Bummer, this trail is closed. We'll update this page if and when it reopens.
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Gorgeous September sun soaked day. Since had already hiked Whiteface many moons ago via canoe on Lake Placid then up the backside, I decided to just hike Whiteface down to Esther and back up. First 1/2 mile down is construction (from years ago) boulder strewn then gets nicer. Once your down to the bottom near Lookout Mtn then it’s easy uphill to Esther- except mud fest much of the way up. But hey you just embrace it, smile and knock it out. Then uphill about 1700ft or so back up to top of Whiteface. I’m 63 and did it about 4.5 to 5hrs. Most folks I ran into on the trail were starting at Marble Mtn Rd trailhead and hiked up to Whiteface then hit Esther on way back.
Another great day in the ADK, 9/7/23. We paid $20 per person and drove up Whiteface Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway to the parking lot (4610 feet above sea level) then climbed the 1/5 mile Nature Trail that I can only describe as a rock staircase with railings to the Whiteface Summit at 4867 feet. We asked for directions to Esther and were pointed down a trail and across a ridge with spectacular views. The trail is well marked and at one point you reach the edge of the road and just stay to your right and go down along the rock wall. You are steadily going downward losing elevation. The trail is actually fun, climbing down rocks, walking thru the trees and reaching the top of the ski lift. Just keep going until you reach an obvious pile of rocks and the sign pointing up a trail on your left that leads to Esther. Now it gets more challenging and is a steeper climb but definitely doable. The trail was muddy in places but you could definitely navigate around the deep mud or over it on logs. The trail is not maintained but discernable thru the trees and rock beds. The view isn't great especially compared to Whiteface which was amazing but it does have a good peak marker at the summit. We didn't linger on top because it started to rain and the wind picked up speed. So we just turned around and walked the same route back to Whiteface. The trail was obviously muddier and more slippery on the way back because of the rain but still manageable and the storm passed quickly. We ascended back up Whiteface in some wind and fog but it just made the hike more interesting. Once we reached the summit, we should have taken the elevator down (27 floors) from the Whiteface Summit to the parking lot because of the wind and wetness but we didn't, we took the rock staircase and held on to the railings the entire way down. The hike was 5.7 miles round trip and took us 5 hours 26 minutes.
We tried, yesterday, to do the loop from Whiteface, down and back, but were forced to take the other approach. DO NOT tell the folks at the guard house on the Whiteface road that you plan to hike this route. They told us it was "not allowed" because we "might not be able to find your way to your car". They then explored that they were concerned that we would not be able to leave the top in time, despite it being only 10 a.m. The other route was good. Steep from the get-go, and it became very muddy toward the top, but as a piece of cake after the 18 mile mud slog on Allen last week. My 46th. Hurray!
Very diverse and beautiful trail. Esther was a complete mud bath. I recommend you just embrace the mud and wash off in the brook on the way back. You're getting wet either way! :-) also, the $20/pp entry fee to the parking lot is highway robbery! The most expensive parking for a trailhead I've ever seen. What is NYS doing with all the tax money that goes to maintaining the parks?
This hike was easily one of my favorites ever. It had tons of shade, beautiful scenery and broad vistas, lush greenery, rock scrambles, lots of puzzling areas to avoid getting dirty in the mud, and it posed a challenge but it was never too hard. I started from the top of Whitehead Mountain, which is a paid area. I hiked about 4 hours in and out. One caveat, I turned around 10 minutes before the end because the mud was getting old, but that's okay for me.
Character-building hike starting from summit of Whiteface. Hiked Monday 8/9 and was quite muddy/buggy once trail flattened out beneath tree line and on ascent/return from Esther. Very steep and slow going on downslope from Whiteface summit, not as bad to climb at end. $15 per person entry fee on access toll road to start.
3.5 stars - Would have been a much better rating if the mountains hadn't been completely fogged in and overcast. I loved starting at the top and going down first when my legs were fresh. It was also super fun hopping from rock to rock in what was essentially a brook. Didn't go all the way up to Esther Mt. because of the lack of visibiility
