Mount Jo Loop Trail

Fantastic loop to do if you wanted to squeeze one in after a long day! The views were amazing, was pretty easy but there are steep parts that can be difficult for a novice hiker.

Take the shorter steeper trail up and the longer trail down to save your knees. There are definitely some steep sections with little shade leaving you exposed to the sun. Wonderful view at the summit making it one of my favorite hikes in the region. If you are a camper check out the heart lake campground!

Loved this trail. Not too crowded on Memorial weekend. A few muddy areas. Easy on some sections but definitely steep on the “short” side. I recommend going up the long side and down the short. It’s a beautiful view from the top with some nice stair/ladder sections to help you get up to the summit. Not as many bugs as on other trails. $5 for members, $10 for nonmembers to park but lots of trails are available once you’re there.

The trail was great, extremely well groomed, however I felt 10 dollars to park was a bit ridiculous.

We really enjoyed this hike. Had our dog with us and she made the climb with no problems as well. We went up the short trail and down the long. Really enjoyed the views! All of the ice mentioned previously is gone now.

ﹰGreat trail ! -- we went up the short trail and down the long trail --- both trails COVERED in ice. spikes on your shoes are an absolute must! Short trail has a few steep pitches with larger boulders - long trail is more mellow but even more ice right now -- long trail also follow a stream so be careful not to get your shoes too wet!

the was an easy climb with a wonderful view. there are no views till the summit though. for snowshoeing stick to the long trail. the short trail is not good oon snowshoes.

Did this in snowshoes. Up short trail, down long trail. The sun was out when I got to the summit so I took a short nap. Out and back within two hours. Took my time. Pretty icicles along the trail.

We took the long trail up and down on 3/17/18 with our Golden Retriever. Beautiful winter hike. Most people were using snowshoes but we used crampons and had no issues. There are definitely some steep icy areas that would be difficult to pass with just hiking boots. We recommend Pawz disposable waterproof dog booties if you’re bringing your pup. They make life easy and avoid having to worry about injured paws. The hike up was a little bit harder and icier then we anticipated but it was still lots of fun and the views from the summit were well worth it. The hike down was slightly sketchy and quick due to some slipping and sliding but it was an absolute blast. I’d definitely recommend this hike to anyone looking for a quick easy/moderate winter hike.

Did this on Sunday. Wow, it was icy ! In winter snowshoes are a must and for what it’s worth it would have been impossible with my dog. Nice view and the loop made for an interesting hike both in and out.

Amazing view during the winter and an even more interesting hike up after a snow fall so beautiful

Not the best trail for snowshoeing as there’s a lot of rocks and not a lot of snow to cover them. The view is nice and the hike didn’t take us super long (about 1.5h).

Took the short trail, make sure you’re warm! -8F at the top. Might need snow shoes if going the long way. Lots of snow on the trail right now.

Quick, easy hike with great views.

I hiked this trail on the same day I was driving home, so I didn’t want to over do it. I had done Porter and Cascade Mountains the day before. It took me 50 minutes to reach the peak as I’m a bit slower, but I’m a firm believer in “ stop and smell the coffee “ motto. I’m still new to this hiking in the peaks region, and am planning my next trip already!

Great short hike with amazing views of the High Peaks. Short Trail is challenging enough to get you sweating on the way up even though this isn’t a high peak.

Great hike! Definitely take the short trail up and long trail down. The views are amazing. Took my two dogs up the mountain and they loved it too.

For how short a hike that this was, I am really impressed with the payoff view at the summit. My wife and I did the short trail up and the long trail down. They both take about the same time to ascend; around an hour, but we were working pretty hard on the way up the short trail.
This is a trail that is good for everyone. We saw older folks and young kids making their way up.

This was me and my wife's first real hiking experience. We are fairly active, her more then myself, and we brought our 18 month old daughter. If we would have had a better child carrier for her it would have been much better but all in all it was not too hard of a hike. We took the short trail up and the long trail down which I would definitely recommend, the long trail is much easier on your legs. Beautiful summit for a short hike! I think it took is about 2 hours total including the 15-20 minutes we took on the summit to hang out. We went mid-day on September 26th and only saw about 10 other people the entire hike and only had to share the summit with one other person for a short while, but I think we got lucky.

Incredible views, moderate and enjoyable hiking trail to summit.

Completed this hike along with my 2 Siberian Huskies. Started out a little earlier in the morning and didn't encounter anyone until the summit. Took the long trail up and the short trail down. A nice length trail for someone who hikes with dogs and a beautiful view at the top for all

One of the most beautiful summit views I have ever experienced in the ADKs, IMHO. If you want a taste of the Adirondacks or just want a nice hike, this mountain is a great choice! Small summit but great views of the High Peaks above and Heart Lake below. Took the time to hike up the long (easier) trail and also down with my SIL, Monday, September 11. Already looking forward to hiking this again!

I climbed this in early September. It was raining on the beginning. We took the short trail up. It was a climb. And you needed to make sure of your footing. The summit views were rewarding. On the way down, we took the long trail. It was worth it. I would recommend to all.

I hiked this in mid-August and it was the first mountain I've ever climbed. I took the short, steep trail up and the long trail down, which I would recommend. It was a bit challenging near the summit, but not exhausting or discouraging, perfect for a beginning hiker. The views are amazing, especially for such a short, fairly easy hike. I took my small dog and she enjoyed it too. She was able to climb up the short trail without assistance. There was a volunteer at the top who answered questions about the mountain and pointed out which of the High Peaks were visible from the summit. There were several other people hiking that day, and it was nice chatting with them along the way and on the summit. Took about 2 hours round trip. I would definitely recommend this trail to anyone.

Climb Mt Jo over 30 times over the years and the summit view never disappoints.

Disappointed with the obscured view of Heart Lake from the summit and the crowd of people at the top, the lack of light throughout the hike, over worn trails, too many people- not 5mins of silence before the sound of chatter overtook the trail. We took the short trail up and long trail down- a lot of rocks and clambering- definitely on the hard end of moderate. There are better hikes to prioritize than this one. Seems like this hike has been recommended for children, dogs and elderly and it's not appropriate for either but overrun by all 3 groups.

This is a great hike for a family if you want to get a "Highpeak's" experience, without having to actually climb a Highpeak. We took the longer trail to get to the top, taking approximately one hour to ascend and one hour to descend. Our group included age ranges from five years old to 68 years old. The views from the summit were exactly what you would expect for being in the high peaks region. There was no Geo desk on top of the mountain that we noticed. There were no areas to fill any water along this trail. The parking was at the Adirondack loj so as usual, parking can be a challenge and is $10 if you stay in the lot. There was a small little cabin area for kids to explore with different items from the local forest before you get to the trailhead and our kids enjoyed that.

Overall a relatively easy hike with a phenomenal view from the summit for such little effort. Definitely recommend it if you have a young family.

Great scenic trail. Good place for the whole family to experience what hiking is like. Gives you a good feel for what an Adirondack hike is like. Great views of the high peaks and heart lake from the summit.

The only downside to the hike was that it was like being at the mall. Noisy and crowded.

Short and sweet! Definitely would recommend going up the short/steep way and down the long way; it's easier on the knees that way.

Great trail for first-time little girl hikers. 4, 6 and 8. Went up the short route, down the long. Short is some significant crawling up rocks but not bad at all. Beautiful view from the top. Great bang for the buck hike.