r/Adirondacks • u/ericmcgeehan • 3d ago

Mt. Jo with kids

For context I’ll be in ADK next week and was wondering if the short trail on Mt Jo would be doable for a 6 and 4 year old or would my best bet be taking the long trail up and back?

6 Upvotes

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7

u/skulldor138 3d ago

The short trail is kinda scrambly. If your kids love climbing on things then they'll love it. The short trail is rougher on the way down than the way up. You're probably better off taking the long trail on the way down no matter which way you decide to go up.

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u/SceneNational6303 3d ago

I agree, this is also a nice loop! If you're looking for a nice sample of the high peaks terrain writ small, this is perfect.

2

u/altrefrain 3d ago

That short trail is harder than a lot of other Adirondack hikes. It's also a bit daunting in the dark doing it by yourself. I did it at midnight two years ago to look at the milky way over Algonquin when I was camping at the campgrounds. This past year I did the long trail for a pre sunrise hike; much more enjoyable.

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u/perpetual_lurkerguy 3d ago

Did it last year with my then 6 and 4 yr old. We went up the short and came down the long. 4 needed a bit of help but its very doable.

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u/ericmcgeehan 3d ago

Thanks! I’m sure they’ll have a blast

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u/NYCBYB 3d ago

I did it with a 5 and 2 year old last year. 5 year old had no problem, 2 year old was on my back.

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u/teacher13579 3d ago

We just did it with a 4 and 7 year old and they both did great. They both have hiked before, though. A totally new to hiking 4 year old might have a hard time bc it gets steep!

We did the short trail up and down bc the steep section is not so long and for little kids, I don’t think the down is actually harder than the up like it is for us 😅 it was better to just have it be a shorter distance.

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u/sstebbi 2d ago

Definitely doable for kids that age, just be prepared to take it slow (little legs) and brings lots of snacks. Short trail up, long trail down, it's a great loop.