Mt. Marcy Via Avalanche Pass & Lake Colden Loop

Mt. Marcy Via Avalanche Pass & Lake Colden is a loop hike starting at the Adirondak Loj at Heart Lake Parking lot that summits Mt. Marcy and loops back via the Van Hoevenberg trail. It is approximately 20 miles with 3,802 ft of elevation gains and a maximum grade of 37%. This is a longer and slightly more challenging route to Marcy than simply going out-and-back up the Van Hoevenberg trail, but provides access to desirable landmarks such as Avalanche Lake, Avalanche Pass, and Lake Colden. 

Pre-hike Considerations

As this hike is long with a parking area that is quick to fill up, lodging and/or start time should be taken into consideration. There are rooms available to rent at the ADK Loj depending on the season as well as private cabins, which are conveniently located right at the start of the hike. Free options include backpacking and camping along the trail, or camping near your car at the South Meadows Ln. tent sites. There are more than 10 sites here, but they are first come first serve. You are not permitted to sleep in your car at the ADK Loj trailhead parking lot. 

Parking

Parking for this route is at the Adirondak Loj at Heart Lake. This lot is known to fill up quite early depending on the season, sometimes before 5 a.m. There is additional parking available about a mile down ADK loj road. The cost of parking here is $15 for non members, and if parking in off hours hikers will need to leave money in an envelope at the gate. There are restrooms open at all hours here, and during daytime hours there is a visitor center, gift shop, and small grill called The Hungry Hiker. All of these amenities are seasonal. 

Parking lot to Marcy Dam

The first 2.5 miles to Marcy Dam is a slight and gradual grade across easy terrain which many would consider a warmup. Marcy Dam has numerous campsites and latrines, and offers an open view of Colden and Wright. Water can be filled here at Marcy Brook. 

Marcy Dam to Avalanche Pass

Hikers will cross over Marcy Brook and find another internal trail register to fill out. At the Van Hoevenberg / Avalanche Pass trail split, hikers will keep right to begin their loop in a counter-clockwise direction. This loop can also be completed in reverse, going clockwise, however most opt for counter-clockwise because it will eliminate the need for any challenging terrain at the end of their hike when they are descending the Van Hoevenberg trail. Hikers will pass many campsites and a privy along the Avalanche Pass Trail as they continue the relatively flat walk alongside Marcy Brook for 1 mile until they reach Avalanche Camp, which is another camping hub equipped with a Privy. There is another trail split for Avalanche Pass and Lake Arnold, and hikers should keep to the right to remain on the Avalanche Pass Trail. After Avalanche Camp, the grade will increase slightly over some more moderate terrain. The hiker will ascend and then descend with large cliffs to their right and eventually reach the lake runoff. After 2 miles from Marcy Dam the hiker will reach a view of Avalanche Lake. 

Avalanche Pass and Lake Colden

The stretch of trail that circumvents Avalanche Lake ascends and descends some small boulders using ladders and steps. There are a few briefly steep sections and the trail hugs the water for the majority of this stretch. Visible across the lake to the East is the lower slopes of Mount Colden, including the Trap Dike Route. Eventually hikers will come up to the Hitch-Up MatMatildas, which are wooden boards that jut out from a cliff, suspended over the lake water. This section of trail is unique to the area and so is a common destination. After departing Avalanche lake, the trail continues along the connecting brook to Lake Colden. There will be a three-way trail split, left will be the continued Avalanche Pass trail that loops Lake Colden on the East, straight will be the Lake Colden ski trail, and right will be the Lake Colden trail that circumvents Lake Colden to the West. The hiker can choose to either fork left or right, with the Lake Colden route being slightly longer. To the right, the hiker will pass the Lake Colden / Algonquin split, then continue to the Lake Colden / Cold Brook split, passing the NYS DEC Lake Colden Interior Outpost, the Calamity Brook trail turnoff, and continuing to hug the lake passing camping hubs such as Beaver Point until completing the loop. If taking the left route around Colden, they will pass the Mt. Colden trail turnoff and the Cedar Point lean-to before reaching the end of the lake. Both routes will end at the Opalescent River near the major camping hub. 

Lake Colden to Lake Tear of the Clouds

From there the hiker must continue up the Mount Marcy trail which follows the Opalescent River and continues to gradually increase in grade. After about 1.5 miles the hiker will come to the turnoff for the Mt. Redfield and Cliff Mountain trails. There is also the Uphill lean-to and tent sites at the intersection. After another 0.5 miles the hiker will reach the trail junction for the Lake Arnold Trail. At this intersection will be the Feldspar Lean-to and some campsites. The hike continues nearby the Feldspar Brook along the Mount Marcy Trail for about 1.1 miles up the steepest grade yet of the trail, at which point they will reach Lake Tear of the Clouds, the origin of the Hudson River. At this point, some hikers would add Gray Peak which is another high peak up a seemingly short herd path. Many underestimate the steepness and duration it will take to climb Gray Peak, so it should not be added unless ample time is allotted for. 

Lake Tear of the Clouds to the Summit

From there the hiker will continue to ascend past Lake Tear of the Clouds to the Four Corners Trail Junction. Continuing forward at this junction would take the hiker down the Elk Lake Trail toward Panther Gorge and Mount Haystack. To the right at the junction is the trail to Skylight, another common addition to this hike. To get directly to the summit of Marcy, the hiker will take a left at the Four Corners Trail Junction and continue upward towards Schofield Cobble. From this point, it is 0.8 miles and 1,000 ft. of elevation gain to the summit, making this a relatively steep climb. The trees will disappear revealing a few viewpoints and a large slab that will crest over the summit. Ice and rain can make this section trickier because of the large and exposed solid slab of stone. 

Summit

The Summit houses a plaque dedicated to the history of the peak and its early ascenders. Views are available in 360 degrees with many landmarks of the Adirondacks in sight. 

Descent & Return 

The hiker will continue onward past the summit marker and take the Van Hoevenberg trail to complete this loop. The hiker will pass a few trail junctions, landmarks, privies and notable features along the descent. The return hike is about 7 miles with over 3,000 ft. of elevation to descend, so the hiker must consider a lengthy return trip ahead of them when lingering on the summit. At the junction for the Phelps trail the hiker should keep left on the Van Hoevenberg trail, and again at the Hopkins intersection. The grade will begin to level off as the hiker descends further, eventually coming to the Van Hoevenberg crossover and Indian Falls lookout. The route will continue past Indian Falls on the left, Tabletop Mountain Herd path on the right, and the Phelps Mountain trail on the right (all possible additions to the hike if time and energy allows) until eventually returning to Marcy Dam. The hiker will then retrace their steps from Marcy Dam back to the Adirondak Loj Trailhead parking lot to end the hike. 

Reverse Route

This route could be climbed in reverse, heading up the Van Hoevenberg Trail first and then descending to Lake Colden and eventually Avalanche Pass, however, because the Van Hoevenberg Trail is the most direct route to the summit of Marcy, taking this route counter clockwise will leave for the quickest descent after spending time at the summit. Climbing the route in reverse (clockwise) will also leave a small amount of elevation gain left for the end of the day when hikers are usually most fatigued. Because of these reasons, most will opt to take the route counter-clockwise.