The GOOD thing about the somewhat slow start to real Adirondack winter weather is that my fall hiking season has been extended.

And with very little snow on the Adirondack Coast, I had a brand new hiking trail to test this last weekend - without the need for skis or snowshoes. (There will be plenty of time for that!)

Champlain Area Trails (CATS) has opened a new trail - it's called the Cheney Mountain Trail and it's the first of their network in the Town of Moriah.

There are actually three very distinct lookouts at the top. The first one you'll encounter offers a tremendous view north over Lake Champlain. In fact, you can clearly see Northwest Bay in Westport and even beyond.

Cheney Trail view one
View one from Cheney Trail

The second is a view SOUTH that showcases the patchwork of farm fields in Vermont and features a snazzy view of the brand new Lake Champlain Bridge that connects Vermont with New York at Crown Point.

Cheney bridge view
View of bridge south from Cheney Mt.

The THIRD view, accessed from a little loop trail, is of the tailings from the Iron Mines in the

Town of Moriah. Old, twisted remains of the equipment used to transport those tailings mar the perfect, white hills in the hamlet called, surprisingly, Mineville.

Cheney tailings pile
Mineville view from Cheney Mt.

It's quite a spectacular little trail - complete with not only three different views, but some neat geological formations (glacial erratics) and water features (small ponds that remain there year-round).

As advertised (by the crew that cleared the trail), the trail is very steep in sections, but short enough that you forget all about the heart-pounding 90-degree ladder you just climbed as soon as you reach the first lookout.

The Cheney Mountain trailhead is located approximately 3 miles from the junction of Route 9N on Pilfershire Road in Moriah. For more information about CATS, check out their WEBSITE!

-Kim Rielly is the director of communications for the Lake Placid CVB.