Overview
Officially closed for the 2024 Season, we’ll see you in spring of 2025!
With 6 million acres and thousands of miles of hiking trails in the Adirondack park, your options are endless for places to explore. Whiteface offers several trails utilizing a mix of forest-covered paths and open trails filled with native wildflowers and foliage. Summit our highest peak, or hike through the trees, rivers, and waterfalls on trails for every ability. Some are short, and some are long, most take less than half a day and give you access to some of the best outdoor experiences in the Adirondacks. At Whiteface, everyone is welcomed into our hiking community with access to all our trails and amenities. We provide hiking opportunities for all to enjoy our natural areas!
Why start your hike at Whiteface? We offer unlimited free parking with EV charging stations at our Bear Den trailhead plus we have food, retail, and restrooms on-site. Need lunch after a morning hike? The Maple Smoke BBQ Food Truck located in front of the Cloudsplitter Gondola offers the perfect option for an on-the-go lunch that will be perfect for your day on the trails. Forgot your sunscreen, need a walking stick? Brookside Apparel has you covered with everything for a trek on the trails.
Guided Nature Hikes
Officially closed for the 2024 Season, we’ll see you in spring of 2025!
To make the most of your time here we recommend signing up for one of our nature hikes, offered Friday – Sunday at 10:30 am. In roughly an hour and a half – two hours, an expert naturalist will lead you on the perfect educational adventure. This 1.9 mile long intermediate loop begins at the bottom of the Mixing Bowl trail, and proceeds along the West Branch of the Ausable River. Soak up the scenery as you pass through lush green hardwood forests, open ski trails with fantastic views, and then return to the base lodge via the waterfall-filled Stag Brook Trail. Our naturalist will show you all of the hidden gems along the way and open your eyes to why these landscapes look the way they do. Save $10 by purchasing the Nature Hike with Gondola Ride package and get the full Whiteface experience.
Map
Trails
Summit Nature Trail
0.2 miles (one way) | 0.25 hours
The trail begins at the top of Whiteface Veterans’ Memorial Highway and proceeds to the summit. Stretching a 1/5 of a mile in length and climbing 257′ feet in elevation, this trail has a mix of natural rock-face & man-made steps.
Whiteface Peak Trail
1.5 mile loop | 2 hours
Starting at the top Cloudsplitter Gondola terminal hikers can follow Paron’s run, a popular intermediate ski trail in the winter. After following this trail up to the Summit Quad terminal, hikers will find a steep narrow trail leading to the summit. Please remember that the last gondola cabin leaves the top at 5:30pm. Ask any of our attendants at the top of the Gondola for Directions.
West Branch Nature Trail
1.9 mile loop | 1.5 hours
This trail begins at the bottom of the Mixing Bowl trail and proceeds along the West Branch of the Ausable River, passing through hardwood forests, and open ski trails, returning to the base lodge via the beautiful Stag Brook Trail.
Lower Stag Brook Falls Trail
0.3 miles | 30 minutes (one way)
This trail begins behind the Base Lodge and proceeds up the Stag Brook, past a 25-foot waterfall. It is a short trail (1/2 mile) that eventually leads to open ski trails. This would be a good option for those who would like to hike up the mountain to gain a scenic vista.
Upper Stag Brook Falls Trails
0.2 miles | 20 minutes (one way)
A continuation of the Stag Brook Falls trail. Follow the Stag Brook up a little bit further as elevation continues to rise.
Long Way Home Trail
2.2 miles (one way) | 2 hours
Take the “long way home’ from the top of the Cloudsplitter Gondola back to the base area. Soak in scenic views of the champlain valley as you hike back down some of our more popular ski trails Excelsior, Summit Express, Upper Valley, Lower Valley and Fox.
Bear Den Mountain Trail
3.2 mile loop | 2.5 hours
The hike begins in the Bear Den parking lot. The round trip hike is 3.2 miles, vertical 1,432 feet. The summit is an open rock with nice views. This is a moderate level hike, some experience recommended.
Flume Connector Trail
1.0 miles | 30 min (one way)
Follow the West Branch of the Ausable River past a Great Blue Heron Rookery and Beaver pond. Great photo opportunities along the way. This round-trip beginner trail links the Flume Trail System with the Whiteface Trail System.
Slide View Trail
.8 miles (one way) | 1 hour
Starting at the top Cloudsplitter Gondola terminal this trail follows some of our popular ski trails to soak in the iconic view of Whiteface’s Slides. Whiteface is well known for its’ distinct slides that can be spotted from miles away. 
