On the Trail from the Wilmington Side, Sept. '00 (Whiteface) & July '03 (Esther)
From the Rte 86 Lake Placid Side in July 2005
Whiteface Mtn. : 4,867, 5th Highest Elevation; Mount Esther: 4,240, 28th Highest
On top of Whiteface. Most folks get there by driving up the Memorial
Highway. Plaque commemorating
Esther's
mistake.
Lake Placid as seen from top of Whiteface.
| Whiteface, along with
Esther, the two high peaks you can see from Ausable Lodge and Otter
Cottage, can be
reached from the North via two spots on the Veterans Memorial Highway,
the
road that takes motorists up to the summit of Whiteface in season. From
four
corners in Wilmington (where Route 86 heads south towards Lake Placid
at
the Mel's Diner/ Candyman intersection), take the highway up, looking
on
your left for signs to the Whiteface trail and the Wilmington Reservoir.
A second trail begins further up the highway on your left,
from the
Atmospheric Sciences Research Center, a turnoff before you reach the
toll
gate to Whiteface. Both of these approaches begin with kind of
steep
climbs, which make you wonder why you didn't go fishing instead.
However,
take heart, both the trail to Whiteface, and the offshot trail to
Lookout
Mountain and Esther become easier as you progress. The view from
Whiteface
is great, while the view from Esther is merely okay. I recommend Esther
only
if you're on your way to becoming a 46er. Esther is supposed to be a
"bushwhack",
but I had no trouble following the "herd"trail. You can also hike up
Whiteface
from the south, taking the trail to the top of Lake Placid (the lake,
not
the town) from the right side of Rte. 86, just beyond where the West
Branch
of the Ausable River heads off along River Drive, towards the Olympic
Ski
Jumps. This trail is an excellent trail for kids and family, at least
as
far as to the landing on Lake Placid. From there, a hiker can choose to
head
up Whiteface, a more serious challenge. |
Trail shots.
