Mt. Marcy Hike, Adirondacks

Basic Information

Day 2 of our Lake Placid get-away

Link to AllTrails website for Mt. Marcy hike

Date of hike: 08/27/2021

Difficulty level: strenuous

Distance: 15 miles round trip

Elevation: 5,344 feet

Elevation gain: 3,559 feet

Location: Lake Placid, Keene, Essex County, NY, Adirondack Mountains

About Mt. Marcy

Mt. Marcy is the highest mountain in New York State and is part of the 46 High Peaks in the Adirondack Mountains. Algonquin, the second highest mountain in New York, is only one other mountain in the Adirondacks that is above 5,000 feet. Mt. Marcy is not technically strenuous but is very steep and muddy in many areas. It is one of the most popular peaks in the Adirondacks.

The mountain was first ascended in 1837 by a team of New York State geologists, led by Ebenezer Emmons. It was named after the then governor of New York, William L. Marcy, who initiated a geological survey of the Adirondacks.

All but one of the other 46 high peaks can be seen from the top of the mountain. On a clear day, one can see as far as Mont Royal in Montreal, Canada to the north, Green Mountains in Vermont to the east, and White Mountains in New Hampshire to the southeast.

Our Impressions

The first 2 miles of the hike are on flat ground and very easy. It is the hike to get you to the real hike. Despite being easy , however, those first and final flat miles are extremely annoying and tiresome, especially when you are on your way back. You are praying to get back to the car but the end never seems to be in sight.

Since there are various routes from which one can start the hike to Mt. Mary, we got lost on the way back trying to find the right parking lot. As a result, we got to see the beautiful Marcy Dam, which is a wooden dam located on the Marcy Brook at the bottom of the hike, approximately 2 miles into the hike. It is definitely worth visiting but I recommend to do it at the end rather than at the beginning of your hike. Unless you don’t mind getting stranded in the bushes in the dark, better get the strenuous climb over with before stopping at viewpoints.

About half-way up to the summit, you will come to a beautiful vista point called Indian Falls. It is a good resting point to snap some photos and have refreshments.

Climbing the last mile or the Marcy summit cone is the most torturous. When you look up from the bottom of the cone, it appears that there is a whole other mountain to ascend. It is over open rock as it is above the tree line and is so steep that you will gain approximately 900 feet of elevation.

When we finally reached the summit, we were rewarded with a spectacular view. We snapped photos and recorded videos as the tallest couple in NYS.

At the summit, we were greeted by a summit steward, who is part of the Summit Stewardship Program, organized in 1989 to combat the alarming declines of alpine habitat in the Adirondack Mountains. The steward’s job is to educate the public about the rare and fragile alpine ecosystems, maintain the trail above the treeline, and perform scientific research.

The most important take-aways are not littering and staying on the marked trails, which are on the bare rock surfaces when above the treeline.

We were amazed to hear that our steward ascends Mt. Marcy five times a week for her job post in as little as three hours!

We spent about half an hour enjoying the fruits of our trials and tribulations. Unfortunately, the day was quickly passing and we had a long way to ground zero. Let me warn you, the descent is no less terrible than the ascent so do not stall unless you are camping out for the night.