TUPPER LAKE – The Tupper Lake Triad hiking challenge is going strong, increasing foot traffic on three family-friendly peaks surrounding this town.

The Triad’s trophy is a round patch symbolizing three hikes: Coney Mountain, Mount Arab and Goodman Mountain. Since the challenge began in December 2015, 764 hikers registered for their patch, including 245 winter hikers and 519 from the spring and summer.

The 716 Triad finishers so far this year compare to 531 Adirondack 46er finishers in 2014 and roughly 500 Saranac Lake 6er finishers in 2015.

It’s the easiest of the three hiking challenges, with much less legwork, but the Triad’s director Charles Hoffer said that’s exactly what he was looking for.

“We started this because we were looking for something the average person could easily do in the area,” Hoffer said. He said the challenge’s low milage and incline gives a broader appeal to community members and useful demographics for local tourism.

“It’s something a family with smaller kids can do, older people or just the average person, and it gives them something fun to do that helps with fitness and exploring the outdoors,” he said.

The Triad’s cumulative 7.6 miles of trail hiking is about a fourth of the 38 miles needed to become a Saranac Lake 6er.

L.P. Quinn Elementary School has used the Triad to engage kids in outdoor activities. A total of 66 students have completed the challenge through an after-school program and class field trips. The Tupper Lake Summer Day Camp also took kids up each mountain in three consecutive weeks in July.

The updated Triad roster includes mainly New York state residents, with others coming from California, Texas and Canada to hike. An additional roster lists 53 dogs who have scaled the mountains with their owners for the special canine Triad patch, seven of which climbed all three in a single day during the winter.

Hoffer works as a one-man-band for the challenge, operating the website and registration.

“There’s an awful lot of busy work to the Triad, so I’m trying to keep it as simple as possible for right now,” he said, adding that there could be an additional administrative position if the challenge’s popularity continues to grow. Advertising for the challenge is undertaken by the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism.

All proceeds from Triad registration go toward the purchase of patches and other administrative costs. For more information on the challenge, visit www.tupperlaketriad.com.