On the one hand, Colvin is the absolute best peak on this side of the Ausable – on the other hand, Blake is the worst by far and is not worth doing at all; which makes describing and recommending this climb difficult. It’s a mixed bag for sure, Mount Colvin is good enough to make the whole thing worth it.

If you’re knocking this hike out for your 46, that first paragraph is good news and bad. As I basically highlighted, you’ll love Colvin, and you probably won’t stay on Blake for more than 90 seconds; the peak is completely wooded and offers no views to speak of. We encountered first time hikers there from the Big City who asked us if they were all like this. Our response? “Yes.”

If you’re doing this climb right after Dial and Nippletop it’ll be a hop skip and a jump, otherwise you’re in for a long walk up and down Lake Road. This trail is particularly unremarkable, in the sense that it isn’t particularly difficult nor boring, just average Adirondack hiking; there are a few scrambles and the dip between the two peaks has its steep moments, but other than that it’s a very standard affair. 

Colvin has two distinguishable lookout areas, one is right to the opening of the peak, the other is to the left a few paces down the trail. Both of these lookouts are pretty great but the one on the right is larger and better for just hanging out on. When we did this climb we stopped on Colvin briefly, went over to Blake and then back to Colvin for a bit longer – drinking in the views of Ausbable Lake.

• Parking at the Ausable Club has become a subject of great contention and now (as of 2022) requires advanced parking reservations. Seek out information from the AMR below.
• The AMR people are pretty strict about the parking and the no dogs stuff. Do yourself a favor and just follow the rules, it’s embarrassing to watch Hudson Valley rich kids argue with state employees.
• These two mountains can be done in conjunction with the rest of the range (Dial and Nippletop). It’ll make for a long and challenging day but people do it all the time.
• The walk out on Lake Road is never hard but can feel longer than you think it would, try to factor that into your plan from whatever trailhead.