Nippletop and Dial, counter-clockwise is better

On Friday I went for my first hike of the season, a counter-clockwise loop over Nippletop and Dial. I prefer to do the road walk (Lake road) in the morning and am a fan of ascending rather than descending the super steep section of trail from Elk Pass to Nippletop. The trail from Nippletop over Dial and back to the Lake road seemed longer than it should have been but it was downhill with less uphill bumps than I was expecting less mud than I anticipated. On the way to Nippletop, I added a side trip to Indian Head and Fishhawk cliffs. This is a no-brainer on such a clear sunny day!

I had one of my only bad ADK hike experiences when I first did this hike 10 years ago on a hot humid day, trying to keep up with a group who were much faster. That hike ended with me fainting in the parking lot while taking off my boots. Friday's hike replaced that memory with a happier one that includes a long nap on Dial's summit rock and clear skies for great views.

Indian Head and Fishhawk Cliffs

Bryan and I wanted to get one last Adirondack hike in before it snows for good there. He wanted to up his total of 46er peaks while I just wanted to take in the remaining folliage from a good viewing area. We settled on hiking to Indian Head and Fishhawk Cliffs and then if time allowed after the requisite photoshoot we would continue on to Colvin. We arrived at the trailhead later than we wanted due to a few stops for must see photo-ops at Barnum Pond (mist on the water) and LOJ road (frosty grass).

It was colder walking along the LOJ road that I had thought and there were tons of leaves falling from the trees and lying on the ground. We took the Gill Brook bypass trail and there were even more leaves covering that trail. After a short hike we stepped out on Indian Head and had it ourselves for about twenty minutes. A spectacular view for sure even though most of the color was gone leaving a frosty white shade where the color had been and patches of yellows and oranges here and there.

We took many photos of the various views: Gothics and the lower range, Colvin, Lower Ausable lake. This is a great spot to sit and have lunch. After soaking in all we could we head off to Fishhawk cliffs. This is a short walk that starts with a real steep drop off. This viewpoint shows you the profile of the Indian face and makes for some great photos of this profile with the great range in the background.

This a great hike that you can do in half a day and can be combined with a visit to Rainbow Falls and a leisurely stroll down the East or West River trails.