Leaving the summit of the First Brother, the path dips gently into a col, levels off, then climbs briefly to the mostly open and slightly higher summit of the Second Brother at 1.7 miles. Trail Conditions - Mostly a rocky dirt trail with sections on bare rock. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from March until October. 6. Going from my couch to the. Is this a place or activity you would suggest for, Are the prices for this place or activity, Is this a must-do if you are traveling with a, Is this a place or activity you would go to on a, Is this a romantic place or activity that you would suggest for, We hiked Big Slide on July 16 and found the trail challenging, but certainly worth it as the views along the way and at the summit were amazing! The trail soon begins to climb moderately to a junction at 3.8 miles. The round-trip hike is between 8 and 10.5 miles (depending on … 73, about a 30 minute drive from Lake Placid. Once at JBL, the 3 miles remaining back to the Garden Parking Lot are flat and well marked. Parking is limited at the popular Garden parking area, which fills early in the summer, so have a backup plan when setting out to hike Big Slide. Please choose a different date. Trail Markings - The trail is well marked with blue metal “footpath” markers on the trees and yellow blazes on the bare rock sections. I hope that you enjoy it as well. This turn is also about 12 miles from Exit 30 on I-87. Unlike Marcy, which we did two years ago, the summit does not offer 360 degree views; however, the views from the Brothers are fantastic and the Great Range is right in front of you from the summit! Carefully following it a short distance leads to an outstanding view of the peak's namesake slide, an impressive strip of open rock on the face of the mountain. For a longer hike, continue straight over Big Slide and on to the seldom-visited summit of Yard Mountain. Note: There is a small fee to park at the Garden. Big Slide Mountain is the 27th-highest of the Adirondack High Peaks, with an elevation of 4,240 ft. Most reasonably fit hikers can do a roundtrip to the Third Brother in 2 ½ -4 hours and a roundtrip to the summit of Big Slide in 4-7 hours. Big Slide is an excellent snowshoe excursion after you've tried a few of the area's smaller mountains. After this, the trail descends about 200 vt. ft. and there are two very small intermittent creeks. There were great views throughout the entire hike. Be sure to check out the herd path to the left. As a bonus, if you follow the trail another 1.3 miles past the summit of the 3rd Brother you can summit Big Slide Mtn.