Nippletop and Dial

Hiking in New York

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(3 votes, 2 reviews)

Difficulty: Difficult
Length: 15.0 miles / 24 km
Duration: Full day

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Overview: This is a great 15 mile loop hike that will take you down a beautiful Lake Road towards Lower Ausable Lake and then climb to the top of two 4,000 foot peaks. From Nippletop you will have great views towards the Great Range over Colvin and descending the ridge over Dial and then the smaller Bear Den you will also get glimpses of Dix Mountain before returning back to the trailhead.

Tips: St. Huberts Trailhead:
The parking area is just off of Rte 73 just 7.5 miles west from exit 30 off of I-87. You'll then need to walk up the golf course road to the beautiful wooden gate marking the entrance to the Lake Road which you will follow for several miles until veering off on the Gill brook trail. There are no fees to park here.

Points of Interest

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St. Huberts Parking Area off 73

This parking lot is just off Rte 73 but you'll need to walk up the road towards teh lodge to meet up with the gated Lake Road into the mountains. Check out the scenery over the golf course as you go.

Giant Mountain from the AuSable Club Photo

IMG_9005 (Saint Huberts, New York, United States) Photo

Ausable Golf Club (Saint Huberts, New York, United States) Photo

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Start of the Lake Road

You'll be following the lake road all the way to the start of the Gill Brook Trail up Nippletop.

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Gill Brook Trail

Turn off the road here and head uphill on the Gill Brook Trail towards Elk Pass.

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Elk Pass Trail

Take a left onto Elk Pass trail to head towards the Elk Pass Saddle between the Colvin/Nippletop Range and then ascend up to the top of Nippletop.

Nippletop - Colvin junction (Saint Huberts, New York, United States) Photo

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Elk Pass

Small Ponds in the col of Elk Pass.

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Summit of Nippletop

At 4,609 feet you are at the top of Nippletop. You will have fantastic views of the Great Range and south towards Elk Lake. If you are careful you may be able to even look down and see the long slide that streaks down the western face of Nippletop.

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Dial Mountain Summit

At 4,019 feet you are at the top of Dial Mountain. This true summit is wooded but the false summit you just past over to get here probably had some views :) You will have many more views as you continue to descend the ridge over Bear Den.

Nipple Top Dial Great Range Pano 2 6-9-96.jpg Photo

Dix from Nippletop Pano 6-9-96.jpg Photo

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Bear Den

You will have more views along this descent as you pass over Bear Den of the Great Range. Just past this you'll descend into a col then climb up onto a shoulder of Noonmark Mountain that had a fire many years ago and is exposed rock with great views back towards the Great Range. Keep heading down and you'll end up back on the Lake Road again to make your way back to the St. Huberts and the parking lot.

Pictures in this guide taken by: JonathanEllinger, msavarie, chan77, Tripper

Jonathan Ellinger

How does this work?

Please change the "dog friendly" status. As the previous reviewer noted the area has been a game preserve for 125 years and dogs have never been allowed.
Visited on May 24, 2012

by tgoodwin on May 24, 2012

Please Note: This hike is NOT dog friendly. In fact you can not take your dog on this hike at all and will be stopped by the rangers at the Lake Road trailhead. I drove 300+ miles to get there only to be told this.
Visited on Apr 14, 2012

by mgiacopassi on Apr 16, 2012