Cascade and Porter Mountain – Two 46’s in One Hike
The easiest of the Adirondack 46’s, Cascade is a joy to climb! Not only does it feature a natural rock scramble at its peak but it also has some beautiful view to offer. For the intrepid hiker, you can also tack on a few extra kilometers to do Porter Mountain although the view will likely disappoint in comparison to the spectacular ones offered by Cascade Mountain.
Table of Contents
Parking
Although limited parking is available on site, you will likely end up parking on Cascade Road shoulder, as you near Cascade Lake. The trailhead will be on your right hand side, heading eastbound.
Hiking Cascade and Porter
Th 9 kilometer (5.6 mi) hike can be shortened to something closer to 6 kilometers if you drop the Porter Mountain portion. During the climb you will gain nearly 700 meter, making it a relatively step climb. Due to the rock-climb at the end of the hike, and the prevalence of water on the trail after a rain day, I would bring some good shoes. It is because of this bald rock at the top that the views from cascade are so good. There is little vegetation to block your view of the surrounding landscape.
Heading Up the Mountain
The hikes starts with a steady but gently climb up the forest in a winding snake like fashion away from the mountain. Eventually the path wraps back up towards the mountain and takes a sharper route up the mountain that is steep and challenging.
Eventually you will emerge from the trees to witness the first viewpoint. Just past this point you will find the turnoff for porter and the path towards Cascade.
To reach the top of cascade you will have to make it up a steam rock scramble. Obviously, this is easiest to do on a day with little rainwater on the rocks.
From the top of the scramble, looking north, you will have excellent views of the valley as well as Cascade Road below. The road eventually gets in to a narrow pass in the rocks leading to Cascade Lake. This is where you will find the equally as cool Balancing Rocks.
On the south side you will find a valley that would be unremarkable, if not for the fact that it was fall at the day of my visit and the colors were pretty.
You will also be able to see Porter Mountain from here.
At the very peak you will find the geodetic marker! Congrats you have made it to the top. Tick one 46’er off the list.
The thing I enjoy the most about these bald spots, is that water will sometimes pool in the rock crevices and divots creating excellent photo taking opportunities.
Conclusion
The word underrated get thrown around all too often, but in Cascade Mountain’s case it applies. Despite being on the easier side of an Adirondack hike, it offers some of the best views on the region. I would recommend giving it a try, no matter what level hiker you are.
