""

Mt. Jo: A Short Trail to a World of Insight

Elevation: 2876 ft

Ascent: 700 ft

One-Way Distance: 1.1 or 1.3 miles

Location: ADK's Heart Lake Program Center near Lake Placid.

 

l

There are two trails up Mt. Jo. The shorter and steeper trail has been well built by ADK’s expert trail crew. The crew has lavished many hard hours building the steps and water bars on this trail. It must noted here that the so called “Long Trail” is not as well built.

As the picture shows, Algonquin (and Wright) peaks are center stage with Heart Lake nestled at the base of Mt. Jo. Even Mt. Marcy is visible as the high point on the horizon left of center. The Adirondack mountains consist mainly of 1.1 billion year old anorthosite. On the summit, right there in plain view, are excellent examples of dikes.  They are intrusions of magma in cracks in the anorthosite that form a rock that is even harder than the anorthosite. This greater hardness causes them to weather more slowly than the anorthosite, making them stick up like veins.

MORE

Note: For a more complete description of the trail, please see ADK’s guide to Adirondack Trails: High Peaks Region (13th ed.), pages 140-141.

Hope you have a great hike!
Bob Goodwin