Hike Whiteface Mountain and Esther via Marble Mountain
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If you are looking to hike Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, NY and are curious about the trail up Marble Mountain, you’ve come to the right place! Whiteface Mountain is an iconic mountain in northern New York that is also a popular ski mountain in the winter. Many hikers looking to accomplish the ADK 46 (hiking all 46 mountains in the Adirondacks State Park over 4,000ft tall) hike Whiteface Mountain with Esther Mountain as well.
Whiteface and Esther sit further north than any of the other ADK 46. Therefore, they are most often tackled on their own as they don’t group with other peaks. There are a couple routes to reach Whiteface (most notably from Connery Pond and Marble Mountain), but this post will focus on the Marble Mountain trailhead.
Esther Mountain is reached by a mile long side trail off of the main hiking trail so it is easy to tack on to a day hike, accomplishing two peaks in one trip. Just be aware of your hiking abilities! Whiteface Mountain has an elevation of 4,867ft and is number 5 on the 46er list. Esther Mountain has an elevation of 4,270ft and is number 28.
If you are interested in reading about other hikes from the ADK 46er list, browse all the 46er posts here, review the ADK46 list, or specifically learn about the Santanoni Range, the Seward Range, or Haystack/Basin/Saddleback.
To read more about how to hike Whiteface Mountain and Esther Mountain, check out these sections within the blog post below:
Starting at Marble Mountain Trailhead to Hike Whiteface Mountain
To hike Whiteface Mountain via the Marble Mountain trailhead, you’ll need to head northeast out of Lake Placid on State Highway 86 until you reach Wilmington, NY. From there, a left on Route 431 (Whiteface Memorial Highway) brings you west out of town. After a five minute drive, just under 2.5 miles, you will see Marble Mountain Lane on your left- turn there!
At the very end of Marble Mountain Lane (it loops around on itself to head out the same way) you will see parking along the road. There is also access to the SUNY Atmospheric Sciences Research Center here, so you might see designated parking that hikers are asked to avoid. Please be considerate when parking and avoid blocking in other hikers or visitors.
The trailhead is on the far side of the loop (drive or walk past the roads leading to the SUNY Atmospheric Sciences Center). From there, you are ready to hike Whiteface Mountain!
Note this is an extremely popular trail in the summer and fall! If you want to guarantee a parking spot, I definitely recommend arriving as early as you can get yourself there. I went on a morning that started drizzly, gray, and cloudy and while I was the first person parked and summited that day, I passed more people than I could count on my way down and the parking was crazy busy.
Mileage: 9.5mi
Elevation Gain: ~3,651ft
Date Hiked: June 12, 2020
(mileage and elevation via AllTrails)
Parking:
Marble Mountain Lane
or
44.39442, -73.85771
Marble Mountain Trail to Marble Mountain
Marble Mountain Trail leaves the roadside parking and heads south. This trail provides a steep, rocky climb for the first mile of your hike gaining around 900ft or so. I wouldn’t describe it as a boulder scramble, but there are lots of loose, smaller rocks that make you mindful of where you step. In my opinion, this mile is the most technically difficult part of the hike.
Luckily, you can take a brief rest after this first mile as there is a flatter area to take a break. In addition, you are already rewarded with some wonderful views through a break in the trees. You have passed the summit of Marble Mountain at this point! Note you will not actually be walking over the summit as the trail cuts up the side of the mountain.
I recommended fueling up here because once you continue on, it’s right back at it with moderate to steep grades on your climb.
Continuing to Hike Whiteface Mountain
At the top of that steep first mile, Marble Mountain trail actually ends. You will continue to hike Whiteface Mountain via Wilmington Trail. The first intersection of the day will be just past the Marble Mountain viewpoint.
Turn right (north) onto Wilmington Trail to continue to hike Whiteface Mountain. If you turn left (south), you could loop back around to the parking area or can continue into a larger trail network that sits west of State Highway 86. You will not be able to reach Whiteface or Esther if you turn left though.
I recommend purchasing a map for more details on these trails. Referencing a map can help you plan your hike and tell you other ways to get to Wilmington Trail and hike Whiteface Mountain.
On Wilmington Trail, you will hike around 1.25 miles with about 1,200ft elevation gain before reaching your next intersection. To your right, you’ll see the herd path leaving the main trail to head towards Esther Mountain! More details on the Esther Mountain herd path are found in a later section of this blog post. (Click here to go there now)
Going Straight Past Esther
For now, if you want to hike Whiteface Mountain first, keep hiking straight up the path. You’re only 1.5 miles from the summit at this point! Don’t be fooled, because while it will be relatively flat for 3/4 of a mile or so, you still have some elevation gain left.
