Mt Marcy — Local services in Town of Keene

I have hiked 33/46 of the Adirondack High Peaks and I can tell you with assurance this mountain has been my favorite to hike. From the start everything about this mountain is great the trails are the best in the Adirondacks and provide little scrambles and give great pictures the whole way. Having climbed mountains like Dix, Basin, and Saddleback via the cliff route myself I have seen some scrambles where I thought turning around would be the better option, but not once does any part of the trail on Marcy even come close to that. Gaining elevation the whole way up slowly but surely you reach the alpine zone and begin to get summit fever. You can see the people on top and you have seemingly all of the Adirondacks surrounding you so you run all the way up to the top of New York at 5,344 feet. That is my favorite part about this mountain is how special it feels to be on top of a state and to know there is not a single person in this massive state above you (besides on planes but that doesn't count). Now the actually views are my second favorite of any High Peak behind Skylight (Marcy's neighbor). You can see almost everything in a 150 mile radius because you are the highest thing there. You see Heart Lake where you started and realized how far you've come in the last 4 hours and it's very special. You know that feeling you get when you summit a mountain because of all the work you've done to get there? I used to get that feeling when I was younger hiking little mountains around Blue Mountain Lake, however, I've become immune to that feeling as time goes on having summited over 50 peaks in the past 5 years. But Marcy brought it back, when I took that final step onto the summit and the Steward told me I was on top of New York I truly felt the happiest I have ever felt in my life. So basically if you live anywhere here in New York and you're looking for something fun to do over the weekend, please don't spend it out partying at the bar or looking for a lover on the internet or doing whatever same old boring thing you do is. Go out and live a little and leave your phone at home because part of what makes this so special is the getting away part of it, just use this as an opportunity to get away from all your stress and hard ships in life. So grab the camera and get in the freaking car and drive to the Adirondack Loj and hike to the highest point in New York State. You're only here for like 80 years on this planet quit wasting it doing the same old boring crap and get out here the mountains are...

Did not plan for trip accordingly! The hike was a lesson learned in the great outdoors, following an over ambitious hike leader, looking back - a risk taker who did not take in consideration the needs of the group. I hiked this mountain at age 18 with my friend and his older friend, who was an avid hiker. We had a few issues right out of the gate, we did not bring enough water and maybe only a granola bar. My boots were also new and not worn in. Midway through the hike, we stopped at a stream and attempted to clean some water after we had run out for several hours, using specialized but low quality equipment, I had enough for a few gulps and kept moving. We arrived on top of the mountain at 7 pm as the sun was setting.. our hike leader had pushed us to make it to the top no matter what. This might have just been a personal goal of his and he wouldn’t be held back just because we were slower hikers. As we turned around to go down, we walked around 6 hours in total darkness while sharing 2 flashlights among 4 people. I did not have my own so I had to walk arm to arm with my friend. My foot slid on a rock at some point and I hurt my ankle pretty bad, had to keep moving, traveling down rocks sometimes as big as me, it was hard to coordinate foot movements in rugged terrain in near total darkness. We were also concerned of the possibility of bears. Survival mode went into effect. By the time we reached civilization I was dehydrated and felt as if I was in a mental shock. I couldn’t talk, I just climbed in the car and we began the 5 hour trip home. Looking back, maybe I should have went to the hospital for dehydration. We stopped at a gas station and I got some water and a snack. We drove home, I fell asleep for around 24 hours. Woke up with bruises all over. Needless to say I am no longer friends with this person. My advice is to plan ahead. This is a serious trip. You should have an experienced and caring guide/leader if you have never hiked this distance or terrain before. And lastly, plan for the unexpected.

Would I do it again today knowing what I...

Most difficult hike I've ever done - and I've hiked quite a bit out West - but also incredibly rewarding. We went in late October, when there was some unexpected ice - if that is the case, renting crampons at ADK Loj is a must! Saved our lives. The trail was also VERY wet, so we did a lot of boulder hopping.

We went up past Marcy Dam and camped at one of the first-come-first-serve sites on the far side of Avalanche Lake. The next day we proceeded up Feldspar and climbed the south side of Marcy - BRUTAL hike in terms of elevation, but the views of the river ans waterfalls were amazing.

Marcy itself has fantastic views of everything, even with the wind whipping around. It was not as cold as we expected, even with the sun going down and ice on the rocks.

The trail back down to Marcy Dam was decent once we got past the ice. We found a nice camping site in the wood for the night.

Highly recommend going in summer or early fall - we went just a few weeks too late, which made it much harder going. But it was great and definitely an adventure of a lifetime!

(Look out for bears! If your bear canister is inadequate, they will tell you at the Loj and trade you for a better one while you are in the park. Taking to the guides at the Loj for a half hour before going in probably saved our lives, they are very friendly...