Northville-Placid Trail

About the route

The Northville-Placid Trail crosses the Adirondack Park in New York, from Northville in the south to Lake Placid in the north. The Adirondack Mountain Club's trail chapter gives it as about 136 miles for an end-to-end hike, road walks included. It starts at Waterfront Park in Northville and ends at Averyville Road and Old Military Road in Lake Placid. The chapter says an average hiker should plan on 8 to 11 days. In its words, 7 days is tough and means lots of 15-plus-mile days, and many people think 12 days is ideal. Most people walk it northbound, and the ADK guidebook's distance logs run south to north. The chapter's FAQ says May brings mud and even snow, and black flies can be really bad in May and June. July and August are warm, and September and October tend to be drier. Few people thru-hike after Thanksgiving, when snow, cold and short days make it hard. The state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) oversees the trail as part of the Adirondack Forest Preserve, and club volunteers help maintain it. A group of 10 or more needs a permit from the Forest Ranger for the area. So does a stay of more than three days in one place. On the northern miles in the High Peaks Wilderness, overnight groups are capped at 8, and DEC does not issue permits for larger groups there. Lean-tos are first come, first served and have to be shared with other campers. Do not pitch a tent inside a lean-to; DEC regulations forbid it. Carry your own shelter, because a lean-to can be full and a delay can leave you camping somewhere you did not plan. Camping is not allowed within 150 feet of a road, trail or water unless a Camp Here disk marks the spot. The chapter's mileage table says the trail begins at the arch on South Main Street in Northville, with the register in the parking lot in the rear. The first 3.5 miles are on roads, through Northville to the Collins-Gifford Valley Road trailhead. The trail then enters the woods. An official end-to-end hike also includes about 3 miles of road through Piseco, a short walk on Cedar River Road near Wakely Dam, and 0.7 mile on Tarbell Road in Long Lake. Much of the route crosses a high plateau around the Spruce, West Canada and Cedar Lakes and the Cold River region. The highest point is 3,008 feet, on the ridge east of Blue Mountain and Tirrell Pond. The chapter calls the trail rarely flat but says there is little elevation gain or loss over its length; the biggest climb is just south of Long Lake, about 1,000 feet in a mile or so. It names mud as the trail's distinguishing feature. The trail is generally well marked, but it is a wilderness trail and some route-finding experience is assumed. Watch the stream crossings. DEC says hikers must ford West Stony Creek until a footbridge is built. You can rock-hop it at low water, and it is not passable at high water. The chapter says the level can change very rapidly and tells hikers to use the Sacandaga River gage as a guide: above 4 feet, treat the creek as impassable, and 3 to 4 feet is dangerous and only for experienced hikers. DEC also lists the Seward Brook crossing near the Ouluska Lean-to among the High Peaks Wilderness crossings to watch at high water, and says several of those can rise a lot in a rainstorm. Beaver flooding sometimes forces reroutes, so follow the signs. Cell service is rare; the chapter names the Piseco road walk, Tirrell Pond and Long Lake as places with some signal. Leave a written trip plan with someone reliable. If you have a signal in an emergency, call 911 or the DEC Forest Ranger Dispatch at 833-NYS-RANGERS. The chapter says water is everywhere on the trail, and that all of it needs treating. DEC says to boil, treat or filter drinking water to guard against giardia. Privies or thunderboxes are at every lean-to and many tent sites. For food, the chapter says a bear canister is not required on the trail but is the best protection. If you don't carry one, you need a food bag, a cord, and the skill to hang it. DEC requires canisters for overnight users in the Eastern High Peaks Wilderness from April 1 to November 30, and encourages them throughout the Adirondack and Catskill backcountry. Dogs are allowed. In the High Peaks Wilderness, never leave a dog unattended and carry proof of its current rabies shot. Piseco is the first common resupply point, and its post office is right on the trail. Northville has a grocery store a few blocks from the start. The chapter says two post offices are commonly used for mailed boxes: Piseco, and Long Lake. Address a box General Delivery under the name on your ID, not a trail name, and call Piseco ahead with a contact number. Canister fuel can be mailed ground only, within postal limits; liquid fuel cannot. Lake Durant Campground is on the trail and has hot showers, but it does not typically hold boxes and has no resupply. If you park at the Stephens Pond trailhead inside the campground, DEC charges a day-use fee. Blue Mountain Lake, not far from Lake Durant, has a post office. Long Lake is the typical last resupply, with several places to eat, lodging and a laundromat. Its town and post office are about 3 miles from the trail. The chapter says the spur trail into town is poor and you would have to backtrack to keep an official thru-hike. The chapter notes that hitchhiking is illegal in New York, so arrange a ride. Northville has ample, relatively secure parking right at the arch. The Averyville Road lot at the northern end is small and has seen its share of vandalism. Wanika Falls is the last large campsite, 6.7 miles from that trailhead. The chapter says the T-max and Topos hostel in Lake Placid will shuttle you to and from both ends of the trail with advance notice. It says available shuttles are hard to find in the southern half. Check current conditions before you go. The chapter warns that conditions can change as often as hourly. DEC's Backcountry Information page for the Adirondack Park lists closures, reroutes and washed-out bridges, with new notes each week. For questions, call the DEC Region 5 office in Ray Brook at 518-897-1200 on weekdays. The chapter publishes a GPX file of the trail, and the Albany-Schenectady Chapter of ADK gives a completion patch; the Piseco road section must be walked to qualify.

Permits

DEC requires a permit from the local Forest Ranger only for a group of 10 or more, or a stay of more than three days in one place. On the northern miles in the High Peaks Wilderness, overnight groups are capped at 8 and DEC does not issue permits for larger groups there. For a permit, call the local Forest Ranger or the DEC Region 5 office. In the High Peaks Wilderness, groups are limited to 15 for a day trip and 8 overnight.

• Permit information and applications↗ (opens in new tab)
• NYSDEC state land camping rules (permits for large groups and long stays)↗ (opens in new tab)NYSDEC
• High Peaks Wilderness group size limits (no oversized-group permits)↗ (opens in new tab)NYSDEC
• NPT Friends↗ (opens in new tab)

Outdoors is not the permitting authority. Confirm current application windows and requirements with the issuing agency.

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