FIVE Mountains You Can Drive Up in the Northeast
So, you want to know five Mountains you can drive up in the northeast eh? Well, lucky for you we have been to five mountains in the northeast that you can in fact drive to the top! To be fair, a couple mountains you do have to walk a tad or TAKE AN ELEVATOR to finish the summit, but driving does most of the work!
ALRIGHT, here they are starting from west to east!
#1 – BEAR MOUNTAIN IN NEW YORK’s BEAUTIFUL HUDSON VALLEY
WHERE IS BEAR MOUNTAIN!?
If you live near NYC and you are craving some nature but don’t want to travel across the country to get it, YOU DON’T HAVE TO! Bear Mountain State Park is just over an hour’s drive north of the city located in the beautiful Hudson Valley!
STATS & INFO
Mountain Range: Hudson Highlands
Elevation: 1,283 ft
Prominence: 699 ft
State: New York
County: Orange
Cost: Free!
WHAT WE LEARNED WHILE VISITING
While visiting Bear Mountain State Park we learned that the top of this mountain is not always open. It makes sense for it to be closed during the winter due to liability issues, but we also tried to visit near holidays and the top was completely shut down to the public.
Be sure to keep a lookout on their website (Bear Mountain State Park Official Website) for any closure details BEFORE you make the drive across states and be disappointed once you get there (speaking from experience).
OTHER PLACES TO VISIT NEARBY
VIDEO OF OUR ADVENTURE AT BEAR MOUNTAIN STATE PARK!
#2 – WHITEFACE MOUNTAIN IN THE ADIRONDACKS!
WHERE IS WHITEFACE MOUNTAIN!?
Ever hear of Lake Placid, home of the 1980 Winter Olympics? If so, Whiteface Mountain is that big old thing looking over the top of the lake! If not, Whiteface Mountain is the 5th tallest mountain in the state of New York located in the northeast portion of the state.
STATS & INFO
Mountain Range: Adirondack Mountains
Elevation: 4,865 ft
Prominence: 3,110 ft
State: New York
County: Essex
Cost: $12 for driver/vehicle and $8 for additional passenger (Check out the Whiteface Website for up to date information)
WHAT WE LEARNED WHILE VISITING
There is a freaking elevator that goes to the summit of this mountain. We obviously drove most of the way, but decided to take the rocky stairs with Blaze which was quite the ordeal. Not a great place for anyone with vertigo as there are quite the steep drop offs on either side of the path, but the hand rails do make it safer.
Just like most mountains, it is colder at the top of Whiteface Mountain so make sure you bring an extra layer while visiting!
#3 – MOUNT GREYLOCK IN NORTHWEST MASSACHUSETTS!
WHERE IS MOUNT GREYLOCK!?
Mount Greylock is the highest peak in the state of Massachusetts located in the northwest portion of the state. From the top of this mountain you can see the other states of Vermont, New York, New Hampshire, and even Connecticut! Check out the photos and video we created to see some of the other states as well!
STATS & INFO
Mountain Range: Berkshires/Taconic
Elevation: 3,491 ft
Prominence: 2,464 ft
State: Massachusetts
County: Berkshire
Cost: $5 for MA resident, $10 for out-of-state (Check out the Mount Greylock Website for up to date information)
WHAT WE LEARNED WHILE VISITING
We just so happened to visit Mount Greylock on the VERY last day it was open for the season (November 1st). SO, don’t go any later in November otherwise you’ll have to hike to the top! As I said previously, you can see 5 states from the top of this mountain (including Massachusetts). This is a perfect place to just sit there and chillax for a while.
There are also a TON of trails to explore in the area too, so don’t be afraid to get check some of those out while visiting!
OTHER PLACES TO VISIT NEARBY
VIDEO OF OUR ADVENTURE AT MOUNT GREYLOCK!
#4 – EQUINOX MOUNTAIN IN BEAUTIFUL VERMONT!
WHERE IS EQUINOX MOUNTAIN!?
Equinox Mountain is located in Bennington County, Vermont which is the southwest portion of the state. We visited this area of Vermont back in 2015 and just loved how beautiful the mountains were. Although this was before our blogging and vlogging days, we had a blast tent camping up near Mt. Killington and checking out the surrounding area.
Just like Mount Greylock, you can see the surrounding states of Massachusetts, New York, and New Hampshire!
STATS & INFO
Mountain Range: Taconic
Elevation: 3,855 ft
Prominence: 3,068 ft
State: Vermont
County: Bennington
Cost: $20 car and driver, $5 per passenger (Check out the Equinox Website for up to date information and current a coupon as of March 2019!)
WHAT WE LEARNED WHILE VISITING
If you can’t shift your car into a lower gear as you decent the mountain, pull off at the designated areas and give your brakes a break! We were driving a 2015 Jeep Cherokee at the time and the 9 speed transmission didn’t know what to do and started burning up the brakes. We ended up stopping quite a few times on the way down as this particular mountain has a VERY steep grade going up compared to the others we have visited.
Take your time as there are a ton of beautiful views along the drive up!
#5 – CADILLAC MOUNTAIN AT ACADIA NATIONAL PARK IN MAINE!
WHERE IS CADILLAC MOUNTAIN!?
Cadillac Mountain is found DEEP in the deserts of Maine…oh wait, no it is just called Mount Desert Island. If you travel quite a bit east on US 1, you’ll eventually be north of Mount Desert Island in Maine. Head south and you will find the most beautiful US National Park in the northeast called Acadia National Park.
Cadillac Mountain is the tallest peak in Acadia National Park, so why not drive up there and see what all the craze is about!?
STATS & INFO
Mountain Range: Appalachian
Elevation: 1,529 ft
Prominence: 1,529 ft
State: Maine
County: Hancock
Cost: $30 per vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, $15 per person (Check out the latest fees on Acadia National Park’s Website)
WHAT WE LEARNED WHILE VISITING
If you want to see the sunset at Acadia National Park, do not wait last-minute to do so. Turns out everyone else wants to see the sunset on the top of Cadillac Mountain as well! And it is no coincidence, Cadillac Mountain has one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve seen to date.
Also Acadia National Park is extremely pet friendly! Don’t forget the pups at home when visiting this National Park because they will want to come along all your adventures (minus the ridiculously rocky steep trails).
OTHER PLACES TO VISIT NEARBY
Great Head Trail, Sand Beach, and Bar Island
VIDEO OF OUR ADVENTURE AT CADILLAC MOUNTAIN!
SUMMARY
Thanks so much for reading about five mountains you can drive up in the northeast USA!
Each and every one of these mountains was an incredible adventure full of amazing views and lessons learned along the way! These definitely aren’t the only mountains to check out in the northeast, but might start you on your journey to conquering them all!
NOTE FROM THE WRITER
This is literally the first post I’ve ever written that took me the entire day to edit photos, write, and piece together! Not to mention all the filming, editing, and other corresponding blog posts to go along with this. This was a fun post to put together!
I would sincerely appreciate you sharing this with your friends and family so they can also see all these amazing views from around the northeastern United States. Maybe you will inspire them to get out there and explore just as we hope to inspire you all. 🙂
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Also be sure to check out Deanna’s food blog when you get the chance! A lot of awesome and healthy recipes to use there!
Adventure On!
