Mount Jo

Henry Van Hoevenberg named this peak for his fiancee Josephine, who tragically died within a year and never saw their home, Adirondack Lodge, completed. Lake Placid Club and Adirondack Mountain Club have owned it successively. Today the complex is the Adirondack Loj, from which numerous High Peaks climbs originate, as well as the popular little peak called Mt. Jo.
The Long Trail and Short Trail make for an interesting loop.

Latest summits

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"Started off the day with a hike in the woods because of low cloud cover. Then as the cloud cover lifted, I went over and started on the Lake Placid 9er. Hiked up Cobble Hill. Nice view overlooking Lake Placid. I then drove over and did Mt Jo. Some really nice views up there looking at the High Peaks. I took my time up there before heading back down. " — newenglandwarrior • Oct 12, 2018

"Beast of the East and I brought our nephew Brady here for his first Adirondack peak hike. He did a great job on the hike and enjoyed looking at all the mushrooms growing along the trail. The summit steward pointed out the high peaks in view at the top. We also learned some interesting geology of the mountain. This was the last day of our Adirondack trip." — mrs-beast-of-the-east • Jul 27, 2018

"Sunrise summit the next day after summiting the first time the day before. It took about 45 minutes to reach the summit via the long trail. The long trail was easier with a brisk morning. No clouds in the sky as the sun hit Algonquin with pretty pinks then the sun hit Marcy along with Colvin. " — amandagomez • Mar 5, 2017

"My first summit after turning back from Haystack/Mackenzie because of the weather, It was too cold and windy. Via the short trail I reached the summit with little to no wind and a blazing sun. Fantastic views of Algonquin straight ahead with Colvin and Marcy to the right." — amandagomez • Mar 4, 2017

"This was Andrea and Jim's first winter hike in the ADKs. It was overcast and unfortunately there were limited views from the summit. The short trail had lots of places for butt-sliding on the way down and some interesting ice formations. " — mrs-beast-of-the-east • Feb 11, 2017

"Planned to do this as an add on to other hikes a few times. Shorter days meant we had to abandon our plans due to fading light. Finally Today we did Mt Jo by itself, and not as an add on. Great little mountain, terrible conditions !! But, loved this hike." — UK-Ranger • Dec 3, 2016

"Climbed this peak that was originally meant to be an "extra" to some longer hikes, but ended up being part of a dedicated hike along with Van Hoevenberg and Cobble Hill. Great views.. at least I would assume they would be if it wasn't cloudy and snowing. Overall an enjoyable hike." — RangersApprentice • Dec 3, 2016

"Beautiful Day at the Loj! After my Wilderness First Aid class finished for the day there was time to climb this little gem. A beautiful summit, great views, short hike with some scrambles - what more can you ask for? I had the summit of this usually busy little peak all to myself." — PJSelmer • Apr 2, 2016

"Kellie and I pulled up to the Loj with the intention of heading out to Street and Nye. Icy conditions on the trail around Heart Lake. When we arrived at Indian Pass Brook we were unable to find a safe way to cross. There was no spot with an ice bridge or a place to rock hop. Water was high due to the recent rain and the mild temperatures meant there was very little ice as well. We decided to turn around and on our way back we headed up to Mount Jo as a consolation prize. " — LGH-Tom • Feb 17, 2016

"My brother & I originally intended to summit Street & Nye for my 3 year hiking anniversary, however when we made it to the crossing on Indian Pass Brook, we were heartbroken to find that it was impossible to cross due to high waters and no ice spanning it. Not wanting to go home with no peak under our belts & our tails between our legs, we decided to back track and hit Mt Jo as neither of us had done it before. The hike was extremely icy, and I was very grateful my microspikes had been sharpened recently. It was an overcast day, but the views were OK, and overall it was a decent consolation prize though it was a short hike. " — kellieirene • Feb 17, 2016

"This trail was very easy, short and a great view! Rocky and a ladder but not too steep. The mileage on the app and some of the reported tracks are a little misleading. We did the loop up the short and down the long and it was only 2.2 miles not 4. It took 1 hour and 45 minutes with time at the summit" — kathyrowney • Oct 2, 2015

"We started our day with the intent on hiking Street and Nye. Unfortunately when we got to Indian pass brook the water was too high and there was no way to cross. After searching along the riverbank for about 0.3 miles for an alternate crossing we finally decided to bushwhack back to the trail and hike Mt. Jo instead. We started up the Long Trail via the Rock Garden and enjoyed a fun icy climb up the trail. The skies were a mix of sun and clouds with some fairly strong winds on this very chilly day but we had some great views from the summit. We descended via the short trail and overall had a great day in the woods." — deb-and-rob • Dec 31, 2014

"Woke up early for a solo sunrise hike. Quick 2 mile loop taking the short trail from the ADK Loj. Trail is amazingly well-maintained. Views were a little obscured at the summit with the morning clouds, but was still a nice experience. " — MooseHiker • May 17, 2013

"I was leaving for home after a weekend hiking trip to Owl's Head in Keene and Tabletop with my friend Pru. Before facing the long drive home, I did a short hike to the summit of Mt Jo." — hikerchik46 • Oct 28, 2012

"Still a bit lame from Sunday's ankle "roll", I tried a shorter summit. I also has my trusty companion, Caoimhe along for the hike. Another sunny day, mid-70's. The Loj parking lot was full before 8am. Needed to park about a mile or two down the Loj Road and hike it in. I'm surprised that being a smaller summit amongst, that the trails on Mt. Jo weren't marked better. There are a LOT of families that hike this, and it may be a first summit and taste of what's in store if one were to consider trying out one of the many high peaks that are laid out in front of them. Overall, it was a nice short hike with a beautiful summit view. " — johngilligan • May 26, 2012

"Tried to climb Street and Nye, but couldn't cross Indian Pass Brook, so we went up Mount Jo. What a pleasant surprise with great views from an open summit. See my trip report at: http://www.offonadventure.com/2011/12/street-and-nye-mountainsor-mount-jo.html" — Telemarkmike • Dec 26, 2011

"I don't remember the actual date, or even what year it was. But it was the one of the first mountains in the Adirondacks that I remember climbing, and I had the patch on my backpack for years." — ikbrysmi • Jul 6, 2006

"From the family journal: All of us except Wendy. We started @ about noon and got to the top via the short route by 1245. Pretty view-cool and breezy. You really could see the new slides on some of the peaks because of Hurricane Floyd's rains. We had a light lunch and headed down via the long route and the rock garden trail. A very pleasant hike. " — tscha1 • Oct 9, 1999

"Led Albany ADK climb. (Took long trail both ways, but found even it could use better marking.)Lots of other climbers and many dogs, including two Newfoundlands who couldn't scramble up the sharp pitch at the summit, so they found their own way around. Maybe the trail creators could use their advice." — barbaratraver • Sep 27, 1997

"From the family climbing journal: Warm and Breezy today. We broke camp, packed and reached the trailhead at noon. Got to the summit by 1245. What a workout for the legs! Many stair like areas, and a lot of scrambling. Most of the trail is steep. We snacked at the top, partly cloudy, and more humid. Good view of Phelps, Whales Tail, and Algonquin. Behind us was a beautiful view of whiteface in the distance. We descended by the same trail. " — tscha1 • Jul 21, 1997