Nun-Da-Ga-O Ridge Loop

The Nun-Da-Ga-O Ridge Loop is not an Adirondack High Peaks hike — but it is one of the most magical trails I’ve ever hiked.

I “discovered” this range accidentally. I was looking on my maps for a nice quiet route between Big Crow and Hurricane mountains, and saw that the contours for this hike look very mild.

LOL. This hike is not mild. This hike is a difficult hike.

I lost track of the number of sketchy scrambles, open ledges, and insane views this incredible trail provides. I think there are maybe seven? Who knows. At some point, I stopped counting and just enjoyed the hell out of this super fun route. This hike is a first-rate Adirondack hiking experience.

You must be physically strong and used to hiking to complete this hike. I would recommend that you do not bring a dog on this route.

Nun-Da-Ga-O Ridge Trailhead & Parking

From Keene, NY, head east on Hurricane Road for 2.2 miles. Watch for a fork on the left side of the road, and turn left onto O’Toole road.

In winter and spring, you may need to walk the final section of road to the trailhead. O’Toole Road is an unmaintained dirt road: unplowed after snow and very muddy after rain or snow melt.

The parking area is a large loop. The trailhead on the SE side of the loop is the beginning of the trailed hiking route to Hurricane Mountain.

For this trail, use the NW trailhead which leads to Big Crow Mountain.

AKA The Soda Range

The Nun-Da-Ga-O mountain range is also known as The Soda Range.

Nun-Da-Ga-O Ridge / Soda Range Hiking Trail

This hike begins with a short side hike to Big Crow which you can read about in detail here.

From the trailhead, it took about 20 minutes to get to the junction / turn-off for Nun-Da-Ga-O trail. Look for a small unofficial sign posted on a tree on the right side of the trail…

The trail is blazed with white diamonds — but only at first. You will need good navigation skills and steady nerves to deal with this hike. This unofficial trail is confusing.

The first section is easy. There are some nice views of Adirondack High Peaks on both sides of the trail from rocky nubs and outcrops.

Nun-Da-Ga-O Ridge

The fun begins when you come face-to-face with this massive cliff…

I made my way around to the right side of this seemingly impenetrable wall and found a way up.

After six or seven minutes of extremely sketchy scrambling, my first (very unexpected) reward was this fantastic panoramic view from atop a massive narrow ledge…

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Post-Hike Tricks…

Because I hike mostly in the Catskills, when I go to the Adirondacks, after a hike, I always clean off my hiking boots at the trailhead before the drive home. Here are nine more useful post-hike hacks.

Similar Hikes

If you enjoy challenging hikes, check out these lists of difficult hikes and hardest hikes.

And this hike is definitely included in my list of scenic hikes.

The parent mountain for this hike is Coal Dirt Hill.

If you do this hike, LMK how it went…