Hiking Indian Head Mountain: An Adirondack Treasure

Adirondack Park is an incredible section of New York, with over 6 million protected acres.  Within those 6 million acres are hundreds of mountains to be summited and explored.  And while there are plenty of great views, I would argue that hiking Indian Head Mountain leads to one of the most incredible views in the whole east coast!

Yes, that’s a bold statement, but the cliffs that overlook the river below made me never want to leave.  In fact, I sat at the overlook for nearly 2 hours just watching the clouds roll by.

But before you get all excited about this stunning view, there is one thing you need to know before you start driving to the trailhead.  You need reservations to do this hike.  Without these reservations, you will be turned away, so let’s make sure that doesn’t happen.    

Let’s jump right into some important links, then get to the reservations, the location and finally what to expect on this hike.  

Important Links

AllTrails Link – Download Map Here

Step-by-Step Guide to AMR Reservations

AMR Website

Camping in Macomb State Park

Reservations

Before we go into any details about how amazing this hike is, you will need to do one thing first.

GET A RESERVATION!  Hiking Indian Head Mountain, and many other trails in the Adirondack Mountain Reserve (AMR) Area, requires all hikers to have a reservation.  This is due to overcrowding and limited parking at the trailheads.  

You can’t even begin to plan for this hike until you get a reservation.  The reservations are free and released on a rolling basis 2 weeks prior to the date you want to hike it.   And lucky for you, I created a step-by-step guide on how to make an AMR Reservation! 

So before you get your hopes and dreams of hiking Indian Head Mountain completely destroyed, make sure you check out my step-by-step guide on snagging a reservation.  

Location

 Just a few hours south of Canada, this part of New York is often overlooked.  But trust me, the views while hiking Indian Head Mountain are worth the long drive.  

The Indian Head Mountain trailhead parking lot is 5 hours from NYC, 5 hours from Boston, MA and 2 hours south of Montreal, Quebec.  While all of these distances are a bit far for just a day trip, you’ll probably want to consider a weekend or long weekend to hike in the AMR. 

Parking

Once you either have that reservation, or have a plan to get a reservation, you’ll need to know where to park for the trailhead.  

In short, you’ll park here.  Or you can use the address 24 Ausable Rd, Keene Valley, NY 12943 in your favorite maps app. 

Trail Stats

While the highlight of hiking Indian Head Mountain is by far the overlook, there are also several gorgeous waterfalls along this loop.  And while AllTrails claims this hike is only just over 10 miles, here were the stats we tracked while hiking Indian Head Mountain and Rainbow Falls Loop.  

• Trail Name: Indian Head and Rainbow Falls Loop
• Distance: 12.6 miles
• Elevation Gain: 2100 feet
• Moving Time: 7 hours
• Difficulty: Difficult (the elevation was moderate, but the distance made for a long day)

I would also recommend doing this trail counter clockwise so you can hike up the steep part, instead of scrambling down this section.  This is how we hiked this loop and we really enjoyed it.  

The Trail Overview

Hiking Indian Head Mountain is a loop trail that starts with some road walking, takes you past a peaceful stream, up a steep section to the stunning overlook, then loops you back down past several waterfalls as you head back to the parking lot.

This trail is moderately difficult, but does require nearly a full day on the trails.  Plus, you’ll want to sit and enjoy the view and the waterfalls.  So make sure you aren’t on a time-crunch when you do this hike.  

But let’s get into what to expect!  Because this trail has lots to offer its hikers.  

What to Expect

Indian Head Mountain is nowhere near the highest peak in the Adirondacks, but it is still a challenging hike.  You will want to make sure you have plenty of water packed and several snacks so you can refuel as you hike.  

The Ascent

When hiking Indian Head Mountain and continuing the loop onto Rainbow Falls, you will start with several miles of dirt road walking.  If you hike this loop counter clockwise, you will start with about 3 miles of road walking.

