I’ve been in love with the Adirondacks for years now. It is literally one of my favorite places on earth, if not my absolute favorite. And with hikes like Cobble Hill two seconds from downtown Lake Placid, there’s something there for absolutely everyone. Cobble Hill is the perfect way to get a little taste of what the Adirondacks has to offer.

We’ve been working on hiking all 46 High Peaks, so that always brings us back to the area. But, what’s really great about the Adirondacks is how EASY it is to get outside. It’s no wonder that people are so willing to make the three hour drive from Ottawa for a weekend away.

We went down recently to hike Big Slide Mountain. We had some time on our hands the day before the big hike. There was no way that we wanted to do anything too crazy and not be able to reach the summit of Big Slide the next day. So when we came across a trail description for Cobble Hill, we knew right away it was the perfect fit. And, being so close to downtown Lake Placid, it also left us time to do a little shopping and eat some ice cream after. Huzzah!

Getting There

The trailhead for Cobble Hill is actually on the property of this really fancy school in Lake Placid, Northwood Private School. Hiking trails on your school property? Amazing.

There are three entrances that can be used to get into Northwood School. The trailhead is only really close to one of them. You can use these coordinates to get to the exact entrance that is closest to the trailhead: 44.293982, -73.974229.

Driving into the school, we quickly came to a small parking lot on our left hand side. There was a little sign that indicated that we had arrived at the parking for the Cobble Hill trailhead. In the parking lot, there was space for about six cars. But there wasn’t much else (i.e. no porta-potty, no garbage cans, etc.).

There also weren’t any signs that indicated dogs wouldn’t be allowed, which was good news for ours!

The Route

It was really easy to find the trailhead, because it branched right off of the parking lot, and also had a sign nearby.

The trail started out nice and wide, and easy. The path was so well traveled that it was incredibly easy to follow it through the trees, despite a lack of trail markers.

After hiking only 200 metres, we came to a split in the trail. To our right was a small boardwalk. We turned to our left, because there was a sign pointing in that direction to reach Cobble Hill.

Despite the lack of trail markers along the way, every single split in the trail (though there weren’t many) was marked with a sign indicating which way to go.

Steep Section Ahead

After hiking just 0.4 kilometres, we came to a split that formed the looped section of the trail. We had a decision to make: straight ahead, the trail was supposed to be very steep. If we turned to our left here, the trail was supposed to be easier, but longer.

We wanted to see the whole trail, and I always feel more confident going UP a steep section than I do going down. So, we kept on hiking straight.

Scrambling

We began hiking gently uphill not long after the split. When we had hiked 0.7 kilometres, we could see the open rock race that we would need to “scramble” up.

Scrambling (to me!) basically means when you have to climb a rock face that is steep enough that it feels more comfortable to lean forward and use your hands AND feet to go up it, instead of just walking up.

The scramble on Cobble Hill is really short- it’s only about 100 meters. There was a rope tied up on the right side of the rock face. There were also spots where there were some trees, dirt, and plant growth. That means there were quite a few places to stop for a break. There were also lots of spots to hold onto something else for balance if you needed it.

I chose to head up the right side of the rock face, and my husband chose to go up the left. Our dog chose to go up the middle because she started off with him, but wanted to be with me. Dogs can usually pick out the easiest routes. I’m always super impressed by how quickly ours figures things out! We always keep our dog on leash, but will let go and let her get a few feet ahead on scrambles. It’s just easier for her if she doesn’t have to wait for us.

The views were pretty beautiful once we got halfway up the scramble. Make sure you stop for a bit and look around!

Had we been coming down this scramble, I either would have walked down (leaning back for balance), or sat down and scooted on my bum. I have no shame.

Top of Cobble Hill

After hiking for just under 1 kilometre, we reached the point on the trail where the short and long sections meet. We turned to our right here, to get to the top of Cobble Hill. In less than 100 metres, we had reached a big rock that we climbed over to catch some great views from the other side. We ran into a nice old timer here, and he let us know there were even better views to be had if we continued on, following the ridge.

We turned away from the views and headed to our left, following the ridge of rock that he had pointed out. Within another 100 metres, the view really opened up, and we were able to see the Olympic Ski Jumps on one side of us, and Whiteface Mountain on the other. Whiteface Mountain was the first ever High Peak we had climbed, so it was awesome to see it as part of the view!

Taking the Scenic Route Back

Heading back, when we arrived at the junction in the trail where the short and long routes met, we turned to our right. There was a sign there reminding us that if we turned to our left, we would be heading back to the short, steep section we had just come from.

We followed the longer trail, heading downhill. In this section, the trail was really wide. There were a few rocky sections, but it was pretty easy to navigate.

After hiking for 2 kilometres, we started to catch some really nice views of Echo Lake. The trail followed the shoreline of Echo Lake for half a kilometre. There were a few really nice spots to step off the trail and look out over the lake.

We crossed over a little boardwalk at the 2.7 kilometre mark. Not long after, we were back at the spot where the trail had split initially. We headed to our right to get back to the parking lot.

Thoughts on Cobble Hill

By completing the entire loop, we were able to turn the Cobble Hill hike into a 3.1 kilometre hike. Despite hanging out and enjoying the views for about half an hour, we were still able to complete the hike in an hour and forty minutes.

Cobble Hill is the perfect Adirondack hike for anyone who is new to the area and wants to get a taste of what hiking in the Adirondacks can be like. It’s also perfect for families, because it’s short, a perfect way to try out scrambling for the first time, and close to town for treats after! Plus, getting such amazing views will almost guarantee that your gang will want to try hiking again.

Dogs are welcome on the trail (at least, I didn’t see any signs telling us otherwise!), which is great. As a side note, dogs are welcome in a lot of the stores in downtown Lake Placid too. Our dog is older. She had a great time, but she seemed a little stiff in her back hips the day after. I’m guessing that was from the scrambling. If your dog has bad hips to begin with, this may not be a good fit for them.

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