Cascade Mountain
Description
WikipediaCascade Mountain is a mountain in the Adirondacks in the U.S. state of New York. It is the 36th-highest of the Adirondack High Peaks, with an elevation of 4,098 feet (1,249 m). The mountain is located in the town of Keene in Essex County. Prior to 1860, the mountain was named "Long Pond Mountain" for a pond located at its base. Long Pond was divided by a landslide shortly after 1860, and the divided ponds were named "Edmund's Ponds" until 1878, when Sidney and Warren Weston built a hotel in between the two ponds. They renamed the ponds the "Cascade Lakes", after a waterfall flowing down the mountain in the path of the landslide, and Long Pond Mountain was renamed to Cascade Mountain. The earliest recorded ascent was made in 1872 by a trapper named Lon Pierce. A trail to the summit of Cascade Mountain begins on New York State Route 73, 6.8 miles (10.9 km) from the center of Keene and 4.5 miles (7.2 km) from the Adirondak Loj road. The trail continues 2.4 miles (3.9 km) and ascends 1,940 feet (590 m) to the bare rocky peak, which offers views of many other High Peaks and the Champlain Valley. Cascade is one of the most popular hikes in the Adirondacks, and regularly faces issues with overcrowding at the summit and overflowing parking, which motivated a decision to replace the existing trail with a longer, 4.3 miles (6.9 km) trail, beginning at the Mount Van Hoevenberg trailhead. As of 2025, the new trail remains under construction.
First ascent
Best months
Hiking score 0–100 · 10-yr climate averagesNeighbouring summits
| Name | Elevation | Bearing | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Porter Mountain | 1,240 m | SE 144° | 0.8 km |
| Laramore Mountain | 1,008 m | NE 45° | 1.1 km |
| Bear Cubby | 727 m | N 16° | 1.9 km |
| Pitchoff Mountain | 1,066 m | NW 327° | 2.5 km |
| Little Porter Mountain | 847 m | SE 128° | 3.3 km |
| Blueberry Mountain | 883 m | E 91° | 3.5 km |
Climbing routes
nearest first| Route | Area | Grade | From summit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cascade Mountain Slide | Cascade Mountain | 1 | 19 m |
| Drake Equation | UFO Wall | 6b | 1.2 km |
| My Favorite Martian | UFO Wall | 5c | 1.2 km |
| Fermi's Paradox | UFO Wall | 6c | 1.2 km |
| Cascade Lichen Dance | Cascade Cliff | 6a | 1.2 km |
| Wald-Calder Route | Pitchoff Chimney Cliff | 5c | 2.0 km |
| Running of the Bulls | Pitchoff Chimney Cliff | 6c | 2.0 km |
| PF Flyers | Pitchoff Chimney Cliff | 6a | 2.0 km |
| Star Sailor | Pitchoff Chimney Cliff | 6b | 2.0 km |
| Roaches on the Wall | Pitchoff Chimney Cliff | 6b | 2.0 km |
| Great Chimney | Pitchoff Chimney Cliff | 4c | 2.0 km |
| Flying Squirrels | Pitchoff Chimney Cliff | 6c | 2.0 km |
| Hidden Constellation | Pitchoff Chimney Cliff | 7a | 2.0 km |
| The Lonely | Pitchoff Chimney Cliff | 4c | 2.0 km |
| Pete's Farewell | Pitchoff Chimney Cliff | 5a | 2.0 km |
| Dynamo Hum | Pitchoff Chimney Cliff | 5c | 2.0 km |
| Brrright Star | Pitchoff Chimney Cliff | 5c | 2.0 km |
| Coffee Achievers | Pitchoff Chimney Cliff | 6a+ | 2.0 km |
| Anniversary Waltz | Pitchoff Chimney Cliff | 6b+ | 2.0 km |
| Rock and Roll Star | Pitchoff Chimney Cliff | 6b | 2.0 km |
| Raging Raven | Pitchoff Chimney Cliff | 6c | 2.0 km |
| Walking the Tightrope | Pitchoff Chimney Cliff | 7b | 2.0 km |
| The Disputed | Pitchoff Chimney Cliff | 5b | 2.0 km |
| The El | Pitchoff Chimney Cliff | 5b | 2.0 km |
| Bogosity (Link-up) | Pitchoff Chimney Cliff | 5b | 2.0 km |