Scarface Mountain Trail in Ray Brook to reopen this fall after bridge replacement

Work to restore access to a popular hiking trail to start in August

By Mike Lynch

A popular trail near Lake Placid is scheduled to reopen this fall after repairs to it have been completed. 

The state Department of Environmental Conservation closed the trail up Scarface Mountain in Ray Brook in December 2023 because a bridge over Ray Brook was deemed unsafe. 

Preliminary work has begun, including moving lumber to the worksite where a replacement bridge will be built, DEC told the Explorer.

The DEC and Student Conservation Association’s Adirondack Corps are scheduled to start work on the project in the middle of August. 

The bridge is located 0.5 miles from the trailhead. Once the bridge is replaced, DEC will reopen the trail to the public. 

The hike up the 3,088-foot Scarface is 7.6 miles round trip from the trailhead to the summit. 

Scarface is one of the Saranac Lake 6ers, a hiking challenge conceived of by the village of Saranac Lake more than a decade ago. The challenge also includes the nearby mountains of Baker, St. Regis, Ampersand, Haystack and McKenzie. 

The trail closure has essentially put the challenge on hold until the bridge is fixed and the route is reopened. 

Prior to the trail closure, the village had already cut back on promoting the 6er challenge after concerns were raised about it, including that Baker was getting too crowded and parking was becoming a challenge for hikers and nearby homeowners.