OK Slip Falls Trailhead — Attraction in Town of Indian Lake

Hopefully this saves some people an exhausting 6 mile hike in the future. Unfortunately the trail was a major disappointment for us. We are not really seasoned hikers, more just looking for adventure. We were expecting a few hour long hike with the dogs and to eventually cool off in a huge remote waterfall. My first complaint was just getting to the trail. You park in the trail head parking, but you must first walk pretty far down the busy road just to get started. This was not a great start on a hot day. Once reaching the trail it cooled down and there were some interesting walking planks along with the usual mountain flora. It started to seem worth it, so we kept going. As we trooped on we were hoping and praying for some cool Adirondack streams to stick our feet in while we hiked, but even with all the rain, no streams we passed over (about 6 total) had water over an inch or two to cool down for us or the dogs down. Anyways we kept descending, thinking that we were closer to seeing the river that this waterfall was a part of... but nothing. We reached another sign letting us know it was another 1.5 miles to the waterfall (also a pond route that you could head to)...SIGH :( we were already so invested in the trail we decided to keep going for the chance at seeing the "Largest waterfall in Adirondacks". Well after we were all exhausted we finally reached the Waterfall...........wait what..........not a waterfall, a gorge OVERLOOK. Yes the gorge is massive and the overlook lets you see the waterfall was still many many miles away....We were so bummed and judging from the other hikers faces as they approached they were all thinking the same thing. To really kick us when we were down, there is another trail sign a couple hundred more feet past the first overlook that tells you you can go another 2 miles into the gorge to actually get down to the waterfall, but it was CLOSED. Not that we would have done the additional millage because we were all exhausted and disappointed from 3 miles of nothing, and knowing it was 3 miles back home with no satisfaction.

So basically if you are OK with doing a hike to see something a very far distance away ...than go for it, but if you are looking for a cool place to swim or hoping to see some real water, please skip this!!! There are plenty of better hikes, this was...

Trails to Ok Slip Falls, Ross Pond, Big Bad Luck Pond, Whortleberry Pond and Hudson River. Trailhead starts down .2 miles from the parking area. There are signs pointing you in the right direction. Trails are pretty well marked, but even without trail markers, the trails are well worn and easy to pick out and follow. I only visited OK Slip Falls. The trail to Ok Slip is about 3.2miles one way. About a half mile in, you will come to an intersection. There is a sign with all the ponds on it but no sign saying Ok Slip Falls. If youre going to the falls, youll want to take this unmarked trail to the right. You will see Blue trail marker signs on this trail to the falls. Trail is rocky and has roots in spots like any ADK trail, but its not a hard walk. You will come to a dirt road around 50min into the trek to the falls, follow the road to the left and shortly youll see the trail reappear again to the right. If it has rained, you will have to cross some small streams and deal with muddy spots along the way, but streams are small and usually just a trickle. There are 2 viewing areas to see Ok Slip Falls, the 2nd one has the best views. If youre feeling adventurous, there is a path down to the bottom to see the falls closer. The hike down to the bottom isnt for inexperienced hikers at all. There are some ropes to help, but again, should only be tried by experienced hikers. Falls are great and peaceful to enjoy and peaceful hike in the woods. If you go on a nice summer or fall weekend day, parking could be...

This wasn't the safest trail to hike in April so we plan to revisit in the summer when the ice and snow have melted. The trail became a stream of water as the day warmed. The sign shows 3 miles but we clocked it at around 10 round trip. Might be due to having to find our own trail around the frozen path and icy water. It was pretty so I am sure this is a fine trail in the summer. Would not suggest bringing young children as you have to cross streams of rushing water sometimes navigating over fallen trees and other times taking a chance at jumping across. See the stream in the photos - that is just one that had to be crossed. By the time we arrived at the falls we could only get a glimpse. The trail was icy and downhill. We didn't take a chance at sliding over the cliff. We knew we were in trouble when I was leading the way and went off trail due to the ice. I slipped into the snow up to my hip. My cousin went down several times and he slid into the water at one point so the rest of the trip his feet were frozen. I slipped on the mud and went down hitting my head, ear, and hip on the rocks. The three of us returned to the car 5.5 hours after beginning the trip cut, bruised and sore. Please be careful and be prepared for a very long day hiking. Bring extra socks, wear sturdy hiking shoes, dress in layers, bring some healthy snacks and plenty of water. Take your time and start early. In spite of all the cuts, scrapes, bruises, and sore muscles we did...