Marcy Dam Backcountry Campsites
Campground
Campground · 1.0 mi from the trail
New York · Ski touring · Near Schroon Lake
Avalanche Pass Ski Trail
- 0.5 mi
- round trip
- 306 ft
- climb
- 2,955 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
Avalanche Pass Ski Trail is a short, easy ski touring route in New York's High Peaks Wilderness, managed by the State Department of Conservation. The trail is an out-and-back that gains about 267 feet in elevation over roughly 0.9 miles, with the high point at 2,955 feet. The steepest stretch comes early, around 0.26 miles in, with a grade of about 18 percent. Winter is the natural season for this route. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Lake Placid show January highs around 23°F with lows near 6°F, and the station sits well below the pass, so temperatures up high run cooler. The Avalanche Pass Trail for cross-country skiing lies just 0.1 mile away, and the Avalanche Lake Ski Trail is about 0.8 mile off. Hikers can reach the Lake Arnold Trail within a mile, and climbers will find Mt Colden about 1.1 miles away.
Around this trail
Add any of these when you start a tripSleep close Eat after If it rains Schroon Lake view
Viewpoint
On your way back · 21 mi
Places © OpenStreetMap contributors
More in Schroon LakeBest time to go
Best time to visit Avalanche Pass Ski Trail
No month here meets our mild-weather rule. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
23° / 6°
18 wet
Feb
27° / 8°
14 wet
Mar
36° / 16°
14 wet
Apr
49° / 29°
14 wet
May
62° / 40°
15 wet
Jun
70° / 49°
14 wet
Jul
74° / 54°
14 wet
Aug
73° / 52°
13 wet
Sep
66° / 45°
13 wet
Oct
52° / 35°
15 wet
Nov
40° / 25°
16 wet
Dec
28° / 14°
18 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Lake Placid 2 S, NY, 11.2 mi away at 1,888 ft. The station sits about 1,100 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more snow worth the drive
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Van Hoevenberg Trail
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Whales Tail Ski Trail
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0.28-mile out-and-back ski trail in New York with 86 ft of elevation gain.
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Avalanche Pass Trail
~2 min drive
0.89-mile out-and-back route in New York with 305 ft of elevation gain.
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Lake Colden Ski Trail
~3 min drive
0.18-mile out-and-back ski trail in New York with 15 ft of elevation gain.
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Fangorn Forest
~4 min drive
0.44-mile out-and-back route in Fangorn Forest, New York.
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Van Hoevenberg Ski Trail
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0.5 mi · Moderate
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Marcy Dam Truck Trail
~2 min drive
0.10-mile out-and-back cross-country ski trail in New York.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
