Off The Trails: A Hiker's Guide to the Outdoors

WARNING: TRAIL ONLY ACCESSIBLE IN SUMMER MONTHS. ROAD LEADING TO TRAIL CLOSED DURING WINTER. CHECK LOCAL BULLITINS FOR FURTHER DETAILS

Located at the end of Adirondack Loj Road in the High Peaks Wilderness, the land is owned by the Adirondack Mountain Club. The club does charge a fee to park inside, however, once paid and parked there are concessions, a store with supplies and trail maps and restrooms. The mountain was named in 1877 by Henry Van Hovenberg after his late wife to be Josephine Schofield. Henry also built the original Adirondack Loj facilities. The trail begins with a short trek around Heart Lake before starting up the top. The whole trail is about 2.5 miles (distance will vary depending on how far you walk for pictures) and can be completed in about 2 hours. The summit of Mount Jo is situated at an elevation of 2,832ft, however, since the trailhead is at an elevation of 2,138ft, the elevation gain is relatively small (~700ft). Despite the small elevation gain, the incline is steeper than what some would expect. This trail also has some moderately challenging rock scrambles. Once at the top the view is like none other. Hikers will be treated to views of Mount Colden and Algonquin Peak. Overall this is a good casual hike for those seeing a nice afternoon outing. The incline and elevation are not too strenuous and the reward is like no other.

Parking: Pay to park (fees can vary) off of Adirondack Loj Road.

Alltrails: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/new-york/mount-jo-loop-trail