In the last 3/4 miles of your hike you will gain almost 1,000ft in elevation. I didn’t find it as bad as the section up Marble Mountain though. Honestly, this part of the trail is pretty fun because it has rocky scramble sections and you get glimpses of both the summit weather observatory and views down the ski mountain.
You will also walk along the large rock wall bordering the summit road for a portion of the trail which is pretty neat. The very end of the trail is a rocky path that brings you along a ridge until you reach the very top.
Whiteface Mountain Summit
Lots of Visitors
The summit of Whiteface Mountain is a large open area with plenty of room to relax and enjoy the views. You will be next to the large weather observatory and can see for miles across the landscape in front of you! Unless you are hiking very early in the day, very late, or on a poor weather day, you will likely be joined by other hikers or visitors.
Whiteface Mountain is the only high peak that can be reached by car. Visitors can drive up the Veteran’s Memorial Highway, park by the lower observation deck/café, and walk or take an elevator up to the true summit of the mountain. For this reason, it is also common for aspiring Adirondack 46ers to finish with this peak so they can celebrate at the summit with friends and family.
See more things to do as a visitor to the area at WhitefaceRegion.com.
Enjoying the Peak
If you feel like it, you can hike down a quarter of a mile to the café for some food, to check out the observation deck, or to use the bathrooms. Note the road and facilities are only open during the warmer months.
The top of Whiteface Mountain provides an amazing view of Lake Placid, Whiteface ski trails, and other Adirondack high peaks! I highly recommend checking out the 1980 Olympic town of Lake Placid if you have time to spend a long weekend in the region. There is so much to do, great history to see, and it’s just a wonderful mountain town to explore.
Take your time enjoying your accomplishment- you just hiked to the top of Whiteface Mountain! When you’re ready, head back down the trail the same way you came up until you get back to your car at the bottom of Marble Mountain (about 3.7 miles from summit straight to your car). Don’t forget to hike out to Esther Mountain if it’s on your list and you haven’t already hit it on the way up. Remember this will add just over 2 more miles to your hike.
Esther Herd Path
For those looking to complete the Adirondack 46, you will have to hike Esther Mountain in addition to Whiteface Mountain. Everyone has a different opinion of these hikes. However, if I am being truthful, I did not enjoy the hike to this peak even though it was only one mile off Wilmington Trail with maybe 300ft elevation gain in that stretch. It was exceptionally muddy that day and the one mile felt like the longest mile of my life haha.
The Esther Mountain herd path is muddy and narrow in spots. You will kind of skirt around Lookout Mountain as you head to Esther which is only slightly higher. There are no views at the summit and honestly it barely even feels like a summit- more like a small clearing in the woods. There are limited views along the mile stretch of trail too, so people generally only hike this mountain if they are looking to become an ADK 46er.
*Note this is a herd path! There are no official trail markings to guide you so you should know where you are going and how long you need to hike for. That said, due to the popularity of the Adirondack High Peaks, in the summer this trail is generally well-worn, easy to spot, and easy to stay on track.
Hiking Order for Whiteface and Esther
I did choose to hike Whiteface Mountain first and hit Esther Mountain on my way down. This was my first solo hike and I had the primary goal of hiking Whiteface knowing that if I felt too tired or wasn’t enjoying the hike alone, I could skip Esther and come back another day.
Of course you can hike Esther Mountain first! Be aware of your hiking abilities and how much time you have to hike that day. If you are determined to hike Whiteface Mountain, maybe summit that first in case you hit your turnaround time before you finish Esther. Or if you want to get Esther out of the way and don’t mind returning to hike Whiteface Mountain another day, maybe you want to tackle that herd path!
In addition, hitting Esther second was nice because it wasn’t just a straight descent for 3.5+ miles from the summit of Whiteface, the fifth highest mountain in the Adirondacks. That would have been pretty tough on my knees. Doing the out and back to Esther wasn’t necessarily fun, but it wasn’t difficult either due to the little elevation gain. It was a good break before continuing down Wilmington Trail and the rocky Marble Mountain Trail.
Don’t get me wrong, my knees were still feeling pretty done, but I think that was the right decision for me at the time! I know some people want to save the better views for their last peak too which factors into the order they hit certain mountains on a multi-peak day.
Thank you for reading about how to hike Whiteface Mountain and Esther Mountain on your journey to become an Adirondack 46er! To browse similar posts check out all New York posts, all Adirondack 46 posts, view the ADK 46 list, or check out my general Hiking page for more hiking lists in the Northeast USA. I also have various gear lockers with recommendations for hiking clothes, tools, gear, accessories, and snacks.
