September 29, 2026 — Having had good luck with the weather and views earlier in the day at Owls Head Mountain and Belfry Mountain Fire Tower, I decided to push my luck and finally see what the big deal about Balanced Rocks was. The Trailhead is along Route 73, located across the street from the also very popular Cascade Mountain Trailhead. Parking is along the shoulder, and on a busy day, expect to encounter crowds and to park quite a distance down the road. The first mile of the trail is mostly flat and fast going, but quite abruptly the trail will become your typically steep and rough Adirondacks trail; rocky, rooty, muddy. I encountered plenty of fun scrambling on the way up, and opted for some Class 3 moves where I am sure Class 2 is possible. When I reached Balanced Rocks, at first I was disappointed with the views, as the clouds had completely engulfed the summit. I decided with nothing better to do, I would wait it out and hopefully it would clear. I climbed on top of the Balanced Rocks too which was pretty fun and challenging. My patience ultimately paid off, with the clouds giving away just enough to enjoy the fall foliage in the valley below! The distant high peaks were all obscured, but that just means I will need to go back one day. I've seen photos from Balanced Rocks in the winter that are really motivating me to come back. On the way up (or down), make sure you don't miss the lookout for Cascade Lakes (44.227121867574425, -73.87747460052111). The perspective from this lookout is one you will not get at the summit.
