Esther Mountain carries a distinctive history among the Adirondack 46: it is the only High Peak named after a woman. Esther McComb made the first recorded ascent in 1839 at age 15, having set out to climb nearby Whiteface and become lost on the ridge, finding herself on this summit instead. The Adirondack Forty-Sixers placed a commemorative tablet at the summit in 1939 to mark the centennial of that accidental climb.
No maintained trail reaches the summit; the route follows a well-worn herd path, making it one of the more approachable of the bushwhack 46ers. Most hikers come from the Atmospheric Science Research Center (ASRC) on the Whiteface Memorial Highway spur, a 6.6-mile, 2,700-foot round trip that descends briefly before grinding up the steep corridor of an old ski lift line. Esther is also commonly paired with Whiteface as a two-peak day via the Connery Pond trailhead, with both summits reachable in about 11.8 miles and 3,700 feet of gain. From the junction on the Whiteface ridge, the herd path drops into a col and climbs again to the 4,240-foot summit.
The wooded summit itself has limited views, but a ledge just below opens onto a striking perspective of Whiteface's broad face and, on clear days, Lake Placid and the surrounding valley. Mud and ice make the steep lift-line section hazardous in shoulder seasons; mid-summer through early fall offers the most reliable conditions.
