On May 9, 2026, the Champlain Area Trails Grand Hike returns to the eastern Adirondacks, inviting hikers to move—quite literally—through one of the region’s most quietly compelling landscapes.

Spanning from Whallonsburg to Lewis, with parking and shuttles in nearby Westport, this annual town-to-town hiking event offers something increasingly rare in the Adirondacks: a guided, communal way to experience the land beyond the High Peaks.

It’s not a summit quest. It’s something more layered—and, arguably, more reflective of where Adirondack travel is headed.

The Champlain Area Trails (CATS) Grand Hike has steadily grown in both participation and relevance, tapping into a broader shift toward accessible outdoor experiences, conservation-minded travel, and community-centered events. In a region often defined by rugged individualism, this is a day built around shared movement.

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CATS Beaver Bend Preserve. — Beaver Bend Preserve.

A bigger story unfolding in the Adirondacks.

The Adirondacks have long been synonymous with challenge—46 High Peaks, backcountry lean-tos, and routes that reward endurance as much as scenery. But in recent years, a quieter trend has taken hold: experiences that emphasize connection over conquest.

The Champlain Area Trails Grand Hike sits squarely in that evolution.

CATS, a nonprofit focused on building and maintaining trails in the Champlain Valley, has spent years stitching together a network that links farms, forests, and small hamlets. The Grand Hike is its most visible expression of that work—a day when those connections become tangible underfoot.

Participants aren’t just walking through the Adirondacks. They’re walking between communities.

A look at the Champlain Area Trails Grand Hike

Before stepping onto the trail, this short video offers a sense of the landscapes and community spirit that define the CAT Grand Hike.

The CATS Grand Hike showcases a different side of the Adirondacks—one shaped as much by farmland and conservation as by peaks and wilderness.

From Westport to Whallonsburg to Lewis, the route traces a living landscape where agriculture, conservation, and recreation intersect in a way that feels distinctly Adirondack.

What the day actually feels like.

The morning begins not at a trailhead, but in a parking field—the Essex County Fairgrounds in Westport—where hikers gather in layers, coffee in hand, waiting for the shuttle that will carry them to the start in Whallonsburg.

There’s an ease to it. No rush for a parking spot at dawn. No jockeying for position on a crowded trail.

At the Whallonsburg Grange Hall, the tone shifts from logistical to communal. Maps are handed out. T-shirts are pulled over jackets. Conversations begin—some between friends, others between strangers who will, by mid-afternoon, feel like something closer to trail companions.

From there, the hike unfolds in segments.

Some opt for the full 16-mile route. Others dip in and out, using shuttle-supported shortcuts to tailor the experience. Along the way, four rest stops punctuate the journey with snacks, water, and a chance to linger.

The terrain moves through open farmland and quiet woods, with glimpses of Lake Champlain and the low peaks that define this corner of the Adirondacks. It’s not dramatic in the way a summit view is dramatic. It’s something subtler—more rhythmic, more human-scaled.

And then, just as gradually as it began, the day tilts toward celebration.

Where the Adirondacks feel most lived-in.

The finish at the Twin Valleys Outdoor Education Center in Lewis doesn’t feel like an endpoint so much as a gathering.

Champlain Valley in the Adirondacks. — The Adirondacks’ gorgeous Champlain Valley.

Music carries across the field. ThePondeRz take the stage. Plates from Farmstead Catering circulate among hikers who were, hours earlier, spread out across miles of trail.

This is where the event reveals its deeper character.

The Champlain Area Trails Grand Hike isn’t just about access to land—it’s about access to community. Local organizations set up booths. Conversations shift from trail conditions to land conservation, from weekend plans to shared experiences of the region.

It’s the Adirondacks not as wilderness alone, but as a place where people live, work, and invest in the landscape’s future.

What makes this distinctly Adirondack?

There are plenty of organized hikes across the country. Few feel as grounded in place as this one.

The Champlain Valley side of the Adirondacks has always operated on a slightly different wavelength than the High Peaks. It’s more agricultural. More interconnected with neighboring towns. Less defined by elevation, more by continuity.

The CATS Grand Hike reflects that identity.

It’s a route that passes through conserved farmland, alongside working landscapes, and into small communities that are often overlooked by visitors focused on marquee destinations like Lake Placid or Keene Valley.

In that sense, it offers a more complete picture of the Adirondacks—one that includes both wilderness and the people who call it home.

Who this is really for.

This is not a race. It’s not even strictly a hike in the traditional sense.

It’s for travelers who want to experience the Adirondacks without needing to summit a peak. It’s for locals who already know the terrain but want to see it differently. It’s for those curious about conservation, community trails, and the evolving identity of outdoor recreation in the region.

It’s also, quietly, for anyone who has ever felt that the Adirondacks can be a little intimidating.

Here, the barrier to entry is lower—and the payoff is just as meaningful.

ADK Taste recommendations.

Arrive early at the Essex County Fairgrounds to catch one of the first shuttle waves—this gives you flexibility to take your time on the trail and still fully enjoy the finish-line celebration in Lewis.
Even if you choose a shorter route, plan to stay for the music and local food. The second half of the day is where the experience deepens.

ADK Taste perspective.

The Champlain Area Trails Grand Hike points to a broader shift in how the Adirondacks are experienced—and how they might be sustained.

It prioritizes connection over competition. It invites participation without requiring expertise. And it reminds both visitors and locals that the region’s value lies not just in its peaks, but in the networks of trails, towns, and people that hold it together.

For a place defined by its vastness, that sense of connection may be the most important path forward.

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