Hiking Indian Head

Hope everyone is having a fantastic holiday weekend! It really is still summer because the weather here has been quite hot and amazing. Yesterday, Christine and I wanted to do an easy hike so we decided on Indian Head, a spot in the high peaks that is not a high peak but has an amazing view. We left Albany at 7:30 and drove up to the Ausable Club Parkin lot in Keene since that’s where the trail for Indian Head starts. The hike begins at the AMR gate (like many of the other hikes I’ve done).

The hike itself is mostly just a dirt road walk. It wasn’t too exciting. Until the Ausable Club shuttle driver pulled over and told us that there was a BEAR up ahead in the beaver pond! He said the bear was young and wouldn’t bother us because it was far enough away. Sure enough, we continued down the road and when we got the beaver pond, there he was!

Its hard to see, but the black blob in the middle of the picture is a black bear! It was the first time I had seen a bear hiking. I knew it would happen sooner or later because I’m out in the woods a lot. Bears are active in this area so it’s good to be cautious! He started running away and climbed right up a tree. Too funny.  I can’t believe we saw a bear!

Anyway, four miles of walking down the road later, we came to a trail on the left right before we got to Ausable Lake.

The trail to Indian head was less than a mile up and soon enough we hit the junction for Gothic Window.

Gothic Window is a clearing through the trees where you can see Gothics. But there’s a much better view just head on Indian Head itself.

Christine and I had both been dying to get to Indian Head. The views from the cliff are iconic and we’ve seen them for ages all over the internet. One photo was even my iPhone background. Steeping onto the lookout cliff was surreal.

You can’t even believe what are you looking at! Its just breathtaking.

You can see upper and lower Ausable Lake, along with Sawteeth, Gothics, Armstrong, Upperwolfjaw and Lower Wolfjaw on the right.

Gothics and Pyramid.

Also, Cloudline sent me a pair of their technical hiker socks to try out on my hikes.

What I love about Cloudline wool socks:

They are made of premium merino wool. Their merino wool blend naturally regulates moisture, temperature, and has antibacterial properties that resist odor. Also, they are made in the USA which is always a nice bonus! The socks are thick and cozy! They may have been a tad bit too warm for a hot 80 degree day in the mountains, but I can’t wait to wear them when snowshoeing and hiking this winter! Their technical hiker socks run $20 a pair on their website and are currently having a free shipping promo for labor day weekend!

Extremely happy feet! These socks are also available on Amazon!

Anyway, Christine and I sat at the top of Indian Head for a while, ate our lunch and took a bunch of crazy pictures since we had the summit to ourselves the entire time.

It was a day well spent! I would HIGHLY recommend this hike. The hardest part is the distance since you are walking: 8 miles total out and back on the dirt road. The trail itself up to Indian Head was easy.

Indian Head
Total Distance 9.3 miles RT
Total hiking time 5 hours 13 minutes (includes long break on top)
Ascent 1,552′
Elevation 2,634′