Jay Mountain hike is very straight forward. It is a straight upward hike to the top of the mountain with plenty of switchbacks to make the hike easier then after that, the terrain is pretty flat. The views at the top are amazing and this is a great hike for photographers and people who want to take pics of the Fall Foliage as well. This is a pretty popular hike also so I recommend starting early in the weekends to have an easier time finding parking.
Jay Mountain Important Information
Trail Map: Trail Map 1
Suggested Phone GPS Apps: Alltrails.com, Avenza Maps, Google Maps
Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous
Distance: 7 Miles
Elevation Gained: ~2500 ft
Portable Toilet At Parking: None
Trail Breakdown
2.5 miles going up
1 mile flat trail to Jay Mountain
1 mile flat going back
2.5 miles blue trail going down
Note: The information is just an approximation.
Parking
Start Of The Hike
I was late as it was already 11 AM when I started this hike, but it didn’t matter. I was already here and no use going back now. I may as well do this hike by walking faster. That was the plan, walk faster, take a few pictures then go back down. Turns out, I don’t always follow the plan. Logic goes out the window sometimes when passion kicks in.
Blue Trail
Blue Trail
It was a carpet of red leaves that greeted me on the trail with my footsteps making a crunchy sound with each step that I made. I felt the cold breeze of the wind touch my face, rich with the aroma of the earth. There was calmness in the air, a sense that everything was good and everything will be alright.
Blue Trail
It was like a swimming pool of red and pink leaves as far as the eye could see with a slope that was very gentle to the legs and knees. There were various switchbacks that zigzag through the mountains making the trails very easy to traversed but longer as well. I stretched out my hand, touching the sunlight that was pouring down from gap between the leaves of the forest. It was warm and comforting amidst the cold October air that was everywhere.
Blue Trail Going Up
I would recommend hiking this trail with others as there was nothing to see and nothing to do other than keep going up the mountain. It felt like the same scenery and same atmosphere from the start of the hike to the top. If you hike with someone, you can at least talk to them as you go up the mountain.
Blue Trail Ascending
The forest was very silent, a little too silent if you asked me. There were no winds, no rustling of the leaves, no animals scurrying around, no birds that could be heard and no other hiker that could be seen. There was just dead silence as I kept going up the mountain. It was an eerily dead silence as if I was in a horror movie show and something was about to happen.
Blue Trail Steep
My apprehension was relieved as I kept going up the mountain especially when I saw the blue sky between the gaps among the leaves. I was almost at the top and I could taste the exhilaration emanating from my body as I could take a rest, and let my creativity or passion flow through me as I take pictures or photographs at a viewpoint.
Intersection
There was a fork in the trail. One is leading to the right, the other to the left. I tried going to the left first.
First Viewpoint – Went Straight or Left Trail
First Lookout
Mount Jay Lookout – Went Right
Mount Jay Vista
Mount Jay Views
Mount Jay Lookout
Mount Jay Sunny
Mount Jay Fall Foliage
Mount Jay Top Views
Mount Jay Trail Views
Mount Jay Trail Scenery
Mount Jay
Trail
Scenery While Resting
Trail
Trail Looking Back
Cairn At The Top Of Mount Jay
Scenery
Going Back
End Of The Hike
