Phelps Mountain

"After yesterday’s 19 mile trek of Skylight and Marcy the three knuckleheads chose to do an easier out and back of Tabletop and Phelps. The Van Hoe trail seemed to be a bit drier and the water level in the brooks receded overnight. What started out as a blue sky sunny day, begging for shorts and t-shirt to be worn, turned to overcast by noon. On Phelps, our second peak, light rain and strong wind was added to the mix. After taking in the diminished view we retreated into the trees to be more comfortable for our late lunch. Earlier in the day we got a fine view near the summit of Tabletop after making our way through the mud and water hazards on the herd path." — Nimblefoot • Oct 24, 2019

"Excellent weather and conditions. Clearest views ever, so far, on my hiking adventures. This was my daughters first 46er and I think I’ve gotten her hooked! Was nice to take our time today." — suzannerunciman • Aug 25, 2019

"Was a beautiful sunny morning at the summits of Phelps and Tabletop Mountains from the LOJ trail Via Marcy Dam,, Trails were well packed and the views on both summits were amazing,, Found Tabletop a might bit of a slog but with a little determination made it to the summit for my very first Solo winter 46ers,, Excellent Day!" — ramjet1963 • Mar 2, 2019

"Hiked from the Loj with Tom. Met a nice Canadian woman on the way up and shared the summit with her. Hiked back to the loj quickly after summiting. Overall a nice day for a short hike. " — Kim-Stilson • Jan 5, 2019

"Hiked with Kim. We started later in the morning, just after 9am. Took our time to Marcy Dam and then made our way to the Phelps junction. The last mile to the summit was slow paced. Trails were a little mushy on the way down as it was a warm day for January in the high peaks. Bare booted until the last mile, where we put on microspikes. Carried snowshoes all day, but they were never necessary. No trails had more than 8" of snow and almost nobody was wearing snowshoes. Quick hike down and back to the Loj. " — LGH-Tom • Jan 5, 2019

"We started out wanting hike Street and Nye but the water crossing was not passable so we turned around and went for Phelps. At just under 9 miles RT and 2300 ' of gain to the summit of 4160', Phelps is one of the easier ADK high peak hikes and on a 20 degree day with bright sun and lovely ice flows it was a lot of fun. We took our time as we had a newer hiker along with us and enjoyed a great lunch on the summit." — deb-and-rob • Dec 9, 2017

"Phelps was the easiest of the three high peaks I've climbed so far. It was still difficult...just easier than the other two! The first several miles along the Van Hoevenberg trail are relatively easy. The last mile to the summit is a bitch! The view from the top is worth it though! " — jennifermurphy • Sep 23, 2017

"Solo. First High peaks post-back injury/surgery. Camped out at South Meadows. Out of climbing shape due to muscle loss. Still made it. harder on my legs than it was on my back." — ndru-virus • Aug 27, 2017

"High Peak #6 - Done with Tabletop, wearing a borrowed pair of two-sizes-too-big Vans due to accidentally leaving my boots at home! A successful summit however. Perfect weather and no bugs made this a great hike, with a clear view of the surrounding high peaks." — RangersApprentice • Jul 29, 2017

"Headed out Today for 46ers #'s 6&7. Phelps was first on the list. This was our first high peak since late 2015. Beautiful day to be in the mountains, great views from the top. The trail was not as steep as what I expected. A great one for people starting off the 46ers to try, as it gives you an idea of what to expect trail wise. 40 more to go from this point." — UK-Ranger • Jul 29, 2017

"Although it was a busy Labor Day weekend, I took my son and his dog up for a hike. We crossed off his 1st ADK High Peak and followed up with a hike up to Indian Falls. Gorgeous weather and good company" — johngilligan • Sep 4, 2016

"We hiked Big Slide the day before, and were slightly tired but at the same time so energized and ready to conquer another peak! I slept well the night before and had my Noonmark diner breakfast to fuel up. We parked at the LOJ and then walked to the Marcy Dam area. From there we began our climb to Phelps! We saw a ton of hikers that day of all ages - even some younger children with their family. It was one of those things where I said to myself, "Ok, if this little kid can climb this so can I!" It was a straight up ascent for the last mile, and the view at the top was breathtaking. We met some very awesome people at the summit and hiked a bit together on the descent. Another solid high peak climbed!" — Flyhighrunfast • Aug 19, 2016

