Mt Marcy - NY

Location

Mt Marcy in the high peak region of the Adirondacks has long been on my list of mountains to climb. As the highest peak (elevation 5,344ft or 1,656m) in New York it has a certain attraction. I decided to follow through on the idea while visiting family in Rochester. Winter conditions were still in effect so we used snowshoes (and could have benefited by crampons).

Starting at Adirondack loj just outside lake placid we hiked along muddy and partly icy trails until we reached Marcy dam. From here on the snow cover was good and snowshoes were necessary.

The climb up to Indian falls wasn't too steep. After a rest stop we continued up the hill heading south towards Mt Marcy. The trail becomes steeper here. I'm told that through this section there are large boulders that can make progress slow. We found it moderate to climb as the snow covered the boulders.

The final ascent of My Marcy was icy. I was glad to have MSR denali ascent snowshoes which have decent crampons for snowshoes. The hardest part of Mt Marcy like Ben Nevis is the total distance you need to cover

Total accumulated elevation gain: 1,248m (4,094ft)
Max height: 1656m (5,344ft)
Distance: 22.5km (14 miles)