Mount Jo

Date: December 28, 2025

Distance: 3.54km round trip (short trail); 4.18km round trip (long trail)

Elevation gain: 213m

Mount Jo is a classic Adirondack hike, offering a relatively short trail to a good viewpoint. There are two routes: a steeper short trail and a more gradual long trail, which can be combined to make a loop. My friends and I did this as a side trip on the way to Street and Nye Mountains, and I would recommend doing that if you're going to those peaks. We took the short trail both ways. 

There is a tragic story behind this peak’s name. It can be read here: https://www.lakeplacid.com/story/2016/02/love-mount-jo 

Both trails start from the popular Adirondak Loj parking lot. Parking costs $18 usd (ouch) and some of us rented snowshoes from the information centre for an additional fee. 

The trails to Mount Jo are well-marked. We started hiking towards Heart Lake. After a couple hundred metres, the trail branched off to the north. It soon split into the short and long trails: we took the former. 

As is often the case in the Adirondacks, the short trail is steeper and rockier than one might expect. Snow covered most but not all of the rocks. There were a few icy sections, including one near a small frozen waterfall. 

The trails rejoined, and then two ladders led to the peak. This was the most difficult part of the hike, as the ladders were quite icy. 

Once at the viewpoint, we enjoyed the views for a while, then returned to the main trail on the way to the main objective.