Newcomb, New York
Mount Marcy
The Adirondack High Peak that tops New York at 4,360 feet.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Length
- 6.4 mi
- Elevation Gain
- 2,000 ft
- Duration
- 4–6
- Best Season
- Jun–Oct
- Permit
- Not required
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Features
- Highest peak in NY, Boreal forest
About the trail
Mount Marcy is the highest point in New York State, and the Marcy Dam route is the classic way up. The trail climbs through boreal spruce-fir forest, crosses beaver-flowed flats, and pushes through a windswept alpine zone of krummholz to a summit with a wooden observation platform. On clear days the view sweeps across the Great Range and the Santanoni peaks.
Trailhead map & directions
Trailhead: 44.1125, -73.9233Get directions →
Turn-by-turn route
- From Newcomb, take the Heart Brook Road (dirt) north to the Marcy Dam trailhead.
- Cross the outlet bridge and follow the Marcy Dam Trail through the spruce flats.
- Pass Marcy Dam and continue past the Indian Pass junction.
- Climb the final mile through krummholz to the summit platform.
- Return via the same route. Total: 6.4 miles.
Parking
Marcy Dam trailhead off Heart Brook Road — a few miles of rough dirt road from Route 28N. No facilities.
Tips from the trail
- The summit is above treeline and can be 25°F colder than the valley.
- Blackfly season (late May–June) is brutal — bring a head net.
- The alpine zone is fragile; stay on the marked path through the moss.
- Sunset hikes here are famous, but you need a headlamp to get down.