The easiest hikes in New York, by the numbers
Of the 220 trails in New York in our dataset, 52 (24 percent) rate easiest on the gain-and-distance scale we use, run 1 to 6 miles and climb 500 ft or less; these are the 25 with the lowest rating.
Pocantico River Trail has the lowest rating: 11 ft of gain over 1.8 miles, 6 ft per mile.
Across the 25, gain runs from 11 to 280 ft and distance from 1 mile to 2.6 miles; the median gain is 136 ft and the median distance 1.4 miles.
23 of the 25 are point-to-point routes; the rest are loop (2).
| # | Trail | Miles | Gain (ft) | Ft per mile | Max grade | Elevation (ft) | Rating | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pocantico River TrailWestchester County | 1.8 | 11 | 6 | 7% | 96 to 256 | 6.3 | |
| 2 | Little Pond TrailCatskill Region | 1.6 | 15 | 9 | 16% | 1,991 to 2,447 | 6.9 | |
| 3 | Devil's Hole TrailWestern New York | 1.3 | 65 | 50 | 35% | 307 to 548 | 13 | |
| 4 | Blackfoot Pond Trail | 1 | 91 | 91 | 7% | 1,884 to 2,058 | 13.5 | |
| 5 | Alder Lake Loop TrailCatskill Region | 1.4 | 66 | 47 | 7% | 2,193 to 2,238 | 13.6 | |
| 6 | Beebe Lake TrailSouthern Tier | 1 | 114 | 114 | 19% | 784 to 846 | 15.1 | |
| 7 | Spectacle Lake Trail | 1.2 | 95 | 79 | 14% | 1,774 to 1,860 | 15.1 | |
| 8 | Shallow Lake Trail | 1.3 | 108 | 83 | 8% | 1,824 to 1,918 | 16.8 | |
| 9 | Silver Lake to Union Falls Pond Trail | 2.6 | 56 | 22 | 12% | 1,433 to 1,700 | 17.1 | |
| 10 | Gull Lake TrailAdirondack Region | 2 | 81 | 41 | 7% | 1,756 to 1,872 | 18 | |
| 11 | Fishbrook Pond TrailAdirondack Region | 1 | 185 | 185 | 16% | 1,882 to 2,057 | 19.2 | |
| 12 | Middle Branch Lake Trail | 1.6 | 132 | 83 | 7% | 1,728 to 1,832 | 20.6 | |
| 13 | Raquette Lake | 1.3 | 182 | 140 | 7% | 1,810 to 1,935 | 21.8 | |
| 14 | Big Deer Pond TrailAdirondack Region | 2.1 | 117 | 56 | 50% | 1,810 to 1,866 | 22.2 | |
| 15 | Silver Lake Bog TrailAdirondack Region | 1.1 | 235 | 214 | 24% | 1,492 to 1,701 | 22.7 | |
| 16 | Spruce Lake | 1 | 279 | 279 | 8% | 2,049 to 2,328 | 23.6 | |
| 17 | Mount Haystack TrailAdirondack Region | 1 | 280 | 280 | 46% | 3,849 to 4,882 | 23.7 | |
| 18 | Big Otter Lake TrailAdirondack Region | 1.5 | 189 | 126 | 17% | 1,752 to 1,861 | 23.8 | |
| 19 | Pleasant Lake Trail | 2 | 143 | 72 | 10% | 1,629 to 1,733 | 23.9 | |
| 20 | Trout Pond TrailAdirondack Region | 1.3 | 241 | 185 | 21% | 1,744 to 1,970 | 25 | |
| 21 | Yellow Lake Overlook Trail | 1.4 | 237 | 169 | 28% | 368 to 542 | 25.8 | |
| 22 | Lower Sargent Pond Trail | 2 | 167 | 84 | 9% | 1,850 to 1,960 | 25.8 | |
| 23 | Round Lake to Bog RiverAdirondack Region | 2.4 | 144 | 60 | 16% | 1,623 to 1,796 | 26.3 | |
| 24 | Beaver Lake Trail | 2.1 | 168 | 80 | 18% | 1,845 to 1,965 | 26.6 | |
| 25 | Chase Lake TrailAdirondack Region | 2.6 | 136 | 52 | 14% | 1,494 to 1,640 | 26.6 |
How this list is ranked
Rating = the square root of 2 x elevation gain (ft) x distance (miles), the gain-and-distance formula Shenandoah National Park publishes for its own trails. Bands: under 50 easiest, 50 to 100 moderate, 100 to 150 moderately strenuous, 150 to 200 strenuous, 200 and over very strenuous.
This list: band easiest (under 50), 1 to 6 miles, no more than 500 ft of gain, ordered by rating asc, miles asc, capped at 25. The rating column is computed from the miles and gain printed in the same row, the numbers each trail page uses, so every row can be checked from the row itself. The rating says nothing about exposure, scrambling, altitude or conditions.
Only trails with a full page count, so "New York" here means the 220 trails in New York in our dataset, not every trail in New York.
Each trail page shows the full elevation profile behind these numbers and the same data drawn as a topographic print, made to order. Start with Pocantico River Trail.
Easiest hikes elsewhere.
The same ranking for other states in our dataset.