Approximately 700 feet from the top of Goodnow Mountain, hikers see a bit of the history of the Adirondack mountains when they come upon an old stable that was used to house horses in the early part of the 20th century. Close examination of the old wooden timbers even reveals teeth marks of the horses that were kept there as part of a rustic, and maybe a bit too far out of the way, resort.
Although the view is wonderful and the climb not too steep, cabins that were once built on this mountainside no longer exist, and only one foundation is left. The very same features that drew vacationers to the Adirondacks and to Goodnow Mountain nearly 100 years ago are the same things that attract them today - a fairly easy climb; the opportunity to catch a view part way up to the summit; and a trail that is well marked and easy to follow. The climb to the 2,685 ft. summit gives hikers a good workout, but is not too challenging for those with less stamina. Particularly encouraging are the wooden walkways, rustic bridges and benches that exist along the trail to make the climb a little easier. In addition, the trail serves as a nature hike, with markers that help hikers learn about trees and fauna that are indigenous to the area.
The 5000 acre tract of land that includes the mountain was originally owned by Sylvester Goodnow, and later by Archer and Anna Huntington, who donated the lands to the College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse University. At the end of the 1.9 mile climb is an unmanned 60' fire tower, built by the New York State Department of Conservation in 1922 and staffed until 1970. The fire tower contains a circular map of the Adirondack region which will helps to identify many mountains, including the Santanoni Range and Mt. Marcy of high peaks, and many others which can be seen from this vantage point.
Our group consisted of nine hikers, ranging in age from 16 to 82, with varied hiking ability. We happened to be in at the Adirondacks at the beginning of August, a time that coincided with a massive motorcycle rally, and were glad to leave the main roads to seek solace away from these noisy choppers. Having traveled to northern New York from the over-civilized world of the Ohio valley, where an adventure is defined as a ten-mile trip by expressway to a shopping mall that revitalizes shoppers with reconditioned air exchange, the desire to escape from the reminders of modern civilization was ever-so-strong. The path up Goodnow is initially a gentle slope, and leading away from the road, the sound of the cyclists on the road below became more and more muffled, and at last faded completely. Because it is so accessible and is considered to be a relatively easy hike, we met many hikers on their way down the mountain, who vouched for the good views that were ahead.
The trail became much steeper and the goal of reaching the 2685 ft. summit elevation was beginning to be challenging. After about an hour and a half of hiking, we came upon an abandoned foundation and the horse stable to the right of the trail, which seemed to be a good spot to rest because we had been climbing for awhile and this spot also afforded us the opportunity to see a bit of a view before reaching the summit. About 700 ft. later, we could claim that we were at the top. Although the youngest members of our group seemed to race up the mountain, this climb was certainly challenging enough for the more mature members of our group. Views to the south include the Goodnow Flow, to the southeast, Gore Mountain, to the north are Mt. Marcy, Mt. Colden and Algonquin Mountain, as well as the Seward and Santanoni Range.
The Goodnow Mountain trail is located 1.5 miles west of the Adirondack Park Visitor's Center on Route 28N, near Newcomb. There is ample parking at the trailhead.