Adirondack Iron Mine Circuit

Deep in the Adirondack High Peaks region, this 24-mile circuit connects three abandoned iron ore operations from the 1800s through increasingly technical terrain. Starting at the Tahawus ghost town ruins, the route climbs through Henderson Lake country past the old blast furnace remains, then drops into the brutal rock garden approach to the Sanford Lake mine site. The gnarliest obstacle is the washed-out bridge crossing at Opalescent River, where you’re picking your line through house-sized granite boulders.

Difficult rating with serious rock crawling and multiple water crossings. You need lockers, skid plates, and 33s minimum – this isn’t a trail for stock rigs. July through September offers the best conditions, but even then expect mud holes and creek crossings up to your door handles. No permits required but fuel up in Newcomb before heading in. The payoff is pristine wilderness camping at Henderson Lake and some of the most remote country left in New York.