"Had the day off today so I decided to do Hopkins and Spread Eagle Mts. in the High Peaks, knowing other trails would be crowded. Started by hiking up the Mossy Cascade Trail, a nice easy path with good foliage, then up the Ranney Trail to Hopkins. It gets steeper at the end, but a nice trail. Dropped down of Hopkins and went over to Spread Eagle, which I highly recommend. The trail has recently been cleared of all blowdown, and although it isn't marked, it is very easy to follow. It heads through some interesting coniferous forests before ascending over a ledgy bump and down into the col. The ascent up Spread Eagle itself is miniscule, and there is a nice view. Back up at Hopkins, the view is magnificent, as you can see Colvin, Dial, Noonmark, Round, Snow, Sawteeth, Marcy and the Great Range, as well as Giant Mt. above. Went down the Ranney Trail which was easy but the brook was dry so it wasn't that scenic." — elimihuta • Oct 2, 2025

"Started out around 07:45, after waking up a little bit later than planned, & then hitting an unexpected road closure with no detour signs causing a 20 minute drive around. Parked at Rooster Comb’s trailhead, & there were about ten cars in the lot. I darted across Rte 73 like a deer to the Ranney Trail, which began very nicely over a bridge and then moseyed on as a driveway for a bit before I ran into a sign for Hopkins on a tree pointing me to the right with official blue DEC trail markers. The trail from here was relatively chill in terms of uphill gain for about 3/4 of a mile, then began the climb & flat-ish and rinse repeat for the rest of the hike- classic Adirondack climbing - crossed the stream a couple of times, but very narrow & not a lot of need for rock hopping, slimy wet open slabs of rock, plenty of exposed nubby ankle-turning roots & of course, the majority was soft pine needle laden dirt trail. It was very wet and I kept an eye out for my favorite forest friends, the red eft, but alas.. none today. It was warmer than expected and the air was absolutely stagnant and humid, causing my heart rate to skyrocket nearly immediately. I stopped a few times to try to ge..." — kellieirene • Jul 6, 2023

"Nice short hike with great views from the summit. We walked right from the Rooster Comb Inn so no driving required. While my companions headed down I scooted over to Spread Eagle since it was so close. The warm temps, and baking in the hot sun on Hopkins for a half hour, made the ups and downs over to Spread Eagle a bit more of a workout." — Nimblefoot • May 28, 2023

"Hopkins Mountain this morning all to myself on a beautiful 61° bluebird day in Keene Valley. Not another soul was to be found and it was quite peaceful. The weather doesn’t get much better than days like today for late October." — scottturner • Oct 30, 2022

"Tom and I left the trailhead in Keene Valley at 7:58am under blue skies at 63 degrees. We decided to take the less traveled direct route trail . It takes you over Spread Eagle Mtn first and then on to Hopkins. Nice views along the way. Summited at 9:07. The direct route trail is only 1.3 miles but fairly steep the entire route. We had the summit to our selves. Gorgeous views of many High Peaks. We again saw no hikers for the entire return trip. Returned at 10.30 am. Great morning hike!" — garyogden • Jul 31, 2022

"A solo trip up Hopkins Mountain this morning and caught some pretty views before the rain rolled in. At the trailhead a group said to me, “We’ll probably leap frog you.” I smiled and said “sure” and on my way I went. 3.3 miles later in just 1 hour and 15 minutes I was at the summit. I spent about half that time there and began to head back. I saw that same group from the trailhead still ascending and about 2/3 to the summit huffing and puffing. So much for the leap frog. The rain on the descent felt cool and there were only a few patches of snow remaining. I was also happy to bump into MaKayla Stack and Donny Stack with Rosalie (she is getting so grown up!) on the way down and chat for a bit. It is always great to see good people and friends that I’ve met along the trails and travels over the years. A fun hike and surprisingly my first trip up this mountain." — scottturner • May 2, 2021

"A beautiful fall day and a hike to a small summit for our friends wedding, what could be better. The sun was shining and the mountains were dressed in their best fall colors - perfect." — deb-and-rob • Sep 19, 2020

"What a hidden gem! This trail was so beautiful and enjoyable. Despite being a perfect weather, Friday afternoon, we had the summit to ourselves. The views here are absolutely incredible!" — DeliriumTrigger • Aug 28, 2020

"This was our first hike of the 2020 season, so our legs had not gotten used to hiking yet. Therefore, even though it was largely a moderate grade hike (with some steep sections), we were pretty tired after this hike. Numerous High Peaks were visible from the summit with Giant Mountain very prominent to our left." — TJandMS • May 28, 2020

"Hopkins via Mossy Cascade with Maria. It was a pleasant slightly humid day. The trail is beautiful, mostly dirt and roots. It was also dry. Bugs were low and didn’t see any wildlife. The elevation climb is gradual. I felt well on the trail and am definitely looking forward to some bigger hikes. The view shows the valley in the Great Range nicely. This would be a nice place to take photos in the fall. 6.2 miles round trip and suitable for less able bodied hikers. " — bethmorgan • Jul 14, 2019