"HIKING" WHITEFACE MOUNTAIN

So my theory is, "if someone built a road all the way to the top of a mountain then they invited a new way to "hike" that mountain." And so we "hiked" in a car. That's one more checked off my 46er-to-be list.

Whiteface ski resort

Last lookout before summit

I was hesitate at first because of the weather but my "bagging and tagging" desire won. I had plenty of supporters so we drove the 15 minutes to the base of Whiteface. However when drove onto the resort we found a sign that said go into the town of Wilmington to reach the Veterans Memorial Highway which was an additional 3-4 miles further down the road. Once we turned on the road it began to ascend up the northern ridge. We came to the toll booth: $10 a driver/car, $7 for each additional person. 

 Winding road to summit

 Parking area

Castle 

Once on the highway, it was a steep climb through the pine tree forest. The temperature began to fall quickly and the vegetation thinned out as we drove higher. As we passed 3500 ft above sea level, there were several lookout spots to pull over. There were several people at each spot taking pictures. At the last lookout before the summit we were able to see the snow covered landscape at the summit.

Railed trail to summit

Hiking crew

 Research and observatory 

At the parking area we were greeted by staff who instructed us where to park and hike to the top. There are two ways to reach the summit: walking up a staircase along the ridge or taking an elevator. While the views were still okay we decided to head up via the stairs. We enjoyed the views only for a few minutes and then heavy clouds rolled in. When we reached the research and observatory facility at the summit we were completely covered in the clouds. We took some summit photos and a GoPro video and decided to wait a little longer to see if it would clear up. The sun came out for only a couple minutes and there was a quick break in the clouds before thick clouds rolled in again. On the way down we took an elevator that brought us to a tunnel that lead to the parking area. 

Lesya's 8/46 high peak

My 19/46 high peak

Luba & Oleg's First High Peak

A few minutes of sunshine

Little Whiteface

In tunnel leading to parking lot

Overall we enjoyed some nice views of Little Whiteface, Lake Placid, and snow covered pine trees. It would be nice to come back up on a day with better visibility to appreciate the spectacular views.

I was surprised to find several road bikers at the summit. We passed a few flying down the mountain. 

At the base of the mountain it was 47 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature at the top was 33 degrees. 

Total "hiking" time: 20 minutes up and 15 minutes down.