King Ravine Trail

Dogs Unknown

Features Cave · River/Creek · Views · Waterfall

The King Ravine Trail branches off from Lowes Path 1.6 miles from Lowes Store. After a moderately graded .7 miles, the trail crosses Spur Brook and arrives at Pentadoi, an intersection of 5 trails. The trail continues climbing before briefly descending into the bottom of King Ravine itself.

At 1.3 miles from Lowes Path, Short Line enters from the left and the trail begins climbing into the floor of the ravine. At the junction with the Short Line trail, there is a lovely waterfall known as Mossy Falls that is a perfect place to sit down and prepare for the challenges to come. Immediately after Mossy Falls, the trail becomes a jumble of boulders that range in size from a small car to a small house. Scrambling is constant as you go up, over, and around the boulders. Despite the technical challenges, this stretch of trail rises only gradually and views open up from time to time as you reach treeline.

After .3 miles of boulder hopping, you reach the junction with the Chemin Des Dames trail which rises steeply out of the ravine to the left. To the right is a short spur known as the Subway which takes bouldering to a whole new level. Dangle from small perches, squeeze through tight tunnels, and be careful not to slip on the ice which is present all year round. If you choose not to embark on the Subway's adventures, the "elevated" route provides a slightly easier path up the ravine floor.

The trail climbs another .2 miles through more boulders before the Great Gully trail exits stage right. Another detour here will lead you through the "Ice Caves" which offers a similar experience to the Subway. From this point, the trail continues to rise moderately for .1 miles before the headwall climb begins. The headwall is an extremely steep boulder/small rock scramble that rises 1300 feet in a mere .4 miles. The climbing is relentless and at times very tricky as the trail passes over patches of loose rock. Use caution to prevent falling rocks from injuring hikers below.

The final stretch of the King Ravine trail bends slightly left and climbs steeply below a polished granite rock face that is several stories tall. The trail ends at the top of this outcropping where at a junction with the Airline trail. Note that this trail should not be attempted in wet weather as slick rocks here are extremely dangerous.