The 4059 foot Porter Mountain is located in the High Peaks Wilderness of the Adirondacks and is one of the Adirondack Forty-Sixers.  Most hike to the summit of Cascade Mountain and then take the side trip to Porter Mountain. Most hikers attempting to join the ADK 46er club start with these two mountains.  The main trailhead is on NY 73, six miles east of Lake Placid, at Cascade Pass, overlooking Cascade Lake.

A well-used 2.4 mile trail that has an elevation gain of 1940 feet, follows red plastic markers to Cascade Mountain's bare rock summit.  There are 360 degree views on the summit.  From there it's a one mile hike to the 4059 foot summit of Porter Mountain.  After leaving Cascade, hike 0.3 miles back to the trail junction and turn left.  The trail descends slightly into a col before climbing.  At a large boulder there is a side on the right that leads to a view. 

The trail now climbs gently on the ridge as you reach the summit of Porter Mountain, one mile after Cascade.  Although not a bald summit, the mountain does offer nearly 360 degree views.  There are two other trails that meet on the summit.  One trail leads 4.5 miles to Marcy Airport and the other goes 3.8 miles to the Garden parking area.  Both are very steep trails.  The overall hike to both Cascade and Porter Mountains is a 6.2 mile round trip from the trailhead on NY 73.