Balanced Rocks, a 3.45 mile (5.8 km) Hike in the Adirondacks

I’ve seen people talk about the Balanced Rocks for years and how its such a beautiful, easy hike. This year, I finally got to try it with my two kids! Beautiful, absolutely. Easy? Easy….ish, if you ask me.

I think the relatively short distance makes it a lot EASIER than other hikes in the Adirondacks. But frankly it’s still quite steep, and a handful of sections along the trail are a bit technical! It was NOT easy getting a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old up to the Balanced Rocks, but it was manageable. And as promised, just completely stunning at the rocks.

This is a great hike for families who feel confident in their hiking abilities, anyone looking for an amazing view, or anyone who wants a real taste of Adirondack hiking- without having to hike too far!

And for anyone who is looking for more of a challenge- and even more views! – this trail is a bonus. Because it’s ACTUALLY the trail to the summit of Pitchoff Mountain, with the Balanced Rocks being a bonus along the way. The summit of Pitchoff Mountain doesn’t actually have any views itself, but I’ve heard there are amazing views along the way. Plus, Pitchoff Mountain is one of the summits required to complete the Lake Placid 9’er Hiking Challenge. So, I was actually hoping to get all the way to Pitchoff Mountain. But we decided to call it at the Balanced Rocks, because we had found the day tough enough already!

Quick Facts

Length:  3.45 miles (5.8 km) roundtrip.
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation Gain: 1108 feet (338 metres)
Trailhead Coordinates: 44.219277, -73.887048
Washroom at Trailhead: Yes
Dogs Allowed: Yes
Cell Reception: Spotty
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Parking: Right at the trailhead.
Cost: Free
Open in Winter: Yes

Getting There

Since the trail to the Balanced Rocks starts out as the trail for Pitchoff Mountain, the trailhead and parking are all the same too… and it gets busy sometimes! The trailhead is basically right across from the trailhead for Cascade and Porter, two other popular, easy-ish mountains in the Adirondacks, and so parking can be at a premium.

Because of this, its helpful to have a back-up plan for the day, just in case parking isn’t available. The shoulders along Highway 73 are thin and unsafe for parking. We went during the week and got a spot easily. It also helps to go really early, or on rainy days.

You can use these coordinates to get there: 44.219277, -73.887048. There are a few little parking lots along Route 73 so if there isn’t any availability right at the trailhead you can try driving just a short distance to the next lot (like 500 metres).

There were two big porta-potties at the shared trailheads, and we took advantage before setting off. Finding the trailhead itself was a little tricky- we spotted a rickety set of stairs built into the dirt at the side of the road, beside an Adirondack trailhead sign that was so old it had no words left on it.

The Trailhead

Based on this evidence, we decided we were at the trailhead, and headed up the stairs. Turns out we were in the right spot. The stairs were STEEP, right away giving us the idea that this hike might not be the easiest we had ever done.

Quickly we came upon the register and signed ourselves in for the day. The trail was quite thin starting out, and grown in. But as we continued along the trail seemed more established and was well-worn into the dirt. As is typical of the Adirondacks, there were roots and rocks to avoid, but nothing too wild just yet. We continued to head uphill and came to our first steep hill at just 0.07 miles (110 metres) along.

Climbing that hill and then another, short, steep climb, we got a little bit of a break as the trail headed downhill briefly at 0.4 miles (500 metres). We were following the standard red Adirondack trail markers as we went, but also didn’t need to rely on them too much as the trail was so well established.

At 0.75 miles (1.2 km) we spotted a short little herd path off to our right- following it got us our first view of the day!

Scrambles and (More) Steep Sections

Just after, we came upon the first section of trail that felt a bit like a scramble (a spot where it’s steep enough that you feel like you want to use your feet AND your hands to get up it). There were lots of little footholds and handholds, and our 5-year-old daughter got up it easily, with a bit of emotional support. It also felt quite manageable for my husband who was carrying our 2-year-old. But this is where I’ll start to caution you that if you don’t feel really confident in your hiking skills, I don’t recommend carrying children up this trail.

At 0.9 miles (1.44 km) we had climbed to the top of the ridgeline, and the view began to open up on our right a bit. But we still had more up to do, and carried on up another rocky, steep section of trail.

Just after 1 mile (1.6 km) the trail felt truly dicey for the first time. Without kids, it wouldn’t have felt nearly as precarious, but a section of the trail had washed away, and the forest floor fell steeply off to one side. On the other side was a cliff/massive boulder, so we had to walk the thin trail left very carefully. Fortunately, it was a very short section of trail- really just 3 feet long in total, probably less. Our 5-year-old did this no problem, telling me she didn’t need any help while I told her in no uncertain terms I wouldn’t be letting go of her through this part of the trail. My husband also navigated it but of course carrying children makes everything a bit wider, so he moved slowly and cautiously.

The Trail Split

At 1.4 miles (2.24 km) we came to the first really established split in the trail. This came at the top of yet another very steep hill, so we were optimistic we had reached the trail split for the Balanced Rocks.

There were no informative signs posted, just a couple of arrows, so we headed off to the right hoping we were getting close!

Despite the short distance, we felt we had expended a good deal of physical and emotional energy getting our two kids up this hill. We were very ready to give up on Pitchoff Mountain and just go see the Balanced Rocks.

The Balanced Rocks

It turned out we were on the right path, thank goodness! As we hiked along there were a couple of trail offshoots on our left-hand side. But we stayed straight, and ultimately the trail brought us out (around 1.6 miles/2.5 km) to a huge expanse of open rock face right before the Balanced Rocks.

The views, as promised, were gorgeous, and we spent a lot of time soaking them in, climbing up on the rocks, and having lunch.

For the sake of getting back to the trailhead before dark (I’m only exaggerating a bit), we carried both kids down.

By the time we got back, we had hiked a total of 3.45 miles (5.8 km). It had taken us just over 4 hours. And when I look at my Garmin data, it actually only recorded a moving time of 50 minutes- which can’t be right, but it just goes to show how slowly kids hike sometimes. It took us almost 2 hours exactly to get up to the Balanced Rocks, and then just over an hour to descend.

And it was a great hike! Definitely one of the toughest our daughter has managed on her own technically, but very doable if you have the patience. The views were so stunning, which always makes it worthwhile, and I felt so proud of our little family having made it up and back down another epic Adirondack hike.

Map and Elevation Gain

This trail is on the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee’s Mohawk Nation. Whenever I’m hiking somewhere new, I’m mindful of who was on, and who took care of that land before me. I’ve used this website as a place to learn more about the Indigenous people whose land I’m on: Native-land.ca.

I know that the Canadian and U.S. governments forcibly removed Indigenous peoples from their land, and that the impact is still being felt today. It is a privilege for me to move freely across the land, and I am committed to understanding how my actions today impact others.

Gear We Brought

MEC links in this section are affiliate links. If you purchase something using these links, we will receive a small commission. Thank you for your support!

Hiking Boots
Hiking Poles
MEC Shuttlecraft Kid Carrier for our toddler
Tula Preschool Carrier for our big kid (they’re good up to 60 lbs!)
Bug Net for the Shuttlecraft (it’s designed for a stroller)
Bug Spray
Sunscreen
First Aid Kit
Map + Compass
Garmin inReach (this is a satellite communication device we bring with us everywhere, just in case there’s no reception and we need to call for emergency help!)
Water and lunch + snacks
Sweaters for everyone for the summit (the kids wore their MEC Fireside Fleece sweaters– my daughter has worn these since she was a year old because they’re one of two sweaters she’ll actually wear)