Goodnow Mountain

The Adirondack Mountain Club hails Goodnow Mountain as “a good hike for families” and I’d have to agree. A few members of our Adirondack Riverman family did this hike over Columbus Day weekend, and we encountered many other families along the path.

Goodnow Mountain is a beautiful, 2 mile hike located off 28N in Newcomb, NY with an excellent, broad spot for picnicking at its summit. The hike alternates between long stretches of flat path and intervals of moderate incline. The trail is wide and well-tended by SUNY ESF (Environmental Science and Forestry). The students have built lots of bridges and steps over the more treacherous (read: streams and hills) parts of the trail, making this a picturesque, fairy-tale-like experience in the woods if the weather is nice. Photographs of Goodnow were recently featured in both Adirondack Life magazine and National Geographic Magazine, providing further evidence of just how pretty this hike is. The trail is lined by a variety of trees and there are lots of critters to find! We saw a few snakes (read: it’s a good thing Bob wasn’t with us) and some toads as an added bonus to the day.

Before beginning the hike, make sure to pick up a trail guide at the trailhead sign in. Along the trail, there are various locations labeled that correspond to information found in the guide. I can only assume these locations hold secrets to interesting facts about the environment and the history of the mountain. The reason I can only assume, and do not know for sure, is because we forgot to pick up a guide. Learn from the mistakes of others! If guides are unavailable at the trailhead sign in, they can be picked up from the Adirondack Interpretive Center on Route 28N.

There’s a lot to explore on Goodnow, including an old stable, the foundation of a dilapidated building and an old fire tower. The fire tower is at the top of the mountain and is accompanied by the old firewatcher’s cabin, home to the firewatchers who kept their post atop Goodnow. The cabin is locked, but has a interpretive plaque on the side of it and you can read about its history as well as see some of the actual logs the firewatchers kept. Unlike the cabin, the fire tower is accessible and you can climb all the way to the top. Having recently survived the DC Earthquake, I was a bit wary of the tower as it a) is old, b) looked rickety, and c) it was a very windy day. I am happy to announce that I did climb to the top (read: very slowly) and did, in fact, survive. In all fairness, my fear was more about my reluctance to leave solid ground rather than the stability of the structure. I’m happy to say that the 360 degree views at the top of the tower are worth conquering any doubts you may have about ascending it. Bogs, lakes, and mountains abound, and a key is provided inside the tower so you know what you’re looking at.

Overall, an excellent fall day hike. If Rick ever writes a blog post, he can tell you what its like to hike it in the winter.