How to Hike the Infamous Mount Haystack, Along with Basin and Saddleback in the Adirondacks
New York’s Third Highest Peak
Mount Haystack is QUITE the peak to climb! It is located in Keene/Keene Valley, New York and is apart of the Adirondack 46er Challenge. This is a grueling but beautiful hike. I ONLY recommend hiking this trail (plus Basin & Saddleback) if you are an EXPERIENCED hiker, in GOOD shape, and you’ve hiked other Adirondack 46er High Peaks. This trail is NOT for the faint of heart. It is a total of 18.5 miles, with about a 5,100ft of elevation gain, and a total of 3 peaks (if you choose) to hike. Thus, if you are completing the 46er challenge, then you will want to add Basin and Saddleback to your hike. So, yes this is a monster of a hike!
In this article, you will learn all about Mount Haystack, along with how to hike Basin and Saddleback with it, Mount Haystack Trail, Mount Haystack elevation, Mount Haystack NY, Mount Haystack difficulty, Mount Haystack hike, Haystack and Basin, Haystack AllTrails, Basin Mountain, Saddleback Mountain, Mount Haystack trailhead, and more about the Adirondacks in general, and much more.
This post is all about Mount Haystack.
Mount Haystack:
Mount Haystack Trail
Okay, so to get to this mountain, you will begin on Interstate 87 North or South (depending on where you are coming from). Then stay on Interstate 87, until Exit 30. Once you take Exit 30, you will take a left (or right, if coming Southbound) onto Route 73. In about 2-3 miles, you will come upon an intersection, where you want to stay to your left, towards Whiteface, and Lake Placid. Then stay on this road for about 8.4 miles, then you will take a left before the Ausable Inn, onto, Adirondack Street. In .6 of a mile, you will take a left onto, Interbrook Road, which is a small bridge road. Then in .9 of a mile, you will arrive at your destination, the Garden Parking Lot.
You will drive on a dirt, one-way road, for about .3 of a mile, but it is a very manageable road, for all cars. Once you park, you will have to pay $10 for parking. You could also backpack for a weekend, if you want to break up the 18-20 mile route, instead of doing it all in one day (or you could stay at a nearby AirBnB, here is a link to some). You could also stay at the John Brook lodge which is about 3.6 miles into your hike.
I still need quite a bit of backpacking gear, which is why I did this route in one day. However, it’s much more manageable to break this hike up into two-three days, especially if you want to hike the other peaks around Haystack.
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Haystack Mountain Trail & Trailhead
Okay once you have come to the attendant window, if there is no attendant at the ticket window to pay for your parking, then you will open the white mail box type thing, to pay for parking. This will be located on the outside of the ticket window, with writing saying, envelopes, here. You will open the mailbox and take an orange parking ticket and a white envelope to enclose your money in. Then the orange parking ticket you will also fill out, and place on the dashboard of your car. Then you can park your car in any open spot. Now, on weekends in the summer, this parking lot (the Garden parking lot) gets filled SUPER early.
I would advise getting to the Garden on a Saturday in the summer, no later than 5 or 6am. On the weekdays in the summer no later than 7:30am. This lot is not super big and fills up super easily because of weekend backpackers. The summer season starts late June and lasts until early October.
Okay, once you have parked your car, you will walk to the canopy area, and to the sign-in hiker registration book. Then, you can finally start your hike. When you first start, you want to follow the signs to the John Brook lodge, and you will remain on this path for about 3.1 miles. Then you will come upon an intersection, giving directions for Gothics, Saddleback, Mount Marcy, and the John Brook lodge. You want to go right, towards the John Brook lodge for another half a mile. You can also follow the AllTrails Map for this entire hike. If you are going to do this, I would bring a portable charger because your phone will lose battery at some point.
From the John Brook Lodge
Once you are at the lodge, again you can stay here, or camp at the campsites around the area. Here is a link, where you can find out more places to camp near the lodge. You will see signs for Haystack Mountain or Mount Haystack, and various other trails. However, DO NOT follow the blue trail markers for Haystack. You want to follow the YELLOW markers to Mount Marcy. This is called the Phelps trail and it is a much more gradual trail, then the blue markers for Haystack. I was ready to follow the blue markers, but THANK GOD I ran into someone who told me MUCH better directions of how to get to Haystack.
Once you are following the yellow trail markers, you will come upon another intersection with the Hopkins Trail. Here you will start following the red trail markers towards Slant Rock, Marcy, and Haystack (so stay straight). Then in a little over 3 miles, you will come to another intersection, saying straight for Marcy, or left towards the Range Trail. You want to continue towards Marcy, on the red trail markers. Then in a little less than .9 of a mile, you will see another intersection.
