We've recently started taking the Blue Ridge Road when traveling between Saratoga Springs and Long Lake. Going that way I couldn't help but notice the DEC trail sign about five miles from the Northway at Exit 29. When I got around to looking on a map I realized that this was the northern end of the Hoffman Notch trail. I say 'realized' because I could vaguely remember reading about the route in Barbara Martin's mother of all Adirondack hiking guides,
50 Hikes in the Adirondacks.
 |
| Much of the first mile of the route at the northern end crosses a flat bottom-land. This is prime beaver territory with every stage of beaver altered landscape present. The various meadows and small ponds provide views of the nearby Washburn Ridge. |
 |
| A forest scene along the way. |
 |
| Big Marsh provides good views of the mountains to the east. As of August 2016 beaver have backed the water up so that it covers the trail in a few places. |
 |
| Numerous signs of past activity, including logging, are seen along the way. |
 |
| Hoffman Notch Brook is a particularly attractive stream. And in the Adirondacks that's saying a lot. |
From the northern terminus the trail runs for a little over seven miles to an even more obscure trailhead west of Schroon Lake. There's no particular destination reached by this trail and, given that both McMartin (writing in the mid-90s) and the current DEC website note that sections of the trail are commonly flooded by beaver activity, it's little wonder that the trail gets very little use.
From the parking area on the Blue Ridge Road the trail descends slightly into the broad bottom land where several brooks join up to form "The Branch" - one of the two feeder tributaries of the Schroon River. This is one of the sections where beaver commonly flood the route but, in early August of 2016, the water was low and the passage was dry. That first mile of trail passes through private land until at about a mile you reach a sturdy bridge over Hoffman Notch Brook. Just past the bridge the trail enters the Hoffman Notch Wilderness. From there the trail climbs gradually into the notch following the brook for much of the way. At about 3.5 miles Big Marsh is reached with good views of the mountains to the east.
 |
| The "notch" is valley between ridges. The valley floor is filled by a series of beaver ponds and meadows. |
Past Big Marsh the water flows the other way (south) with the marsh providing a primary source for the North Branch of Trout Brook. From there the trail passes by and through a succession of beaver ponds and meadows eventually reaching a junction with the Big Pond trail at six miles and the southern parking area at 7.2 miles.
If hiking through a little visited and rugged landscape --with absolutely no destination in mind-- appeals to you, this route is a hidden gem. So many places to explore and so little time. Sigh.
From the parking area on the Blue Ridge Road the trail descends slightly into the broad bottom land where several brooks join up to form "The Branch" - one of the two feeder tributaries of the Schroon River. This is one of the sections where beaver commonly flood the route but, in early August of 2016, the water was low and the passage was dry. That first mile of trail passes through private land until at about a mile you reach a sturdy bridge over Hoffman Notch Brook. Just past the bridge the trail enters the Hoffman Notch Wilderness. From there the trail climbs gradually into the notch following the brook for much of the way. At about 3.5 miles Big Marsh is reached with good views of the mountains to the east.
