A short way down there is a trail off to the left to go out to the East Slide Lookout. After coming back from Rocky Peak I took another look and it was perfect. No extra car? Rocky Peak Ridge via Giant Mountain Hikers can begin at the Roaring Brook or Chapel Pond trailheads to begin this hike. It was steep, wet, and fun. Please respect the outdoors by practicing Leave No Trace. If you can caravan cars, you can make the trip a loop – beginning at either the Ridge or Roaring Brook trailhead and ending at … Mileage: 8.5 Miles up and back            Parking area and Directions 44.138463,-73.743850, Rise: 4,436 ft  (2 Peaks)                                                             Facebook, Hike Time: 8 hrs (35 min from Giant to Rocky)                   Weather, Snow Pack                                                                  East Coast Fire Tower Page, Significance: Giant is #12 on the list of Adirondack High Peaks and Rocky Peak is #20. She is a good running companion who … Giant Mountain and Rocky Peak Ridge from Belfry Mountain fire tower (2017-07-09). Towards the top, I passed a junction sign for Rocky Ridge Peak, saying the peak of Giant was 0.3 miles away. Photo by Jan Triska. Even fewer people attempt hiking to Giant Mountain from the NY 9N trailhead. You can see a ton of mountains like Sawteeth Gothics, Dix, Nipple Top, and Marcy. It was a busy day in the high peaks for sure! Another option if you’re feeling ambitious is hiking both Giant and Rocky Peak Ridge via the Rocky Peak Ridge Trail, detailed here. You'll want to wear or carry snowshoes for this hike; microspikes may suffice if there isn't much snow on the trail, but snow depths can vary greatly over this route, and snowshoes are much better suited to new or deep snow. Giant Mtn visible across the valley (2016-07-23). Giant Mountain and Rocky Peak can be hiked by the trails mentioned above. The traverse between Giant Mountain and Rocky Peak Ridge ranks among the nicest hikes in the Adirondacks. It only took us about 35 minutes to travel the 1.2 miles down giant and up Rocky. Few who have climbed Rocky Peak Ridge and Giant from New Russia would dispute that it's one of the best hikes in the Adirondacks. Have updates, photos, alerts, or just want to leave a comment? Outdoor Project may earn commission on products purchased through our links, which supports the work we do for our readers. Either way, you'll arrive just 0.2 mile from the top of Giant before descending steeply to a col between the two peaks, after which it climbs to the summit of Rocky Peak Ridge. The mountain, only a couple hundred feet shorter than Giant, was clearly visible in the distance. The Ridge Trail climbs quickly and steadily to Giant Mountain (4,626 feet) via the Washbowl, a small pond less than a mile from the trailhead. Only have one car and looking for a workout? The Ridge Trail to Giant Summit: 3 miles (3050' ascent)3 hours Round trip traverse to Rocky Peak Ridge: 2.6 miles (1400' ascent) 2 hours. The way down from Giant was steep, and like the other side, wet. And, as I figured, Ashley (who turned 9 on May 13), was the best hiker in the group. It’s about nourishment and learning. Giant Mountain and Rocky Peak Ridge - Giant Mtn Wilderness - 4/6/14 In picking a hike for today, Giant and Rocky Peak Ridge were the only peaks that I had in my head. Each hill ahead of us made us think ‘how will we make it up that monster’? General information on hikingincludes how-to and safety tips and links to rules and regulations. There is a nice open rock ridgeline going up Giant, allowing views back down the trail, towards Round, Noonmark and Bear Den mountains. - Views from Rocky Peak Ridge were phenomenal and I can't wait to go back there and keep hiking past the summit on the East Trail over the open ridge. Giant and Rocky Peak via the Ridge Trail. It only took us about 35 minutes to travel the 1.2 miles down giant and up Rocky. The answer is one step at a time, when we looked back we would say that it was not that bad. - From Giant over to Rocky Peak Ridge you take the East Trail which drops quickly to the col before moderately making it's way up to the Summit of Rocky Peak Ridge. Finally, after 3.2 hours of hiking, I reached the wiiiindy summit. Send me an email and tell me about your ADK stories at Everywherehiker@gmail.com, Check out the fire tower page for a list of ADK towers; the High Peaks on our list are, Big Slide             Redfield                                Dial and Nippletop, Marcy, Skylight, Gray                  The lower Great Range: Roostercomb to Gothic, A The Pennsylvania Grand Canyon Lookout Tower, A worlds End State Park; Canyon Vista Trail Hike, Alander Mountain; Taconic State Park and Mountain Range NY, Albert Mountain Fire Lookout Tower; Appalachian Trail NC, Azure Fire Tower Hike; Adirondack Mountains, Backbone Mountain; Maryland High Point Hike, Bald Mountain, Maine; Oquossoc fire Tower Hike, Balsam and Eagle Mountains; Catskill 3500 Hike, Balsam Lake Fire Tower Hike- Catskill Mountains 3500, Bash Bish Falls Hike; Massachusetts Tallest Waterfall, Beech Mountain Fire Lookout Tower; Acadia National Park ME, Belfry Fire Tower; Adirondack Mountains Hike, Big Slide Mountain hike; The Brothers Trail, Adirondack High Peaks, Birch Knob Observation Tower Hike; Virginia, Black Mountain Fire Tower Hike; Adirondack Mountains, Blue Mountain Fire Tower; Adirondack Mountain Hike, Blue Mountain Loop; Appalachian Trail Pa Hike, Buttermilk Falls Hike; Tallest Waterfall in NJ, Buzzard Rock Trail Hike; Shenandoah Mountains, Cathedral Rock Fire Tower, Adirondack Mountain Hike, Clingman’s Dome Lookout; Tennessee High point, Cook Forest Fire Lookout Tower and Seneca Point, Crane Mountain Hike: Adirondack Mountains, Deboullie Mountain and Fire Lookout Tower; North Maine Woods hike, Dial and Nippletop Mountains; Adirondack High Peaks, Dickenson Hill Fire Tower; Grafton lakes State Park, Ny, Dingmans Falls; Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area PA, Federal Hill Fire Tower Hike New Hampshire, Ferncliff Forest Lookout Fire Tower; Hudson Valley Hike, Ferncliff Penninsula, Ohiopyle State Park Hike, Flume and Liberty Hike; New Hampshire White Mountains, Flume Gorge; Franconia Notch State Park Hike, Frankenstein cliff and Ripley Falls Hike NH, Giant Ledge and Panther Mountain Hike; Catskill 3500, Giant Mountain and Rocky Peak Ridge Hike: The ADK High Peaks, Gillespie Point Hike: Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, Goshen Fire Tower Massachusetts; D.A.R. The ridge is mostly treeless and offers 360-degree views for long distances. This trail can get busy but on this day we had the place to ourselves. Another approach is from to climb up Giant first from the Chapel Pond trailhead and then head over on the ridgeline east to this peak. Learn more about how to apply the principles of Leave No Trace on your next outdoor adventure. I will confess here we thought we were at the top of the mountain, then we saw the next hill (which we also thought was the top of the mountain haha). It was not easy but there were a lot of vistas where you will be happy to stop and catch your breath. From the summit to the col, the trail drops nearly 900' in about a half mile. We believe good things come from people spending time outside. I'm not sure why. Here is some of what you need to know: This trail head is across from chapel pond; there is also a trail head on the other side of Saint Huber which is slightly longer and has a waterfall. 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