"Another great hike, had showers early morning and a bit of overcast when Deb and I made the summit of Tabletop but still had good views. The rain made the trails a bit slick and the air humid. After the trek up Tabletop we made our way to Phelps by that time it was a little dryer and the skies had cleared some for even better views. Found the trail up Tabletop very easy, really not steep at all, Phelps was steady moderate and steeper toward the summit." — hbotc • Aug 6, 2016

"I took my two boys (8) and (15) to Summit our first peaks on our journey to becoming 46ers. We were ambitious and ill prepared for what lay ahead. Our plans were to bag Phelps the first day and Marcy the next but bad weather drove us down off Marcy after about halfway to Summit. It was a tough and challenging descent on the slippery rocks in the rain and the boys were upset and feeling dejected. We made it back to camp and packed up and headed to the car at the lodge to make the long drive back to Ohio. We all three learned alot about ourselves that time on the mountain and are ready to go back and do it again,this time stronger and smarter. " — Yakfshr • Jul 24, 2016

"Solo. Hiked in from the ADK Loj. Decided to just do this instead of including Tabletop due to having a ball game to go to in the early evening. It was an overcast and very chilly day (45 degrees when I started out). With rain in the forecast I really hustled and completed the first 3.5mi or so in about an hour. Unfortunately once I hit the junction denoting one mile to the summit, I had to reel my pace way back as the rocks and roots were wet and very slippery- I really picked my way up to the top with care. I know this summit is supposed to have gorgeous views, however I missed out on a lot due to low-lying clouds and absolutely ripping summit winds. I had the summit all to myself & only saw a handful of other people on the way in. On my way back out, near the lean-tos at Marcy Dam, I got quite the scare when a large brown animal charged toward me down the center of the trail. Fearing it was an off leash dog, I stopped- and once it was within about 15 feet of me, it stopped too- and it turns out it was a big snowshoe hare that looked as frightened as I felt hahaha. It continued on its way into the forest and I continued on my way to my car. All told, this hike took me a smidge un..." — kellieirene • Jun 8, 2016

"I passed a girl and her dog leaving the summit ledge of the mountain, and as I walked out onto the open rock face I realized that I had the top of one of these peaks to myself for the first time. I sat there, taking photos and just chilling by myself for a few minutes, enjoying the solace while eating peanuts . . . and then, out of nowhere, "Wannabe" popped into my head. That's right, my serenity comes with a dose of the Spice Girls. These mountains are magical, but our brains are weird." — cbp5800 • Nov 7, 2015

"Woke up early on the 13th. We wanted to hike the Macintyre Range today but the weather says rain again after 1300 so we decided to hike Phelps today instead. We hit the trail by 0920 and realized that Marcy Dam and the bridge are damaged and out of service. The weather is still overcast with some blue sky here and there. The majority of the hike feels like an old creek bed. Finally reached the junction for Phelps & Table Top. From here, it is 1 mile to the summit of Phelps and boy was that a long mile! The rock faces got bigger and steeper and were wet and slippery from all the rain. We finally made it to the top and there was no view. All foggy, very windy, and raining again. We took the obligatory pictures and got the hell out of dodge. Of course it warmed up again and we could see bits of blue sky here and there on the way back down. " — tscha1 • Sep 13, 2015

"Phelps is a short hike, but can be a mental challenge. There are many times where it looks like you are about to emerge onto the summit, when in reality you still have a ways to go. Great views of Tabletop and Colden." — petergnade46 • Sep 6, 2015

"Left late from the Loj at 11:30. To Marcy Dam to Van Ho trail and to Phelps Jct in 70 minutes. Approx. 45 minutes to reach summit. I spent some time looking for a benchmark or even a sign, but nothing. there was a small cairn on an open area facing Marcy and Great Range and I'm guessing this was the summit." — johngilligan • Aug 31, 2015

"After Tabletop, I did Phelps. Great views from the summit ledge looking towards the Great Range, Tabletop, all the way over to Colden and Avalanche Pass. I could see the storm clouds moving in. They hit me on the way down Phelps, a good 15 minute downpour. " — newenglandwarrior • Jul 21, 2015