Cascade Mountain and Porter Mountain- A 6.4 Mile (10.2 km) Hike in the Adirondacks

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On our most recent trip to the Adirondacks, we knew we wanted to climb a few more High Peaks. There are 46 summits in the Adirondacks that are over 4000 feet and need to be reached in order to become an Adirondack “46er.” We’ve slowly (sloooowly) been chipping away at this goal over the last little while.

So originally, the plan was to hike Iroquois, Algonquin, and Wright. But then, I started to get sick, and we knew we needed to come up with a much easier plan. Cue Cascade and Porter, the easiest of the 46 High Peaks! We decided to set our sights on this much easier hike instead, and headed out on a sunny September morning.

Cascade and Porter are always hiked together if one is trying to complete the challenge, simply because these two summits share the same trail for the first 2.1 miles (3.34 Km.). Cascade is often hiked on its own by people who are new to hiking in the area. And who want to get a great view for not too much work! Dogs are allowed on these trails too.

Leaving No Trace in the Adirondacks

Whatever reason you hike it, Cascade is certainly worth the trip. And Porter is fun too! Because this hike is so popular, it’s especially important to Leave No Trace so that the mountain can remain as untouched as possible. If you go, keep an eye out for the impact that people have had by going off the trail. In some spots it’s twice as wide as it needs to be! That means less space for little plants to grow, and little critters to live. And if that is happening in lots of different places, it can have a big impact collectively.

Okay, one more little lecture before we get on to the details. The summit of Cascade is also home to alpine vegetation. It is VERY challenging for these little guys to grow. They’re exposed to tough weather conditions, and have very little dirt to root into. So PLEASE stay on the rock and don’t trample the plants. There are signs up near the summit reminding you of this, so there’s absolutely no excuse to do otherwise- although my husband said he saw a man and his dog walked right over the plants, right beside one of the signs. Argh! Moving on.

Getting There

Cascade and Porter share the same trailhead, right off of Route 73. There are a handful of spots along the shoulder where you can pull all the way off the road to park. These spots fill up very quickly, so it’s best to get there early. New parking regulations are being enforced as of 2019, because parking along the narrow shoulder of Route 73 is very dangerous. If you park outside of the widened lots, you will get a ticket.

We hiked these mountains on a weekday, so even though we weren’t too early (arriving at 7:30 a.m.) we were still able to get a spot. You can use these coordinates to get there: 44.219123,-73.887520.

There was a posted sign letting us know we were in the right place, and a porta-potty near the trailhead.

The Trail

Since we had parked in the lot where the actual trailhead was (you’d have to walk over from the other parking spots to here if you weren’t as lucky as us), we hopped on the trail immediately. We headed down a set of stair behind the parking and signed into the trail registry. Then, a little footbridge had us heading off.

The trail began to get rocky right away. We had to keep an eye on our footing from the outset. After hiking only 0.3 miles (0.5 Km.) the trail became VERY rocky, although it was through a flat section of the trail. We picked our way over that, and then hopped over a tiny creek (and then another right after) running across the trail. There were big rocks there that we were able to use to easily cross. I wondered if there might be more water here in the spring though.

We noticed our first trail marker after hiking .45 miles (0.7 Km.). But, given how rocky the trail already was, there was a chance we missed some earlier while looking at our feet.

As we continued on, the trail remained super rocky. But, most of the rocks were small, so it didn’t require us to take the big, high steps you sometimes find yourself taking on Adirondack trails (which can get really tiring!).

Getting Steeper

At the 0.8 mile (1.3 Km.) mark, the trail began to get a bit steeper. Fortunately, while we continued to go up, the incline would lessen a bit at parts, and at times we even found ourselves walking on flat sections of the trail. These flat sections felt very short though, and at the 1.1 mile (1.75 Km.) mark we were still heading up.

Here, the trail alternated quickly between steep and flatter sections.

We still hadn’t seen many trail markers, but the trail was so well worn that it was very easy to follow.

After hiking for about 1.5 miles (2.4 Km.), the canopy above us started to open up a bit. The wind began to blow through the trees, making it a bit chilly (especially since we’d been sweating)!

Just a little while later, there was actually a gentle downhill to a flatter section, which we thoroughly enjoyed after the previous incline. This didn’t last long though, and by 1.9 miles (3.04 Km.) we were headed back uphill. Here, we had come across a huge open rock face that we had to climb up in order to continue on the trail. The rock face wasn’t quite steep enough (in my opinion) to be considered a scramble. But that might depend on how nimble someone is! Originally, I was going to head up the rock face on the left side, but ultimately opted for the right side as it had less of an incline.

Views!

Near the top of this non-scramble, we turned around, and the view had opened up completely. A few clouds drifted lazily past, seeming to be level with where we were standing. Can it get any better than that?

We headed back into the trees and before long we were faced with another big open rock face to traverse (although this was easier than the last).

At the 2 mile (3.2 Km.) mark things began to really flatten out, and at 2.1 miles (3.36 Km.) we reached the split for the summits to Cascade and Porter. There was a sign posted there, propped up in a cairn, so it would be tough to miss. The summit for Cascade was in front of us, while Porter was 0.7 miles (1.12 Km.) to our right. Knowing the summit of Cascade was supposed to be pretty spectacular, we decided to save it for last, and headed began heading over to Porter. It had taken us 1 hour and 26 minutes to get to this point.

