Elevation
5,344 ft / 1,628 m
Prominence
4,914 ft / 1,497 m
Region
Highlights
- Mount Marcy is the highest peak in the Adirondacks and all of New York state.
- Lies in the heart of the Adirondack High Peaks Region of the High Peaks Wilderness Area.
- A very popular summit due to its stature and great views.
- Majority of the mountain is forested, although the final few hundred feet is above tree line. The summit is dominated by rocky outcrops, lichens, and alpine shrubs.
- The shortest and most frequently used route up the mountain is from the northwest, the Van Hoevenberg Trail, which starts at the Adirondak Loj near Heart Lake. From there it is 7.4 miles to the summit, a lengthy roundtrip often attempted in a long day.
- A large section of the trail is suitable for backcountry skiing.
- Lake Tear of the Clouds, at the col between Mount Marcy and Skylight, is the source of the Hudson River.
Latest summits
"What was a questionable start to the day quickly turned into the perfect day to climb some high peaks. Summitted Marcy and Skylight before spending the night down at Lake Colden." - Right-On, Jun 15, 2018
"This was the big one. I had dreamed about summiting Marcy, the highest point in my state, countless times over the years. I had spent the past two years preparing myself for this day, incrementally building up my hiking abilities until I felt confident enough to attempt this 15+ mile climb with 3,000+ feet in elevation gain. I'm glad to say that my efforts paid off, though it certainly was no walk in the park!" - theascent, Jun 12, 2018
"This was a beautiful weekend with perfect weather to combine camping and hiking with my wife Brigitte Doyon.
We arrived late Saturday at the South Meadows trail-head. We then headed pass the Marcy Dam and settled our tent. On that Saturday we took the rest of the day to go to Indian Falls lookout.
On Sunday morning, we started our hike around 7h30am to head to Mt Marcy. It was so beautiful, the view at the top is amazing.
The vegetation as we get near to the top reminded me of a hike we had done in the Parc de la Gaspesie for a mountain called "Mt Jacques Cartier".
I have to admit that I f" - CPaquin, Sep 16, 2017
"Car camped at S. Meadow and got a 7:30am start at the trail head. 37 degrees to start. The trail was in great shape. My 1st Marcy summit from VanHoevenberg Trail. Took an hour lunch/rest break before descending. Stopped at Indian Falls, which is approx 1/2 way point. Arrived back at trailhead at 6pm." - johngilligan, Sep 2, 2017
"Hiked with Thomas and Nick. We hiked from the Loj starting at 6am. Used microspikes all day. It was a fun hike even though the summit was extremely cold. I had no problems all day until we got back to the parking lot and I fell on some ice as soon as I took off my microspikes. Oops. Great day and another high peak done. " - Kim-Stilson, Jan 14, 2017
Photos
Awards
Challenges
Nearest peaks
About peakery awards
Log successful summits on peakery to earn awards:
Peak Badges: Earn a special badge for each unique peak you summit. See all of your badges on your Badges page.
First Ascent Award: Only 1 available per peak. Goes to the first peakery member to log a successful summit of a peak. Snag this award and the peak will forever bear your name.
King of the Mountain Award: Only 1 available per peak. Summit a peak more times than any other member. Beware: this award can be lost!
Summit Steward: Summit a peak at least 5 times to become one of its Summit Stewards. As Steward of a peak, you’re encouraged to keep that peak’s info up-to-date on peakery and spread goodwill on your future climbs up the peak.