Join Sara and I for 3 days of Hiking & Hammock Camping on a Backpacking Trip in the Adirondack’s Dix Mountain Wilderness.
For this backpacking adventure, I’ll be breaking the hiking trip into two parts. Hiking the Dix Range Part 2 is comprised of mostly hiking and summits, as we ascend from camp up onto the Dix Range to hit the Beck-Horn (a subsidiary peak of Dix Mountain) and the summit of Dix Mountain itself.
The previous Dix Range Part 1 covered our hike in to camp, setting up our base camp with our two person hammock camping system, and some campfire chat while we made a campfire, camp chores, and cook some backpacking food.
GPS Data for this trip is available on the Trip Data Page or by clicking this link for direct download: Adirondacks Dix Range Backpacking Trip 2017 – Sintax77
Trailhead and Parking Location
Elk Lake Trailhead Parking Lot, 675 Elk Lake Rd, North Hudson, NY 12855
44°01’15.0″N 73°49’40.9″W
Topics discussed and things that happen in this episode
- A quick breakfast and discussion on where we get our Cook-in-Bags for preparing our morning oatmeal.
- Hitting the trail towards the Adirondacks Dix Range (full trail log below)
- Some night hiking on the descent.
- A backpacking food taste test of AlpineAire Guacamole.
For more details on trails used for Day 1, see our Adirondacks Dix Range Part 1 Blog Post.
Trails Used Day 2
- Set out from camp and continue north along the nearby Elk Lake to Dix Mountain Trail.
- Get some views of Dix Pond along the way.
- At the junction, head right (east) to ascend the Dix via Beckhorn Trail.
- Tag Beckhorn (a subsidiary peak of Dix Mountain) for some amazing 360 views of New Yorks Adirondack Mountains.
- Continue a short bit and tag the official summit of Dix Mountain for another round of views.
- Begin a steep and rocky descent via the Hunters Pass Trail.
- Rejoin the Elk Lake to Dix Mountain Trail at the junction from earlier
- Return to base camp along the Elk Lake to Dix Mountain Trail.
Day 2 Total Mileage: 7 miles
Day 2 Gross Elevation Gain: 2,913 feet
Day 2 Gross Elevation Loss: 2,913 feet
Trails Used Day 3 (hike out)
- Break camp along the Elk Lake Trail, after the Lillian Brook LT and just before the large bridge crossing Lillian Brook. As of 9/14/17, this site had a yellow “Camp Here” disc, designating it a fully legal spot, despite it’s proximity to a small stream nearby. The stream is probably a convenient water source when flowing good, but we opted to get our water a 100 meters or so down the trail by the Lilian Brook bridge.
- Head south on the Elk Lake to Dix Mountain Trail
- Pass the Slide Brook Lean-to . The Slide Brook LT and camping area makes for a popular base camp for hikers hitting the Dix Range. We chose to push on a bit (under 2 miles) to the lesser used Lillian Brook lean-to area, which as some nice, legal campsites that are a bit more secluded.
- Return to the Elk Lake Trailhead Parking Lot. This is a decent sized lot along a gravel road on the way to the Elk Lake Lodge. If the lot is full, you may park for free at the Elk Lake Lodge, a bit further up the road.
Day 3 Total Mileage: 3.6 miles
Day 3 Gross Elevation Gain: 354 feet
Day 3 Gross Elevation Loss: 559 feet
Full Trip 3 Day Grand Total Mileage: 14.6 miles
Full Trip 3 Day Grand Total Elevation Gain: 3,900 feet
Notable Camping / Backpacking Gear Seen on this Video
- Dutchware Double Dutch Bugnet
(used on night 1) - Dutchware Bird’s Nest (used on night 2)
- Dutchware Chameleon Hammock System
- Dyneem Straps with Beetle Buckles
- Dutchware Spreader Bar Pole (32″ recommended)
- ULA Ohm 2.0 Backpack (we both use this model)
- Bear Vault BV500 Bear Canister
- Coleman Folding Saw
- MallowMe Camping Cookware Mess Kit
- Vargo Windscreen
- Katadyn BeFree Water Filter
- Sintax77’s Headlamp – Olight HS2 Headlamp
- Sintax77’s EDC Flashlight – FourSevens Preon 2
- Sara’s Headlamp – Fenix HL-23 Headlamp (she’s since stolen my HS2 for the longer battery life, though)
- Sara’s Ridiculously over the top Flashlight – Olight Marauder X7R
Our Dog’s Backpacking Gear
- Denali’s Dog Backpack – “One Tigris Cotton Canvas“
- Hammock – 2T’s Hammock Chair
Backpacking Food