This is my first hike of the year in the Adirondacks. I normally don’t go to the Adirondacks due to the length of the drive from Albany, however I wanted a break from the Catskills. Hadley Mountain has a fire tower on it, and it was a beautiful day out for the hike.

I arrived at the trail head at around 9:30 after a two hour drive from Albany, via. the Bachelorville Bridge and several Saratoga County Roads. It would have been faster to take Route 9N and the Northway, however I wanted to see some of the nearby country.

It was a relatively short hike up the mountain, with a distance of a mile and a half, and an elevation increase of 1,500 feet. Most of the trail was eroded sloping rock face. Admittedly, it was a lot more difficult on the ankles coming down then going up.

Once you arrive up top there is the Fire Tower, some open face worn down to rocks, from use, and a ranger’s cabin. The views are spectacularsome of the best from any Fire Tower around. It would be awesome to visit in the summer when everything is all green and purty.

Spent about an two hour up there, snapping photos and watching the light change. I got a pretty bad sun burn, but it was so nice and sunny out there. It was fun. I returned back to the truck around 3:30 PM.

See more photos from this hike in the Hadley Mountain Photos Series.

Hikers – Trail Head
Blue Line – Hadley Mountain Trail
Flag – Hadley Mountain Fire Tower