If you stay to the right, you will come to little Haystack. Also, if you want to camp closer to Haystack Mountain, Slant Rock is about as close as you can get before you won’t be able to camp anymore. You cannot camp anywhere above 3,000ft. So you might want to keep the Slant Rock campground in mind to stay at, if hiking this route.
{Related Post : How to Become an Adirondack 46er}
Getting to Upper Haystack Mountain
If you go straight (slight right) onto the blue trail, you will go to Basin, but we’ll come to Basin later. Instead, you will stay left onto Little Haystack. Here you will start to do some rock climbing and you will continue to follow the yellow paint markings on the rock, towards upper or actual Haystack. The view on Haystack is OUT OF THIS WORLD, it is truly INCREDIBLE. Now, if you want to continue to Marcy, you can, it’s only about a mile more, and it is New York’s highest peak, at 5,344ft in elevation.
However, if you want to go back down to Basin, and then Saddleback, you can do that as well, or all 4 if you want! If you choose to hike all four, I HIGHLY recommend backpacking or camping at Slant Rock or staying at the John Brook lodge. Staying at either of these places, or around them, will cut down your hikes by at least 6 miles, making all the peaks MUCH more doable.
Hiking to Basin & Saddleback
Alright, once you take in the SHOW STOPPING view at Haystack, you can hike back down to Basin, which is a little longer than half a mile. Once you come back to the blue trail marker intersection pointing straight towards Basin, you will go straight (slight right) towards Basin. Basin is about .7 of a mile away, with some good but manageable rock scrambles. The view on Basin is also, SPECTACULAR! I would take some time, like on Haystack, to take it all in.
Alright, if you want to continue to Saddleback, you will continue to follow the blue trail markers. There will be an obvious path to continue following from Basin. You will stay on this trail for about a mile. Also, I HIGHLY recommend climbing this with SOMEONE, as you will climb up the infamous, “Saddleback Cliffs.” If you are use to climbing, then you will be fine, but if not, I would hike with at least one other person. I say this because the cliffs/rocks are manageable, but a little freaky. You might get that vertigo feeling. But once you are at the summit, it is GORGEOUS!
When I hiked the Saddleback Cliffs, I was freaked out a bit. There’s five parts that are really sketchy, especially if you are on the shorter side. I am 5’4″ and I was “short” for the sketchy parts. Again, the cliffs are doable but freaky. Some people do this loop in reverse and hike Saddleback first, then Basin, and finally, Haystack. Thus, this way, people hike down the Saddleback Cliffs. I’m not sure which why is “freakier,” but whatever sounds easier to you, I would advise trying. And if you get to the cliffs and are freaked out, then you could always stop and hike back to your car. The cliffs are not worth getting stuck on. And there’s always another way to hike the peaks in the Adirondacks.
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Getting Back to the John Brook Lodge
Okay, once you’ve seen the view on Saddleback, you will follow the yellow paint markings on the rocks, back to another maintained, dirt path, where you will find the blue trail markers again. Be careful, because there are a couple of “fake,” trails you could accidentally follow, instead. Thus, keep track of your mileage and time, because if you follow the “right,” path, you should come upon another intersection, in about an hour. This intersection will have signs for Gothics, Armstrong, and Saddleback. Once you see signs for these trails, you know, you are hiking the right way.
At this intersection, you will also see signs for the John Brook Lodge, Keene Valley, and the Garden (Parking Lot). You will follow the blue trail markers again, to come back down to the lodge. In about 3.5 miles or so, you will then come to another intersection, informing you to go left towards the John Brook lodge. Then in about .3 of a mile, you will be back at the lodge.
{Related Article : How to Hike Gothics & the Great Range}
Getting Back to the Parking Lot
Now if this was a day hike for you, from the lodge you will have 3.6 miles back to your car, making this about a 18.6 mile day. However, if you wanted to hike only Basin and Haystack, you simply hike back down the way you came from Basin, making this a 19-20 mile day (my phone recorded 22.5 miles, but my phone is usually generous with the mileage). Also, if you are staying at the lodge, I would follow the loop just mentioned above, with Saddleback included. But if you are camping near Slant Rock, I again, would go back the same way you came up to Haystack Mountain(and whatever other peaks you hiked that day). Again, here is the AllTrails Map of this hike if you would like to follow these directions as well.
In Conclusion
And that is all about Mount Haystack, aka, New York’s third highest peak! I hope this was helpful, and you found some more peaks, that you can’t wait to hike. Thank you for reading, take care, and get out there. Also, below is some of the footage I got from my hike to Haystack, Basin & Saddleback.
This article was all about Haystack Mountain, along with how to hike Basin and Saddleback with it, Haystack Mountain Adirondacks, and more about the Adirondacks in general, more about Haystack Mountain NY, and much more.
P.S. If you want even more mountain inspiration, here is another video, of Saddleback, and Chimney Mountains, enjoy!
