Backpacking the Dix Range (Macomb, South Dix, East Dix, Hough and Dix)

Jenna and I were planning a backpacking trip to hike the Dix Range for months. Thankfully, the stars aligned and the weather was perfect the entire weekend. Friday afternoon I met Jenna and our friend Margaret at the Exit 9 Park and Ride at around 5pm (was supposed to be earlier but there was so much traffic!) and drove up to the Elk Lake Trailhead near Exit 29 off the Northway. Brendan was planning on hiking with us also, but couldn’t leave work early so he was planning on meeting us at the camp site in the morning.

The drive up was fast (1.5 hours!) and before we knew it we were on our way down the trail from Elk Lake to the Slide Brook Lean-to. Since it was so late (around 8pm) we knew the lean-to wouldn’t be empty on this perfect weekend, so we all brought tents. The sites across the trail from it had tents set up so we decided to join the party and set up our two tents on the large site. A group had been camping there since Thursday and they kept to themselves mostly.

We cooked our dinner at a clearing next to the Slide Brook bridge and talked to a few other hikers who were camping there as well. Both groups were planning on hiking the entire range on Saturday also. Bear cans aren’t required in the Dix Wilderness, but we brought one to be on the safe side. We also had a stuff sack full of dishes and extra food that Margaret hung on a tree (she has amazing backcountry skillz!) and then went to bed.

We got up around 6:30 on Saturday, cooked breakfast, and got ready for the hike! We were going to hike a loop beginning with Macomb, via the slide, to South Dix, then to East Dix, Hough, over the Beckhorn to Dix and descend Hunter’s pass (instead of the steep Beckhorn trail), back down to Lillian Brook and back to our camp site at Slide Brook.

At around 8:00 Brendan came strolling down the trail. He had to park at the overflow lot since the lot at Elk Lake was full when he got there around 6:30. Yikes! It was a busy day in the Adirondacks! Once we met with him we assessed our water situation. We each brought about 4 Liters and our filter. There is a brook at the base of the Macomb slide but after that NO water at all until you get down to Lillian Brook (the end of the hike if you do the loop) so we made sure to have enough for the entire trip since it was a warm day.

We got to the base of the Macomb slide at around 9, after just about 55 minutes of hiking. Now, the hardest part of the entire day (for me), hiking up the slide. It is very rocky and loose. Quite terrifying. I took it slow and made it up in about 40 minutes (everyone else was much faster), but once I got up I felt quite accomplished. It was scary.

Shortly after we were at the summit of Macomb! We got there at about 10:10am.

Now that the hard part was over, we continued along the trail to South Dix, which included a nice open rock scramble with amazing views.

Arrived at the true summit at 11:06am. Onward.

Got to the summit of East Dix (or Grace Peak) at around 12:20Pm. We stopped for a lunch break and to soak in the gorgeous views.

Next up: the fourth peak, Hough! It was a little further away from the others and took a bit longer to get there. We got to the summit at 2:30.

Eventually we came to the Beckhorn, a small hump right before Dix’ summit. There is another steep trail going left once you get on the Beckhorn that will take you directly down to the Lillian Brook lean to and camp sites. This was an shorter option to descend after hitting Dix’ summit. But we chose the other option, Hunter’s pass, which didn’t really add on THAT much distance.

There was a big boulder right before the Beckhorn that was a bit sketchy. The dog got up no problem, but I needed Brendan to hold my foot in place so I could pull myself up! The dog hiked great. She only needed help in a few spots. There was one big crack I had to squeeze myself into for her to climb up over me, but other than that, she was fantastic! She’s a great hiker!

Soon we were at the fifth and final summit of the day, Dix! It was the big one. At 4,857 feet of elevation, Dix is the 6th highest peak in NY! We got there at around 4:15pm after eight hours of hiking. Five peaks competed in one day is the most I’ve ever hiked! It also brought me to 37/46!

We stayed on Dix for a little bit to recharge. We had a long descent awaiting us on Hunter’s Pass. And we were almost out of water. I didn’t take any photos on the descent since I was focused on getting down and to water. There were some awesome views though. I was thirsty almost all day and drank the entire 4 liters of water. I carried a 3L platypus bladder and a 1 liter bottle. We didn’t get down to the Lillian Brook to refill until 6:15PM. We stopped for a few minutes to rest (again). Even Zahra was pooped!

The remainder of the hike was easy, but long. It felt like it was taking FOREVER to get back to the campsite, even though it was about 2.7 miles away. Finally we arrived at our camp site at around 8pm. We changed and made dinner. There were still a few other hikers staying at our site and they had made a large campfire. It was temping, but I was too tired to enjoy it! Brendan had planned on hiking the additional four miles back to his car, but decided to stay since he was beat. Thankfully there was room in my tent, even with the dog. And it wasn’t too cold so we used my sleeping bag as a blanket. It was my first overnight AFTER a huge hike. Usually we drive home and I can shower and sleep in my own bed. I have to say it was nice to have my tent and bed set up, ready for me to climb in and pass out!

What a day! The Dix Range was so awesome. It was an amazing day.

Dix Range
Macomb, South Dix, East Dix (Grace Peak), Hough and Dix
5250′ total elevation gain
10.5 mi loop from Slide Brook camp
15.1 mi total from Elk Lake trailhead