Whiteface & Esther Mountains - Wilmington, NY - 1/15/13

I was thinking of hiking Mount Marshall or Mount Colden today, but I had the chance to hike with fellow hiker Taras (Trail Boss) today on Whiteface and Esther.  We both needed these peaks for our winter 46, so we joined forces for the day (along with my dog Rev). 

It turned out be be quite a nice day.  It was 28 degrees Fahrenheit at the start and the finish.  Trail Boss said the temp on the summit of Whiteface was 15 degrees.  There was almost no wind.

The warm weather from the previous week was gone and the snow is now quite frozen and crunchy.  I wore my snowshoes and had no problem.  They were loud, but they worked fine.  

At the start, it was still partially overcast.  We started from the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center (ASRC) at a brisk pace and traveled the .9 miles to Marble Mountain in 30 minutes.  After an hour and 15 minutes we were at the trail junction for Esther.  We chose Esther first, hoping that the summit of Whiteface would clear by the time we got there.  30 minutes down the Esther herd path and we were on the summit. 

Mike and Rev on the summit of Esther

Whiteface was still in the clouds.  We stopped briefly on Esther for a snack before continuing on. 



 

We reached the Whiteface Memorial Highway and had a good vantage point to see snowmaking operations down below at Whiteface Mountain Ski Area.  The snow guns were blasting.  Once at the auto road, we chose to walk the road to the summit. 



Whiteface Mountain Ski Area down below

The snow guns were going in full force

Rev's getting a snow beard!

Taras enjoying the view of Lake Placid

Lake Placid

Once on the summit, we took our pictures at the summit sign and continued snapping pictures from every angle.  Blue sky could be seen to the north, while it was still somewhat cloudy to the south.  We enjoyed the fact that there was almost no wind on the summit! 

Taras on the summit of Whiteface

Mike & Rev on the summit

Looking north from Whiteface

We only saw 2 hikers during the day.  They reached the summit of Whiteface shortly after we did, and we all had a nice chat.

 

The summit structures amidst an interesting sky

We had reached the summit of Whiteface in 3 hours from the car, and we stayed on the summit for probably 20 minutes.  We had some more snacks and then descended along the ridge trail back to the auto road and then retraced the trail back to Marble Mountain and down. 

 

Taras set a fast pace down (perhaps trying to show Rev who was boss).  It didn't work.  Rev came out on top.  It was fun to trot down the trail, although I broke a snowshoe strap, and a second one is hanging by a thread.

 

 

  

 

 
 

At 5 hours and 15 minutes from our start we were back at the car.  The sunshine continued to increase as the day went on, and we both had an enjoyable day.  Thanks Taras for letting me join you on this hike.  I enjoyed your company.

Hike Stats:

Hike Distance:  ~ 10 miles

Hike Time:  5 hours, 15 minutes, including stopping time

Total Vertical Gain:  ~ 3590'

My 4/20/12 early spring trip report from this route can be seen here.
 

Our route shown in blue

A close up view of our route 





Whiteface & Esther Mountains - Wilmington, NY - 4/20/12

Whiteface and Esther Mountains in Wilmington, NY are both on the Adirondack High Peaks list, and are both often hiked together since close together.  There are several trail options to choose from.  On Saturday, Leesa and I chose to start at the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center and hike up Marble Mountain to Whiteface Mountain and then on the way back, take the herd path to Esther Mountain.  

Whiteface Mountain is the home of Whiteface Ski Area (Largest Vertical Drop East of the Rockies).  It also has an auto road which goes to within about 250 feet of the summit.  The actual summit has several buildings on it.  Since the summit is an open rock summit, there are fantastic views in all directions, provided the weather is good.

Esther's summit is pretty much in the trees.  There is a small opening looking back to Whiteface, otherwise the summit views are quite limited.

Are these emergency shelters?  It would be kind of neat to try out.

We started from the parking area at 10:15 AM.  There are no trail signs at this trailhead, but from the designated parking area, the trail isn't too hard to find.   It appears that perhaps there was once an incline railway going up to the summit of Marble Mountain.  Several old concrete piers remain and the trail is totally straight up a rocky path.  The summit of Marble Mountain is just a short .9 miles from the trailhead and we reached it in about 35 minutes.  There are some views at that location. 

There was quite a bit of blowdown from Hurricane Irene at a couple spots

From Marble, the path was no longer a straight rocky incline trail, but a normal trail winding its' way upward.
After 2.25 miles, we reached the junction with the Esther herd path, but we continued towards Whiteface.  Esther was our 2nd priority.  After another mile, the trail reached the auto road at about 4350'.  We chose to walk the auto road the remaining short distance to the summit.  The last little section of the trail was steep and somewhat icy and snowy.  The dog might have objected.  It was also starting to rain a little bit, but fortunately, that only lasted about 5 minutes.  

A second one a little ways before the junction with the Esther herd path

Leesa and Rev on the final 200 feet of stone steps to the summit

The clouds were interesting and threatening, but held off

The summit structures

When we got to the summit, we had it all to ourselves.  There were no other hikers and the auto road doesn't open up until close to Memorial Day.  Nice to have a commercialized summit to ourselves.

Rev -  just observing Lake Placid down below

We stayed on the summit for a half an hour and had some lunch and enjoyed the views.

The top!

Mike - obviously not getting Rev to sit still

There we go!

But not for long

A view of the summit

A new deck on top

The way back to summit parking

Nice stonework

After enjoying our time on Whiteface we walked the mile back to the Esther Mountain herd path and followed that to the summit of Esther.  Even though the path is supposedly not maintained, there was a nice foot bridge at one point over a swampy area.  There were no trail markers, but the path was easy to follow.

Esther Mountain

Esther Mountain summit plaque

View of Whiteface from Esther

We enjoyed the day.  The ice line was at about 3500'.  At that point, put on our micro spikes until we got to the auto road.  There was a little snow left in the shaded areas up high.  There were still no bugs on the trail, so that was great.  We are starting to see the black flies in some areas down low.  A sucessful day and trip!

Hike Stats:

Hike Distance:  10.0 miles
Hike Time:  7 hours 15 minutes
Total Vertical Gain:  3975'

Trailhead Elevation:  1950'
Marble Mountain Elevation:  2733'
Whiteface Mountain Elevation:  4865'
Lookout Mountain Elevation:  4075'
Esther Mountain Elevation:  4240'
 

Our route shown in blue

A Google Earth look at our route

My Whiteface and Esther Mountain map at EveryTrail