Allen Mountain, like a handful of other peaks, (including Marshall, Skylight and Grey, Cliff and Redfield) all occupy the wild woods south of the Van Hovenburg Wilderness Area, what I lovingly call “The Mud Pit.” My experience here in the High Peaks has led me to believe that everything south of Lake Colden is muddy and miserable at pretty much any point throughout the year, except in winter, where it becomes a snow-covered ice shelf. Cliff, Redfield and Allen were particularly “wet” experiences for our crew. If you’re interested in tackling these ones, embrace the mess.

We summited Allen in late summer after a period of heavy rain fall, trails that are normally quite muddy had transformed into mud pools before our arrival. A word to the wise here in regards to the trails, when the mud is heavy and you decide to go anyways, do not walk off the trails or along the sides. This is what causes erosion and damage to the trails, just embrace the mud and dive in. You will eventually get soaked regardless of any precautionary measures you take.

This trail is definitely a doozy – the poor trail conditions make the long hike out quite tiring, and the final mile is nothing short of grueling, with slick rock face and steep elevation gains. Pretty much all of the elevation for the whole hike is in that final mile, so prepare yourself for a severe difficulty spike. Of all the High Peaks, this is one I don’t ever see myself doing again.

The views? What views? There are no views from this wooded peak, and the only good views of this peak are from Marshall. Redeeming qualities? Not many. There are some small falls and subsequent pools as you start to ascend, I imagine these might be refreshing on a hot summer day – assuming they don’t completely dry out.

• The Upper Works is certainly an odd place considering how much parking there is in comparison to any other, more popular trailheads. We arrived here quite late, around 7:30, and were still able to get a spot without any issues.
• The Upper Works received a pretty considerable stimulus in the early 2020’s intended to improve accessibility in the area. Despite the fact that this area is awful – mission accomplished. 
• The infamous “red moss” of the waterfalls and final mile of this trail is very slippery, but Vibram soles and smart steps will serve you well. Some people choose to wear spikes as well.  
• Even in better conditions, the views here are mostly non-existent. We had overcast conditions and rain for the whole climb, but there were two or three decent lookouts on the way up that may have been good.
• Lots of running water here and high water crossings. Bring water purification and water shoes. We did about 90% of this trail, the entire flat section in Merrell water shoes with vibrant soles.