack and one small extra item, such as a duffel bag, for any extras.
Our recommended travel insurance provider is Campbell Irvine.
Travel insurance is compulsory on all of our adventures. Your insurance should include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation/repatriation, your baggage and equipment and the specific activities involved on your adventure.
Your insurance policy should also include specific Covid-19 cover, including cancellation and curtailment cover if you, your travel companion or a close relative are diagnosed with Covid-19.
We fully endorse Campbell Irvine as their insurance offers all of the above, so get in touch with them or call on 020 7938 1734 to get your insurance sorted. We suggest that you book travel insurance as soon as you book your adventure, just to cover you for any last minute life changes. We know you’re an active lot and injuries do happen!
We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.
If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.
All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy (18+) as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. Children can be accommodated on some private departures.
You're in good company. Our adventures are typically made up of a mix of solo travellers and small groups of two or three friends who simply love adventure, pushing themselves and meeting awesome like-minded people. See here for more info about our lovely bunch of Much Better Adventurers.
Want to book a private trip? Just tap ‘Private Group’ in the dates and prices tab.
Your trip is led by carefully curated local hosts and expert guides. See here for more info about the guides we work with.
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