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Blueberry is Great - Trail to Porter not so much

Elevation: 2890 ft (Blueberry) -  4059 ft (Porter)

Ascent: 1900 ft (Blueberry) or 3275 ft (Porter)

Distance: 2.4 miles (Blueberry) or 4.5 miles (Porter)

Location: Marcy Field of of Route 73 north of Keene Valley.

A road opposite the Keene highway garage takes you to the trailhead at Marcy Field. This is also the spot for the shuttle bus that takes you to the garden.  There may be no register to sign in.

With an easy grade at first, the trail winds around hills and moves through lumbered areas until a brook crossing at 1.2 miles. Steep and rocky for the next 0.5 miles you come to a view of Hurricane Mt. on a ledge at 1.7 miles. Rotating between flat and steep sections, the trail arrives (after a 1900 foot ascent) at a huge boulder at the summit of Blueberry Mt.  The views here are excellent and the solitude here tends to keep you hanging at the top for quite a long time. 

In 2004 beyond the summit of Blueberry severe blowdown and a lack of maintenance on the trail on to Porter suggests that it was in bad need of care.  However, the reward for reaching the summit of Porter is beautiful views of Cascade Mt. and the surrounding area

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NOTE: For a more complete description of the trail, please see ADK's (guide to) ADIRONDACK TRAILS - High Peaks Region 13th Edition, pp 58-59.

Happy hiking!
Rick McCorry