Mount Marcy is the highest point in
New York StateNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, with an elevation of . It is a popular destination for hikers due to its stature and great views, and the peak can get very crowded in the summer months. Located in Essex County, the mountain is in the heart of the Adirondack High Peaks Region in the
High Peaks Wilderness AreaThe High Peaks Wilderness Area, the largest Forest Preserve unit in New York, is located in three counties and six towns in the Adirondack Park: Harrietstown in Franklin County, North Elba, Keene, North Hudson and Newcomb in Essex County and Long Lake in Hamilton County.-Geography:It is roughly...
.
The mountain is named after former governor
William L. MarcyWilliam Learned Marcy was an American statesman, who served as U.S. Senator and Governor of New York, and as the U.S. Secretary of War and U.S. Secretary of State.-Early life:Marcy was born in Southbridge, Massachusetts...
, who authorized the environmental survey that explored the area.
Mount Marcy is the highest point in
New York StateNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, with an elevation of . It is a popular destination for hikers due to its stature and great views, and the peak can get very crowded in the summer months. Located in Essex County, the mountain is in the heart of the Adirondack High Peaks Region in the
High Peaks Wilderness AreaThe High Peaks Wilderness Area, the largest Forest Preserve unit in New York, is located in three counties and six towns in the Adirondack Park: Harrietstown in Franklin County, North Elba, Keene, North Hudson and Newcomb in Essex County and Long Lake in Hamilton County.-Geography:It is roughly...
.
History
The mountain is named after former governor
William L. MarcyWilliam Learned Marcy was an American statesman, who served as U.S. Senator and Governor of New York, and as the U.S. Secretary of War and U.S. Secretary of State.-Early life:Marcy was born in Southbridge, Massachusetts...
, who authorized the environmental survey that explored the area. Mount Marcy is sometimes called
Tahawus — an Indian name that means "the cloud splitter"; however, the local Indians, who were few in number, had no name for the mountain. "Cloud Splitter" was an Indian name that Europeans invented for the mountain. The name "Tahawus" has also been used for other Adirondack features.
The first recorded ascent of Mount Marcy was in 1837 by a large party led by
Ebenezer EmmonsEbenezer Emmons , American geologist, was born at Middlefield, Massachusetts, on the 16th of May 1799, son of Ebenezer and Mary Emmons.He studied medicine at Albany, and after taking his degree practised for some years in Berkshire county...
. Today the ascent is easier due to existing trails that require no
technical skillsMountaineering is the sport, hobby or profession of walking, hiking, backpacking and climbing mountains. In Europe it is also referred to as alpinism, while in the Americas the term refers to a particular style of mountain climbing, that involves a mixture of ice climbing, rock climbing, mixed...
, allowing ascent and descent to be made in a day.
Historic Lake Tear of the Clouds
At the
colIn a range of hills, or especially of mountains, a pass is a path that allows to cross a mountain chain, it is usually a saddle point in between two areas of higher elevation. If following the lowest possible route through a range, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
between Mount Marcy and Skylight is the highest source of the
Hudson RiverThe Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. It rises at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains, flows past Albany, and finally forms the border between New York City and New Jersey at its mouth before emptying into...
,
Lake Tear of the CloudsLake Tear of the Clouds is a small tarn, in Essex County, New York, on the southwest slope of Mount Marcy; it is both the highest lake in the state and the highest source of the Hudson River via Feldspar Brook and the Opalescent River...
.
Theodore RooseveltTheodore Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States. He is well remembered for his energetic persona, his range of interests and achievements, his model of masculinity, and his "cowboy" image. He was a leader of the Republican Party and founder of the short-lived Bull Moose Party...
was camped there on September 14, 1901 after summiting Marcy when he got word that President
William McKinleyWilliam McKinley Jr. was the 25th President of the United States, and the last veteran of the American Civil War to be elected to the office....
, who had been shot a week earlier, had taken a serious turn for the worse.
Roosevelt and his party hiked ten miles (16 km) down the southwest face of the mountain to
Long Lake, New YorkLong Lake is a town in Hamilton County, New York in the United States. The population was 852 at the 2000 census. The town is named for 14-mile long Long Lake beside which it sits. The town is entirely within the Adirondack Park and is the most northerly town in the county...
where he hired a stage coach and took a legendary midnight ride through forty miles of precipitous Adirondack roads to the closest train station at
North Creek, New YorkNorth Creek is a hamlet in the Adirondack Park, in the town of Johnsburg, in Warren County, New York, United States. It is an area known for skiing , hiking and other outdoor recreational activities. It is located at ....
. When he arrived he found out McKinley had died and that he was President. He took the train to
Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, second only to New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River, Buffalo is the principal city of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area and the seat of Erie...
where McKinley had been shot, and he was sworn in there. The route from Long Lake to North Creek has been designated the
Roosevelt-Marcy TrailThe Roosevelt-Marcy Trail is named for the historic route Vice President Theodore Roosevelt traveled on a dangerous midnight stagecoach ride from Tahawus to the North Creek train station to take the Presidential oath....
.
Routes
Mount Marcy is one of the High Peaks of the Adirondack Mountains. The majority of the mountain is forested, although the final few hundred feet is above tree line. The peak is dominated by rocky outcrops, lichens, and alpine shrubs. There are two plaques at the top commemorating the centennial of the climb as well as the mountain summit itself.
The shortest and most frequently used route up the mountain is from the northwest, the
Van Hoevenberg Trail, which starts at the
Adirondak LojAdirondak Loj is a historic lodge near Lake Placid in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State. The Loj, built in 1927, is currently owned and operated by the Adirondack Mountain Club. Located on the shore of Heart Lake, it is at the trailhead of the most popular trails to Mount Marcy and...
near
Heart Lake. From there it is 7.4 miles (11.2 km) to the summit, a lengthy roundtrip which can nevertheless be done in a day. A large section of the trail is suitable for alpine skiing and snowboard on the way down, although there are a few locations where snowboarders will have to take off their snowboard and walk up a little.
Hikers starting up the
Johns Brook Trail from the
Garden parking north of the mountain in Keene Valley have a 9-mile (14.4 km) journey to the summit, and sometimes spend a night at
Johns Brook Lodge in the process.
A lengthier southern approach can be made from either of the two major trailheads for the southern High Peaks,
Upper Works or
Elk Lake.
Mount Marcy is in the
Town of KeeneKeene is a town in central Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 1,063 at the 2000 census. Keene is the home of Mount Marcy, the highest mountain in New York state, as well as the Great Range and 15 of the 46 High Peaks, and the Ausable Lakes, the source of the Ausable River...
in
Essex CountyEssex County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2000 census, the population was 38,851. Its name is from the English county of Essex. Its county seat is Elizabethtown...
.
See also
- Adirondack Park
- High Peaks Wilderness Area
The High Peaks Wilderness Area, the largest Forest Preserve unit in New York, is located in three counties and six towns in the Adirondack Park: Harrietstown in Franklin County, North Elba, Keene, North Hudson and Newcomb in Essex County and Long Lake in Hamilton County.-Geography:It is roughly...
- Mountain peaks of North America
This article comprises three sortable tables of major mountain peaks of North America.Topographic elevation is the vertical distance above the reference geoid, a precise mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface. Topographic prominence is the elevation...
- Mountain peaks of the United States
This article comprises three sortable tables of major mountain peaks of the United States of America.Topographic elevation is the vertical distance above the reference geoid, a precise mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface...