A group of hikers stands at the top of Big Hollow/Coot Hill, one of four hikes that make up the new Moriah Challenge. (Photo provided)

Champlain Area Trails and the Port Henry/Moriah Chamber of Commerce have teamed up to create a new hiking challenge that will kick off on National Trails Day, Saturday, June 3.

The Moriah Challenge includes four hikes in that area: Belfry Mountain, Big Hollow/Coot Hill, Cheney Mountain and the Crowfoot Pond Trail.

While the official celebration starts at 10 a.m., hikers are welcome to participate at any time. Anyone completing the four hikes can stop by the Moriah Chamber of Commerce office at 4317 Main St. in Port Henry to pick up their free embroidered patch.

Belfry Mountain is a quick, 0.35-mile hike up a gravel road that leads to an open fire tower and views of the Champlain Valley, the Green Mountains and the Adirondacks.

Big Hollow/Coot Hill is just a half-mile round trip but is known as a popular spot to watch raptors such as migrating hawks.

The Cheney Mountain trail is a 2-mile round trip hike on land owned by the town of Moriah. The 1,347-foot summit provides views of the Green and Adirondack mountains.

The final hike is the longest, but the 5-mile round trip reportedly offers excellent views of Crowfoot Pond.

“We are so pleased that the chamber reached out to us,” CATS Executive Director Chris Maron said in a press release. “These trails offer a variety of hiking experiences people of all ages can enjoy. Crowfoot Pond is a pleasant walk through woods to a lake and the other three provide spectacular views. The Moriah Challenge will inspire people to hike in the Champlain Valley and increase the economic effects of outdoor recreation.”

Kyle Miller, who works for the chamber, said in an email that the group has enough funding for a few runs of patches.

“There is no deadline; we just thought it would be good to have an official starting date,” Miller wrote in an email. “The Moriah Challenge will go on until we run out of patches. So it will go on all summer and into the fall unless there is a massive response before then.”

There will also be tables and volunteers at each trailhead to answer questions and sell patches for each individual trail to anyone who would like to commemorate their hikes.