Trip Time: 11 Hours (20-30 minute break on each summit including Bear Den Mt.) The journey to Dial and Nippletop began with a 5:30 am drive through a snowy and blustery Cascade Pass, descending down towards Keene and Keene Valley. Trails are well maintained and not very muddy. Dial is most often climbed with Nippletop Mountain – due to it being along the same ridge. restrictions in the area. easier than giant and rpr. if (year < 2000) usually missed by hikers on the way up or down. months[5]="May"; gets a great view of the Dix Range with their many slides. This was almost an hour to go this 1.3 miles... tough and unrewarding. The section between Nippletop and Elk Pass is steep, dropping a thousand feet in a little over a mile, which sounded more appealing to go down than up to me. We got to Elk Lake as the sky was really changing colors and while it was pretty, we still had over 2 miles to walk on gravel road as the lodge is closed for 2020. You'll pass a sign on the summit of Bear Den Mountain, which was far between. Two of those, Nippletop (4,620 feet) and Dial (4,020 feet), can be summited from that trailhead in a nice lasso loop. From Noonmark’s shoulder A small, steep down followed by a relatively long uphill were the longest 0.8 miles of the day, ultimately reaching the summit of Dial Mountain, our 20th peak. Bring headlamps as it gets dark early and is practically pitch black on the trail. // End -->, //. The H.G. 73. It was a VERY tough day, the hardest day of hiking I've ever ventured out for. This is likely the best spot to Pretty great views on Dial, Nippletop, and Colvin. Tough tough day.... be prepared!!! months[12]="December"; Overall very well kept trails. It is a hard hike physically, but it was definitely more mentally challenging than anything. Mileage: 21. "slot_uuid":"5c20e1dd-bd22-4b98-b9c7-9479f1bc1499" Dial Mountain: 4,020â Nippletop: 4,620â Mount Colvin: 4,057â Blake Peak: 3,960. var lmonth=months[time.getMonth() + 1]; This was a good choice for me because I ended up refilling a water bottle from the Gil Brook on my way out. Several "bumps" over a 2 mile stretch lost some elevation were tiresome but not strenuous. photograph the great range, as almost all of the major peaks are visible. We reached Nippletop finally at 2:45pm and were rewarded with beautiful sweeping views. Climbing photos at Nippletop uploaded by users of mountain-forecast.com Steep rocky descent and ascent from Colvin to Blake, with no view at Blake. Our first vista of the day, and it reveals that thereâs a cloud ceiling hovering around 4000 feet, which means we will not have a view from the top today, bummer! Nippletop was very icy and windy. Don’t do Blake unless you’re going for your 46. great trail! basically traverses a ridge to climb three other of the high peaks and with Incredible, but difficult long day. Length 18.3 miElevation gain 6122 ftRoute type Loop I really wanted to go backcountry skiing, but the rain earlier in the week ruined that. Overall, this hike took me 9 hours, but that was at a fast pace with very few stops. There are a number of Beautiful through Elk Pass and up to Nippletop. a tramp though a vertical swamp and the Gill Brook Trail is The summit of Dial is pretty heavily wooded except for a boulder, which provides more westward views of the places to be conquered in the next few days. Definitely do Colvin & Blake first, then hit Nippletop & Dial. then head down by way of Dial that way your descending home all the way. The temp was a crisp 34° at the base and was really frigid and windy on top. It’s just a messy trail with lots of blowdown mud and some latter sections. Continuing on from Nippletop, backtrack on Leach Trail as you enjoy a two-mile ridge run through pine growth and exposed rock until another steep, but rapid, ascent to the peak of Dial Mountain. One of the Adirondack High Peaks that it makes the most sense to hike in a series of other peaks, Nippletop Mountain has a long level approach before climbing on steeper trails, giving it a more significant mileage number despite the fact that the climb is not terribly long. as any good alpine climb gaining over 1000 feet in less than one mile where it Though not a bald summit it is a very steep one and when looking down to Elk The journey to Dial and Nippletop began with a 5:30 am drive through a snowy and blustery Cascade Pass, descending down towards Keene and Keene Valley. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from March until October. Our first vista of the day, and it reveals that there’s a cloud ceiling hovering around 4000 feet, which means we will not have a view from the top today, bummer! Did this loop today, starting with Dial and Nippletop over Bear Den. Don't plan on taking your dog on this hike. Challenging hike, fantastic views. Hi Paul, I found that hiking Dial, Nippletop, Colvin, and Blake in a day harder for two reasons. considered as one of the classic hikes in the area. months[4]="April"; We’d set out from St. Huberts parking at the Ausable Club and climbed Dial Mountain and Nippletop along a nice high ridge line. The trail is primarily used for hiking and rock climbing and is best used from March until November. year = year + 1900; Colvin was a steep rocky mile incline. Dylan McKenzie 1 year, 3 months ago Ausable Club Parking Area to Dial Mountain, Keene, NY, USA. Nippletop Mountain: 4620â² Dial Mountain: 4020â² Bear Den: 3399â² Total Duration: 8.5 hours of hiking + 1.25 hours at summits. On Nippletop, we sat on boulders and chatted with fellow hikers. What I Wore Ice breaker merino wool baselayers (top and bottom), socks EMS zip off hiking pants Long sleeve tech top Columbia Snow-pocalypse Omni-heat jacket Vasque Snowblime boots Itâs 0.9 mile to Bear Denâs summit, 2.1 to Dialâs summit, and 4.2 to Nippletopâs summit. The naming of Dial is a story in itself let alone the question, “will the real Dial please stand up?” Where the name comes from is a little bit of a mystery it was first conferred on Nippletop by someone in the Emmons’ survey of 1837 but this name conflicted with the local name of the peak. There is room for about 30 cars and on busy weekends it does fill early and There are large boulders to the right and a small staircase straight ahead if you're unsure you've reached it. Nippletop is a mountain located in Essex County, New York. Nippletop Mountain (ADK 24/46) and Dial Mountain (ADK 25/46) 5/22/20, 6:52:04AM) chajec2 1 year, 1 month ago Dial an Nippletop . This was a great hike.