Champlain Valley View
.4 miles (One way) | 30 min
Starting at the top Cloudsplitter Gondola terminal, this scenic hike takes you down the eastern face of the mountain where you’ll be treated to fantastic views of the Champlain Valley and the Green Mountains of Vermont. Take Excelsior down to the Connector, where you’ll pop out at the top of Victoria and reach a panoramic view of the Champlain Valley.
Flume Trail System
Flume Trail System — Wilmington Wild Forest
Trail Ratings
Easy: walking with no obstacles and low grades
Intermediate: 10% grade, small rocks and roots, easy scrambling
Difficult: 15% grade, large obstacles, possible scrambling or climbing
Extremely Difficult: 20% grade, 15+” obstacles, many harder sections
The Flume Trail System is comprised of approximately ten miles of trails open to mountain biking, hiking, cross country skiing, and snowshoeing in the town of Wilmington, NY. The trailhead is located approximately 2 miles south of the village center on State Route 86.
All trails except for the Flume Knob and Bear Den Mountain Trails are open to mountain biking. Trails closed to bicycles are posted as such.
This trail network was built and is maintained, almost entirely by volunteers. Please be respectful of their work and other users as you enjoy these trails.
Trail Information
The trails’ number, name, length, and rank are as follows:
Trail 1 – Corridor is 0.3 mile long and is ranked Easy
Trail 2 – Delta is 0.4 mile long and is ranked Easy
Trail 3 – Bluff is 0.4 mile long and is ranked Moderate
Trail 4 – Corridor Loop is 0.4 mile long and is ranked Easy
Trail 5 – Cedar is 0.4 mile long and is ranked Moderate
Trail 7 – River is 0.4 mile long and is ranked Easy
Trail 8 – Marble Mountain is 0.6 mile long and is ranked Moderate
Trail 9 – Erratic is 0.3 mile long and is ranked Moderate
Trail 10 – Ridge is 1.5 miles long and is ranked Hard
Trail 11 – Flume Knob is 1.0 mile long and is a hiking trail only
Trail 12 – Bear Den Mountain Trail is 1.2 miles long and is a hiking trail only
Trail 19 – Whiteface Upper Connector is 1.0 mile long and is ranked Hard
Trail 20 – Whiteface Lower Connector is 0.9 mile long and is ranked Easy
Mileage — Mileages listed are for individual trail segments only and do not reflect cumulative mileages.
Difficulty Ratings — Trail difficulty ratings are relative to the trails in the Flume Trail System only. They may differ from difficulty ratings at other facilities
Whiteface Connector Trails — All trails in the Wilmington Wild Forest, Flume Trail System are open to the public free of charge. This includes the Upper and Lower Connector Trails to Whiteface Mountain Ski Area (Also referred to as Trails 19 and 20).
“Rules of the Trail”
The following guidelines describe proper etiquette on shared use trails. They were developed by the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) to help avoid conflicts between different user groups. For a further explanation of these guidelines, or other mountain bike related information, visit IMBA using the link in the right column.
- Ride on Open Trails Only
- Follow Leave No Trace Principles
- Control Your Bicycle
- Yield To Others
- Never Scare Animals
- Plan Ahead
- Muddy Trails
- During the spring, and after heavy rains, local soils often become saturated and highly susceptible to erosion. Please avoid biking or hiking when trails are wet. Your patience and consideration will be appreciated by all users of these trails.
Hunting Season — As with all New York State Forest Preserve lands, the lands within the Wilmington Wild Forest are open to hunting (subject to all applicable laws and regulations). Please be aware that hunting may occur in this area during any open season.
Schedule
Officially closed for the 2024 Season, we’ll see you in spring of 2025!
SUMMER - HOURS OF OPERATION
| ACTIVITY | Open | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Cloudsplitter Gondola Rides | Closed for the season | 8:30am-5:30pm |
| Nature Hikes | Closed for the season | 10:30am |
| Disc Golf | Closed for the season | 8:30am-5:30pm |
| Whiteface Veterans' Memorial Highway | Closed for the season | 8:45am-5:30pm |
| Maple Smoke BBQ Food Truck | Closed for the season | 10:30am-5:00pm |
| 4610’ Cafe | Closed for the season | 10:30am-4:00pm |
| Brookside Apparel | Closed for the season | 8:30am-5:30pm |
| Castle Gift Shop | Closed for the season | 8:30am-5:30pm |