Three Trails
- 0.4 mi
- round trip
- 103 ft
- climb
- 2,018 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
Three Trails is a cross-country ski route in the Mount Van Hoevenberg Winter Recreation Area in New York, managed by the State Department of Conservation. The trail is a short out-and-back, about 0.7 miles long, with a total climb of about 100 feet from a low point of 1,964 feet to a high of 2,018 feet. The route is rated moderate, and the steepest stretch comes early on, with a grade of about 7 percent at roughly 0.1 mile. Winter is the natural season for this trail. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Lake Placid show January highs around 23°F with lows near 6°F, while March runs a bit milder, with highs around 36°F. The station sits about 130 feet lower than the trail's high point, so temperatures on the higher ground run slightly cooler. Several other ski routes lie close by, including Three Trails Cutoff and Dog Bone, each about 0.1 mile away, and Double Dipper and Cascade, each about 0.2 mile away. For a change of pace, the West Branch Ausable River offers canoeing about 2 miles off.
Best time to go
Best time to visit Three Trails
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, 5.8 mi away at 1,888 ft. 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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Three Trails Cutoff
Next door
0.54-mile out-and-back route in New York's Adirondack Park with 62 ft of elevation gain.
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Flanagan's Run
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0.54-mile out-and-back ski run in New York with 48 ft of elevation gain.
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Cascade
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0.56-mile out-and-back ski route in New York with 34 ft of elevation gain.
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Dog Bone
Next door
0.39-mile out-and-back route in New York with 91 ft of elevation gain.
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Flanagan's Run
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0.10-mile out-and-back ski trail in New York.
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Rabbit Run
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0.55-mile out-and-back at Rabbit Run in New York with 31 ft of elevation gain.
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Three Trails
Next door
0.47-mile out-and-back route in New York with 72 ft of elevation gain.
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World Cup Trails
~1 min drive
0.19-mile out-and-back trail in New York with 30 ft of elevation gain.
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Lower Gully
Next door
0.13-mile out-and-back ski trail in New York with 7 feet of elevation gain.
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Double Dipper
Next door
0.19-mile out-and-back ski trail in New York with 45 ft of elevation gain.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
