Adirondack Mountains Indian Head Trail Experience

Wonderful, strenuous hike. Not for the faint of heart, but with good company it becomes a molehill. Would definitely do again.

This trail was the best hike I've ever been on. It was tough but each destination was well worth the effort it took to get to them. I started out by making my way to Beaver meadow falls, then rainbow falls then up to Indian head. All of them were absolutely stunning! The trail conditions were a bit muddy due to all the recent rains but that made it more beautiful as the rivers and waterfalls were really flowing. If you are in great physical shape this may be moderate for you. Why I'm rating it hard is because the muddy conditions and the length, my total was 10.94 miles, that's a lot of walking. All in all though, this hike was amazing with beautiful views throughout. I recommend it if you think you can handle that much walking.

I’m not a huge hiker so the trail was definitely challenging. Don’t forget to make a reservation on their website in advance to enter the trail! The parking lot is very organized as there is a park ranger there to monitor and ensure people park properly to accommodate for all the cars. There’s a lot of roots and rocks to walk on which is hard on the ankles. I would say the markings for the trail (and lack of) in certain areas do get confusing but there are nice views and there’s a large rock at the top for a nice lunch.

This is one of the best hikes in the area. 11-12 mile (18-20km) when you start on the gill Brook trail, hike up to indian head overlook, walk down to the dam, cross the bridge to see rainbow falls, take that trail to the West river trail & then make your way to Lake Road til you get back to the car park. It can be done in 4-5 hours with a 30 min break at the overlook. I would recommend to spend extra 40-50 minutes to see Rainbow falls. Views from the top are amazing. Some people didn’t like the fact that you have to walk through a private property ( golf course) but it wasn’t too bad. Trail itself is nice and filled with beautiful rivers, waterfalls , plants etc. wear good hiking shoes as the trail can get muddy and slippery. I would go back again. Don’t forget you have to make a reservation from may 1st to October 31st.

One of the most beautiful trail ever !! Did the 11 miles long loop with bunch of the waterfalls, rainbow fall is the one of the best waterfall I have ever seen !!!! Must do hike in ADK!!!