The Giant's Washbowl, Nubble, and Roaring Brook Falls hike at Adirondack Park in Keene Valley, New York is a difficult, popular, 5.4-mile loop / out-and-back combo hike that features stunning views from Giant Mountain's southwestern slopes.
Trail names: Roaring Brook Falls Trail, Nubble Trail, Ridge Trail, Washbowl Trail, Upper Falls Lookout Spur, Lower Falls Trail
Location: Route 73, Keene, NY
Permitted uses: Hiking, Nature Study, Camping at designated areas, camping for more than 3 consecutive nights or in a group of 10 or more requires a permit from a DEC land manager. Fishing, Trapping and hunting with a proper license. Cross country skiing, Snowshoeing.
Prohibited uses: No Bicycles, No motorized equipment,
Hours: There are no posted hours.
Fees and Parking: There is no fee to park or to use the trails. Parking is off of Route 73 and there is enough parking for at least 16 vehicles. The parking lot does fill up quickly.
Pets: Dogs are allowed on the trail as long as they are on a leash.
Accessibility: These trails are not wheelchair accessible.
Hiker amenities: There is a gender neutral portable bathroom at the parking lot. There are no trash bins and no water. There is an information kiosk with a posted map. There is also a shoe brush installed at the trailhead. The brush is installed as an attempt to prevent the unintentional introduction of invasive species to this wilderness. Hikers are encouraged to brush off their shoes before and after hiking. Hikers are encouraged to Register their visit at the start and end of their visit.
Length and Trail information: The hike was done as a loop hike and was approximately 5.36 miles long. The trail is easy to start but gets progressively harder. Along the Beede Brook the trail is wide and flat and easy to hike. Once the ascent begins, the footing becomes more challenging and hikers will need to traverse rocks, roots and Roaring Brook along the trail. The hike is well marked with red and yellow trail blazes and engraved wooden signs at most junctions. We chose to save the hike to the Top of the Falls and the Base of the Falls for the end of our hike.
We started off by hiking the Roaring Brook Trail to the Washbowl Trail to connect to the Nubble Trail. There is steady elevation with this hike and the terrain can be tricky. There are lots of rocks to navigate and occasionally downed trees, but the views from the Giant's Nubble are spectacular. The panoramic views from this rocky summit at 2734 feet are worth all the effort needed to get there. After our stop at the Giants Nubble we continued on the Nubble Trail. The Nubble Trail offers some really nice aerial views of the Giant's Washbowl below but they are not as jaw dropping as the views from the Giant's Nubble. From the Nubble Trail we hiked down to the steep Ridge Trail and then continued down to the Washbowl Trail to check out the views of the Giant's Washbowl from its tranquil shoreline. The Giant's Washbowl is a popular fishing spot that is stocked with native brook trout. The pond is 4.2 acres in size and has a maximum depth of 23 feet. From the Giant's Washbowl Trail we hiked back down to the Roaring Brook Trail to connect to the Roaring Brook Falls Upper Lookout.
The view from the Top of the Falls is beautiful, but surprisingly, you can't actually see much of the waterfall from the top: the drop off is dangerously steep and the flowing water drops through a rocky crevasse and disappears from view. From the Fall Lookout we returned to the Roaring Brook Trail and went down to see the Falls from the base of the waterfall. The best view of the waterfall is at the base, and it's the easiest part of the hike. The hike to the base of the Roaring Brook Falls is short, easy and offers beautiful views of the 130 foot high falls. Hikers able to do a bit of rock scrambling will be rewarded with stunning views of the waterfall.