From here you will enter the moss-covered forest and hike along a stream.  You’ll pass several small waterfalls before coming to the steep section of the trail.  This is the hardest part and you’ll soon poke out to a few overlooks that urge you forward.  

The Overlooks

Once you’ve passed the North Overlook, you’ll summit the Indian Head Mountain.  And while there is no view here, you’ll continue on and come to a split in the trail.  Here you can choose to just continue to the South Overlook, or add about a mile (round trip) and head to the Fish Hawk Cliffs.  I HIGHLY recommend this trail extension, because we had this cliff entirely to ourselves.  

To get down to the Fish Hawk Cliffs, you’ll begin a steep descent, and then a quick ascent to these cliffs.  This stunning view is not as heavily trafficked and we were able to sit here for over an hour without ever seeing another soul!

From here, you’ll go back the way you can and pop out on the South Overlook.  This beautiful view is nearly the same as at the Fish Hawks Cliffs you just left, but it is the more commonly seen view.  It’s also a slightly different angle and also worth stopping at.  

Continuing the Loop

Once you have had your fill at Fish Hawk Cliffs and the South Overlook, you will begin to head downhill towards the edge of the river.  You’ll cross the river on a wooden bridge and then go on another off-shoot where you will see Rainbow Falls.  The trail is clearly marked, so don’t worry about getting lost.  

Rainbow Falls is a very unique waterfall, where it not only falls, but it also appears to run behind a rock that stands at the base of the falls.  Either way, it’s worth a few minutes to appreciate it.  Or you can always stick your head under the water on a hot day like some of the other hikers we shared the falls with.

When you have had your fill of the falls, you will head back the way you came and head back across the river.  You’ll then follow the East River Trail.  The West River Trail also parallels the East trail, but the West was very overgrown when we did it, and I would recommend sticking to the East River Trail.  

Beaver Meadow Falls and Back to the Parking Lot

With about 3.5 miles left, you’ll cross the river again and pass by Beaver Meadow Falls.  This waterfall is another great place to rest your legs and take a break if you need it.  

From the waterfall, you will continue walking along the river and make your way back to the parking lot.  The last 1.5 miles or so will finish up on the road just as you started.  This part is boring, but easy, and you can generally pick up some speed to finish your great day of hiking Indian Head Mountain.  

Our Experience

My husband and I hiked this amazing trail on a clear day in August of 2024.  We found the trail to be more of a moderate type of trail, but the length of 12 miles did make for a long day.

We were able to secure our reservations with no issues, but I will say that we hiked this popular trail on a Thursday.  The weekends can be pretty brutal for getting reservations from what I’ve heard.  But back to our actual hike.

The views and waterfalls on this trail definitely made hiking Indian Head Mountain one of my favorite trails on the East Coast.  I truly didn’t want to leave the rocky cliffs that overlook the river.  And how could I forget to mention the beautiful waterfalls all along this trail.  

We would highly recommend this trail to anyone who wants to see a great view and can handle about 12 miles on their feet.    

Camping Nearby

We were only able to spend the day hiking Indian Head Mountain on a Thursday because we spent 2 weeks camping in one of the nearby campgrounds.  

The Adirondacks have so many campgrounds, I spent hours looking for the best campground that was within our budget.  

Here is a great website with many of the campgrounds listed out for you.  But I would also highly recommend looking at the New York State Parks that are in the area.  

We chose to camp at Macomb Reservation State Park because of its affordability and because this park offered less than an hour drive to the High Peaks Wilderness while also being just 20 minutes from Plattsburgh, NY (which has a Walmart).  Check out our experience here!

Conclusion

Hiking Indian Head Mountain was an incredible experience and I would recommend it to any hiker.  The trail isn’t too hard, but the views were absolutely stunning.  

Don’t forget to get your reservations before heading to the trailhead with the help of my step-by-step guide to the AMR Reservation system.  Once you have that, the rest is easy!  

Go enjoy an amazing hike in the Adirondacks and as always, if you have any questions, please reach out to averagewildexperience@gmail.com – I’ll do my best to help!

Happy Hiking!