Hopkins mountain is in the Giant Wilderness area. It offers one of the best views of the High peaks area without being ''a high peak (46er)''. This mountain gets less traffic because it is not on a local peaks list, but gets a lot of attention from locals since it offers a great view from its expansive summit. There are a handful of possibilities to reach the summit of the mountain, but the least confusing and direct route that can be accessed without parking your car on private roads and worrying about disturbing private land owners too much is via the Mossy Cascade Trial.
The trail is a classic Adirondack mix of rocks and roots. It starts in an open pine forest with soft trail underfoot and follows Mossy Cascade Brook crossing it a couple of times. Soon enough after an initial ascent, the forest becomes hardwood and much more rugged. As you ascend some openings offer a sneak peak of the view. The ascent continues and becomes steeper as you approach the summit. The top is a big rock slab offering fantastic views of the High Peaks.
Parking and start:
Parking is available off the shoulder of Route 73 south of the bridge that crosses the Ausable River. About 5-6 cars could fit in the parking. Start and finish right before the bridge that crosses Crystal Brook and is parallel to Route 73. To tag the summit, you must keep going west until forest closes up on the rock slab again.
There is a strava segment .