Heading to Porter

The trail to Porter began to head downhill almost immediately. It was quite rocky, and I decided to pull out my poles because the downhill lasted long enough that it felt worthwhile. The trail leveled out after we had hiked 2.3 miles (3.68 Km.), and was less rocky too. We found ourselves hiking along a dirt path that was much easier to navigate.

There were quite a few very muddy spots on the trail to Porter- so much so that downed brush had been thrown into the muddy sections to help hikers cross. I used my poles to help navigate these spots. In a few different places they sunk more than a foot into the mud. I have absolutely no doubt that things would be even worse in the spring when the melt has just happened.

The trail thinned out, with trees crowding both sides, and we passed a huge boulder on our left hand side after hiking 2.6 miles (4.16 Km.) total. Here, on our right there was another massive boulder that we climbed for a really great view. It was honestly, better than the views from the summit. We stopped to take it in for a bit, then headed back to the original boulder and turned right to get back on the trail.

The Summit- I Think?

We traversed another giant mud pit before the trail headed uphill for a bit. When we had hiked just under 2.8 miles (4.48 Km.) we found ourselves on a giant rock face with views on either side. We thought that this was the summit, but didn’t see a marker or summit sign. So we continued to follow the trail on the opposite side from where we had approached. After hiking for a bit longer, we spotted the first trail marker we had seen for the entire length of the trail to Porter. It was a yellow NY State trail marker. Consulting our book and map, we realized we had indeed been on the summit earlier. The trail with yellow markers would have taken us all the way down to the Marcy Airfield.

So, we headed back to the (kind of) open summit, where we had some snacks and took some selfies. Then it was back the way we had come to head over to Cascade! Leaving Porter’s summit, we had logged 3.1 miles (4.96 Km.) on our GPS. We had been hiking (and relaxing on Porter’s summit) for 2 hours and 40 minutes.

To Cascade

At just over 3.74 miles (6 Km.), we were back to the split for Cascade and Porter. We headed to our right to get to Cascade, knowing that it was a mere .3 miles (0.5 Km.) in the distance. We had been hiking for 3 hours.

Just past the split, there was a privy off in the bushes on our left hand side. Convenient!

The trail up to Cascade started out fairly flat. We soon passed through a grassy section on a footbridge. Then, we passed a sign for ANOTHER privy, this time just off the trail on our right hand side (I’m beginning to suspect some people have demonstrated an inability to “hold it” and this is the solution…).

The ascent to Cascade’s summit also began here, and it was really cool! The rest of the trip up Cascade was over open rock face. There were yellow arrows painted onto the rock to help guide us. It was especially important to follow these to make sure we stayed on the trail and didn’t squish any fragile alpine plants.

When we reached the summit of Cascade, we had just over 4 miles (6.4 Km.) logged on the GPS. It had taken us 3 hours and 15 minutes to get there.

Cascade had stunning 360° views, and we spent a bit of time taking them in. But not too much time, because it was super windy up there!

Once again, we headed back the way we had come. With two more High Peaks under our belts! Feet? Anyways.

Trail Thoughts

We left the summit having been out on the trail for 3 hours and 40 minutes. By the time we returned to the trailhead, we had hiked a total of 6.36 miles (10.17 Km.). We were able to cover that distance in 5 hours and 7 minutes.

Cascade and Porter were definitely the easiest of all the High Peaks that we’ve done. But that doesn’t mean they were easy! The route to Porter was really muddy, even at the end of summer, and at a time when it hadn’t rained for quite a while. I wouldn’t want to see it earlier in the season, when I’m sure the mud would be worse! Cascade definitely had a more impressive summit than Porter, so if you’re looking for a bit less of a challenge, completing Cascade by itself might be a good fit. Don’t blame me if you get bit by the 46er bug though, and have to come and get Porter later!

This hike is a really great one for people who have tried some of the smaller mountains in the Adirondacks (like Cobble Hill, Baker, Baxter, or Mount Jo), and want to try something just a little bit more challenging.

I hope this trip report has enough info to get you there too. Let me know in the comments, or share and tag a friend to start planning your next adventure!

Map and Elevation Gain

Whenever I’m hiking somewhere new, I tend to wonder about who was on, and who took care of that land before me. I’ve enjoyed using this website as a place to start learning more about the indigenous people whose land I’m on: Native-land.ca.

Gear We Brought

• Hiking Boots
• Hiking Poles
• Fleece Sweaters
• Sunglasses
• Mountain Warehouse Daypack
• Hydration Pack (with 2 litre bladder)
• Coghlan’s Bear Bell
• 2 x Nalgene 32 Ounce Bottles
• Map
• Trail Guide
• Compass
• Cell Phones
• Head Lamps
• First Aid Kit (with water purification tabs and Tick Removal Tool)
• SOL 2-Person Emergency Bivvy
• Lunch
• Snacks
• Toilet Paper
• Hand Sanitizer