Hike Length: 2.8 mi RT Difficulty: Moderate Elevation gain: 659 ft

Park at the Syracuse University Minnowbrook Conference Center and then follow a private road to reach the start of the trail. While the trail is mostly easy to follow, we found it poorly marked in some places, particularly at a junction that takes you down to the shore of Blue Mountain Lake. For this reason, I recommend downloading offline AllTrails maps to make sure you stay on track.

The trail starts off easy through the woods with a creek crossing and then gradually climbs most of the way. It was a little steeper than we expected based on AllTrails. Some sections of this hike involve scrambling up rocks, so you definitely want to wear proper hiking boots with good traction.

The views of Blue Mountain Lake and Blue Mountain at the top are absolutely gorgeous. In my opinion, they're some of the best views you can get in this area.

Overall, the hike took us about 2-2.5 hours with a break at the top for sunset.