Firetower Challenge – Goodnow Mountain

It’s no surprise that I’m always up for a challenge. So, why not add another one to my current list? In addition to hiking the 46 high peaks in the Adirondacks, the Catskill 35 over 3500, there is the Adirondack Fire Tower Challenge, which is a list of all the mountains that currently have a firetower at the top. Since I have already hiked two of these mountains, Hadley Mountain and Hurricane Mountain, I decided to go for another. I hiked Goodnow Mountain on Sunday with a few good friends.

About a two hour drive from Albany, the trail to Goodnow is right down the road from the Adirondack Visitor Center on Route 28N. There was a giant white sign for the parking lot, which made it easy to spot!

There was a dusting of snow on the trail already, which I really enjoyed! I don’t know how but I’ve completely changed my mind the past year about winter weather. I love it. The hike was pleasant. It wasn’t too steep, and there were many things to look at, including an old barn and an interesting tree with roots growing around a boulder.

An easy 1.9 mile climb to the top, we found the firetower and cabin! Of course to get the 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains we climbed to the top.

November is an peaceful time to hike. The trails are quiet (we saw no one else on the hike–but the trail register showed a group had already come and gone that morning) and you can smell winter in the air.