How to Hike and Get to Indian Head in the Adirondack Mountains
Indian Head Adirondacks, is probably the most famous hike in the entire Adirondack Park. It is the famous picture of the lake in the middle and two mountains on both sides of the lake. Once you see my pictures of the summit, you will probably know what I’m referring to. Anyways, this is an awesome/beautiful hike in the Adirondack Mountains that if often paired with Rainbow Falls.
I have hiked Indian Head and Rainbow Falls many times, in every season actually. All times, the summit has always been beautiful. Here you will learn about how to get to the hike, how far and how much elevation gain there is, how much time it will take and more.
Also, in this article you will read about Indian Head Adirondacks parking, Indian Head Adirondacks permit, Indian Head Adirondacks directions, Indian Head Adirondacks elevation, Indian Head Adirondacks winter, Indian Head Adirondacks NY, Indian Head Adirondacks hike, Indian Head Adirondacks difficulty, and more.
This post is all about Indian Head Adirondacks.
Indian Head Adirondacks:
These are two sensational sights to see for all hikers. Indian Head hike is more geared towards intermediate hikers. I would say, beginners might find this a little to long, while advanced hikers, might find this not long and strenuous enough. Round trip, this loop is about 15 miles, however, if you only want to see one of these sites, it will only be about 11 miles.
That being said, most of the miles rack up, on roads, not steepness. If you hike Rainbow Falls only, it is not steep at all, and will be about 8 miles roundtrip. Whereas, Indian Head is 11 miles round trip, and steep near the last 1-2 miles of the summit. But both are WELL WORTH the miles!
Indian Head Adirondacks Directions
To get to these awesome sites, you will start your journey on Interstate 87 North. You will take this Interstate until Exit 30. Once you take Exit 30, you will then, take a left onto Route 73. You will stay on Route 73 for about 2-3 miles, then come upon an intersection. For this intersection, you will stay left towards the High Peaks, then you will remain, on Route 73, for a little over 5 miles.
Then you will see Ausable Road on your left, you will take a left onto this road, into the AMR parking lot. If this lot is full, you can park across the street in the Roaring Brook lot. And if this lot is full, you can drive about half a mile further down the road, to the Hopkins Trail parking area. This parking is on the road, and there will be a small green sign, saying Hopkins Trail, and this will be where you park.
Indian Head Adirondacks Permit
*Disclaimer, as of May 1st 2021, you will need a parking/hiking reservation if you plan on hiking anywhere at the Ausable Club, which is where Indian Head and Rainbow Falls are located. You’ll need a reservation from May 1st through October 31st. Thus, you will need a permit to hike/park here. It’s very easy, you can access parking/hiking permits here and they are free. You will need to print your reservation and show it at parking and the hiking registration area.*
Indian Head Adirondacks Hike
Okay, once you have parked, you will walk on the dirt road leading to the Ausable Club golf course. After the golf course, you will see signs for Indian Head, and you will take a left towards the Tennis Courts, continuing down to the hiker registration area. Here you sign into the hiker registration, it will be a large book, with various stands of information around it. You will also have to show your permit here. You can print your permit reservations or show a picture of them on your phone to the attendant.
Then once you have signed in, you will walk towards and past the engraved AMR gate, then stay on this road, Lake Road, for 3 miles, until you see the cut off for Colvin and Indian Head. Then you will reach your summit in about 2 or so miles. There are a couple other lookouts along this hike too. Then once you reach the summit, I hope you will be as blown away as I was. We hiked this trail in October, when the leaves had just changed. You can hike this trail anytime and be blown away, but if you want some leaf poppin’, then definitely hike it in autumn!
Hiking Back to Indian Head Adirondacks Parking
Okay, after you take in all the views and snap all the pictures, you will follow the same trail down, as you did up. Then once, you get back to Lake Road, you will continue to your left, down the road. You will walk all the way down Lake Road, to the signs for Gothics, Pyramid, Sawteeth, and Rainbow Falls. Then, you will turn right here, and then walk down to the bridge, and cross the bridge. You will continue straight, until you see the turn off for Rainbow Falls to your right. Then in about half a mile, you will see the falls, and oh my, is she a show stopper! It really is beautiful! If you have the extra energy, I HIGHLY recommend seeing it!
Okay, after you have seen the falls, you will walk back to the spilt about half a mile away, and follow the East River Trail, back down. Or, you can simply come back the way you came, and follow Lake Road back to the Ausable Club. However, taking the East River Trail is much more scenic. You will come out back to Lake Road, if you follow the East River Trail, but much further down. Where you come out, you will only have about a mile left of a walk until the Ausable Club.
In Conclusion
Once you get back to the club, you can sign out, at the hiker registration area. Then, finally, walk back to your car. Overall, this is a great, and very manageable hike. Again, if you hike Indian Falls, I would make sure, you’re at least an intermediate hiker, because there are some steep spots, and because of the sheer length of the hike. And if you just hike Rainbow Falls, it is very manageable for all, again, keep in mind it will be about 8 miles. I highly recommend these two sites though, they are AWESOME!
Also, I have hiked this hike in the winter and it’s just as beautiful. However, when I hiked it in the winter, I only went to Indian Head, I did not hike to Rainbow Falls. If hiking in the winter, always bring micro spikes, snowshoes, proper clothing, and gear, that you can find here. The general rule of thumb is you must wear snowshoes if there is 8 inches or more of snow on the ground. I usually bring my snowshoes with me anyways, because the summit always has more snow than the base of the mountain. Anyways, thank you so much for reading and I hope you hike this beautiful hike one day!
This article was all about Indian Head Adirondacks permit, Indian Head Adirondacks directions, Indian Head Adirondacks elevation, Indian Head Adirondacks winter, Indian Head Adirondacks NY, Indian Head Adirondacks difficulty, and more.
