How to Hike Blake Peak and Mount Colvin in the Adirondack Mountains
Blake Peak is located in Keene, NY, about 20 minutes from Lake Placid, NY. And about 2 hours from Albany, and 4-6 hours north of NYC. Most often people pair Blake peak with Mount Colvin, and sometimes with Dial and Nippletop. On their own, Blake and Colvin are about 14 miles from the AMR (Adirondack Mountain Reserve or the Ausable Club).
Blake peak and Mount Colvin are both 46ers, that take about 8-9 hours to complete with an elevation gain of about 4,035ft. When I hiked Colvin and Blake, my phone recorded walking about 17 total miles. And let me say, I LOVED Colvin but HATED Blake. Colvin has a BEAUTIFUL summit in my opinion, while Blake has NOTHING. You don’t even realize you’re at the summit of Blake, except for a “B” craved into one of the trees, and the sign pointing towards Mt. Colvin and the other way pointing towards the ridge to Pinnacle. Hiking to Blake is a true Adirondack summit, very mysterious and rugged.
Anyways, this post is all about the different and best ways (in my opinion) to hike Blake and Colvin. How to get there, how long the different routes take, the best routes, and more.
This post is all about Colvin and Blake.
Colvin and Blake:
How to Get There
These two 46ers are located in Keene/Keene Valley, New York. To get there, you will get on Interstate 87 North or South (depending where you are coming from) until Exit 30. You will take Exit 30, then a left (or right if coming southbound), onto Route 73. In about 2-3 miles you will come upon an interesting intersection, you will stay to your left, towards Lake Placid and Keene.
In about 5.3 miles you will take a left into the parking lot, or the AMR. You will have to make a reservation if you are hiking between May 1st through October 31st. The reservation is free and you will have to print it out or take a picture of your reservation on your phone and show it to a couple different people. You can make a reservation through this website.
Okay, from the AMR parking lot, you will walk along the road, and pass the golf course, which is about .5-1 mile walk. Then you will see different signs, giving you directions for Indian Head, and a couple other trails. You will keep to your left, and walk past the tennis courts, and different private parking lots, then you will come upon the hiker registration area. You will have to sign in here and show the rangers your reservation.
After signing in, you will continue straight, to an engraved AMR gate. You will walk through or around the gate and walk on the dirt road, the infamous, Lake Road, for about 2-3 miles. In 2-3 miles you will see a sign for Colvin, which you will take, and this is where your hike truly begins. This is the Gill Brook Trail.
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Blake Peak and Colvin Mountain Directions
You will stay on the Gill Brook trail for about .7 of a mile, where you will see more signs for Colvin, which you will take. You will now be on the Colvin trail, which you will stay on for about 2 miles. It is pretty much an uphill battle from here, so be prepared. Right BEFORE the summit of Colvin, you will come across a ladder. This ladder is your INDICATION that you are BASICALLY at the summit of Mount Colvin.
After you climb the ladder, you will come across a little flat area, where there will be signs for Blake Peak. However, to the right of this sign, will be Mount Colvin. Mount Colvin has a BEAUTIFUL summit, seriously! I have hiked Colvin both in the summer and winter and it has NEVER disappointed me! I will say, the only negative is Mount Colvin’s summit is small. Thus, you might want to hike this one in the winter or on a weekday so the summit isn’t as crowded. So, you can really enjoy it. Also, to get an even better view, you can walk past the two trees, on the rocks, and you will see a MUCH better view. There’s also views on your way to Blake.
Now, for Blake, you will walk back down to the flat area, where the sign for Blake peak is and follow it to your right. I will warn you, getting to Blake is a bitch. Typically, it’s muddy, has a LOT of technical and intense steep parts, goes up AND down until the last half mile, which is ALL uphill, and doesn’t even have a view. It’s about a mile and a half of annoyance. I ONLY recommend hiking Blake if you are completing your 46. Otherwise, DON’T do it.
There is absolutely NO view, and you will have no idea you’re at the summit except for some signs and a tree craving. It is NOT worth it in my opinion, if you are not finishing your 46ers to hike Blake Peak. Especially, because the hike back is even more atrocious than the hike there. You will go back the way you came to get back to the Gill Brook Trail and your car.
Adding Dial and Nippletop
Now, if Blake and Colvin together, aren’t enough of a challenge for you, you can add Dial and Nippletop too. This is an even longer hike, about 20 miles, with about a 6,122ft of elevation gain, and will take you about 12-13 hours to complete.
You will park in the same area, the AMR, and follow the same directions as the ones stated above to Lake Road. Once on Lake Road, you will take a left onto the Leach Trail towards Dial and Nippletop. The Leach Trail is STEEP, there is really NO rest from the elevation gain on this trail. After about 3.5 miles you will come to Dial, again there’s no summit sign, just a big rock boulder, with an INCREDIBLE view! This is another small but AMAZING summit.
After Dial, you will continue on the Leach Trail, pass Dial for about 1.5 miles to Nippletop. Again, Nippletop has a BEAUTIFUL but small summit. So again, I advise doing this on a weekday or less crowded day so you can enjoy the summit more. After Nippletop, you will walk back the way you came to an intersection for the Elk Pass Trail in about .7 of a mile. Then come upon another intersection with the Colvin Trail. You will follow the Colvin Trail for about .9 of a mile.
Then you will be at the summit of Colvin, again, lookout for the ladder, as your indiction that you are almost at Colvin. Then like stated above, you will follow the same directions to get to Blake Peak. After Blake, you will hike back the way you came to Colvin. Then, back down the ladder and follow the Gill Brook Trail ALL the way back to Lake Road.
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Overall, I recommend hiking Blake peak in the adks with Colvin together. THEN pair Dial and Nippletop together on a DIFFERENT day. I think this is the best way to ENJOY these peaks and not kill yourself in the process. However, if you have already hiked all these peaks and want a challenge, then adding on Dial and Nippletop could be a good challenge for you.
I hope this article was helpful for you and you found the right way to hike Blake peak and Mount Colvin for you. Thank you SO much for reading and I hope you have an AWESOME hike on Blake and Colvin. Thank you and take care!
