Rocky Falls & Heart Lake Loop Hike
The Rocky Falls & Heart Lake Loop hike within Adirondack Park near Lake Placid, New York is an easy 5.3-mile out-and-back hike that leads to Rocky Falls and encompasses Heart Lake.
Trail names: Heart Lake Loop Trail, Indian Pass Trail, Rocky Falls Trail
Location: Adirondack Heart Lake Program Center,1002 Adirondack Loj Road, High Peaks Wilderness Area, Lake Placid, NY
Permitted uses: Hiking: trailhead registration is required. Camping by reservation and with a fee : all food, garbage and toiletries must be stored in bear canisters between April 1 and November 30. Overnight camping groups are limited to 8 people. Cross Country Skiing, Snowshoeing: These are REQUIRED equipment whenever there is 8 or more inches of snow on the ground. Swimming at the beach when open.
Prohibited uses: No drone use, No motorized equipment, No sleeping in your vehicle in the parking area, No campfires, No camping above 4000 ft. Camping between 3500 and 4000 ft allowed in designated areas only. No tents allowed in lean-tos. Day use groups are limited to 15 people with affiliated groups separated by 1 mile. Do not feed animals. Please observe quiet hours between 10:00 pm and 7:00 am. Please observe the 7 “Leave no trace” principles while enjoying these wild spaces.
Hours: There are no posted closing hours
Fees and Parking: There is a fee to park at this trailhead and payment during our visit was done on the honor system with envelopes provided at the pay station at the parking entrance. Rates for Adirondack Mountain Club ADK members are lower than non members. Annual Memberships can be purchased online by visiting the High Peaks Information Center website at https://adk.org/high-peaks-information-center/
Visitors arriving after 1pm will pay a reduced rate.There is also an option to pay a weekly fee. There are several parking areas which are large with lots of room for parking. Reserved handicap parking is set aside near the High Peaks Information Center.
Pets: Dogs are welcome but must be on a leash and owners must carry out all dog waste with them. DO NOT LEAVE DOG WASTE ALONG THE TRAIL.
Accessibility: The trails we hiked were not wheelchair accessible with the exception of the areas surrounding the parking area and a short distance of the trail near the camp sites and the ADK Loj Nature Museum. Those areas have a packed crushed gravel substrate and were almost wide enough for two people to walk side by side.
Hiker amenities: There are portable toilets available 24 hours a day and a bear proof trash bin near the parking area/payment station. At the entrance to the parking area is also the High Peaks Information Center (HPIC) which closes at 3:00 pm or 5:00 pm depending on the day. The Center is open all year. The HPIC is a great place to visit if you would like assistance in planning, gear recommendations, gear rental (including bear canisters),or weather and trail information. They sell guidebooks as well as small trail and camping necessities. Next to the HPIC is a food concession called The Hungry Hiker that is only open seasonally and offers hot and cold foods, ice cream, coffee, soft drinks and adult beverages. There are picnic tables and trash bins there. There is no information Kiosk with a posted map, so it’s a good idea to download a map before coming to hike, or stop into the HPIC to buy a map.
Length and Trail information: This hike was done as an out and back hike with a loop around the lake at the end and is approximately 5.28 miles long. The hike is easy with the exception of the Rocky Falls Trail where we unintentionally went off trail near the Rocky Falls Lean-to. We ended up doing about 200 yards of rock scramble up the Indian Pass Brook followed by 100 feet of bushwhacking to get back to the Indian Pass Trail. That accidental scramble was moderately difficult during our visit, but may prove very challenging during high water flows. Be very careful to check your map often and make sure you are at the correct location to turn around because there is no trail sign for the Rocky Falls trail and no indication that you have reached its conclusion. Besides the aforementioned trail, all the other trails we hiked on, are very well marked with orange trail blazes and excellent signage at junctions. The trail substrate is typical of what you would expect on a densely wooded trail with plenty of roots and rocks to navigate. There were some down trees along the hike, but nothing so bad that you couldn't go around or over them. There was a sign posted at the Registration Kiosk alerting hikers to a bridge that was out on the Indian Pass Trail but we did not hike to that area. There were lots of interesting ferns and mushrooms growing and occasional birds to try to identify from their songs. We also found a random Geological Survey marker which informed us that we were at 2160 feet above sea level. Most of the views we had of Heart Lake from the trail were limited,but beautiful. Besides the joy that always comes from being immersed in nature and the enjoyment of time spent with family and friends, the accidental scramble up the riverbed and the views of Heart Lake were the best part of the hike.
