mount marcy

Went alone in February 2011, very quite with amazing clear views. Bring food, this time of year you may want to camp half up, I did both one year I stopped but didn't make it to the top bc my boots froze over night. The second year was strait up and down and a success. I've heard the summer is very crowded.

I don't think this trail has much to recommend it other than it being a highpoint; there was not much in the way of beauty/scenery/views on the way up or down, it's just a slow stead slog to the top. We did it as a race against rain in the forecast; the rain never materialized, but the view at the top was non-existent and it was CRAZY windy. It took us about 4 1/4 hours to get up with not much by way of breaks. The trail is very very rocky, and at the top it is a lot of boulders to scramble over. I would highly recommend trekking poles; we put one pole away for the scramble at the top. This hike would suck in heat or rain - I would say it is dangerous in rain. Trail well marked, but had areas in need of maintenance.

My husband and are avid hikers and backpackers. We are working on hiking the high peaks of the ADK mountains. We were out backpacking to hike Skylight and Gray and decided to take a side trip and summit Marcy. It was worth the trip, and a beautiful view. The last bit was a steep climb, but not difficult technically. My best advice to someone who is considering climbing Marcy - do it, but don't be fooled into thinking it is the one and only hike to do in the ADKs... it might be the highest point, but it's not the be all and end all. Also, if you're planning to hike Marcy, don't plan to be alone because it is very well traveled and not the best option for the "wilderness" feeling. However, you can't get a view like that just anywhere :)

This is a really amazing hike, but it's important to be prepared so I'll try to keep my review objective for future hikers sake. I consider myself to be in pretty good shape, but Marcy proved to be a strong challenge for me. It's not just the length or elevation that makes it difficult, but also the terrain. Much of the trail is very rocky, especially towards the end, where boulders cover much of the path. You need good hiking shoes if you are going to do this trip. The descent back to the lodge was more difficult than the ascent, due to the steepness of some of the boulders. We also didn't have the motivation that we did on the way up. If you plan on using hiking poles on the way up, make sure you have a bag that you can store them in on the way down-you'll need both hands free. I took 40oz. of water along with me, and had completely finished it by the last mile of the hike. It took us close to 11 hours to hike up to the summit and back down to Adirondack Loj. Even though this was somewhat of a grueling experience, it was equally rewarding. That night after the hike, I remember feeling elated and rejuvenated. The feeling you get at the top of the mountain stays with you. As long as you are prepared, you will be rewarded with a very memorable experience.

We are in good condition and were prepared for the long trek, backpacks at the ready, lol, but Marcy is unrelenting when it comes to her climb. Not easy, but worth the trip!

Hikes to the summit in August, leaving the base lot at 355am, submitting at 830am, weather was beautiful, and no bugs like I was reading about in other posts. Lots of mud and slippery rocks though beware! We climbed down the far side of the mountain for the 18 mile loop and went 2 miles more out of the way to loop back via Avalanche pass, which was well worth the painful muscles I had the next day! Total miles: 20 Total time: 355am-530pmMy training schedule prior: uphill biking vs uphill running every other day, and upper arm weight lifting. What would I do differently? Drink more freaking water! What helped? : topographic map + compass, and bring someone with an encouraging attitude! This was the longest hike I have ever completed in one day-

A Canadian friend of mine suggested in March(!) that we'd drive for 4 hours, trek up&down Mount Marcy at night and then head back to Ottawa. I said yes at once, and off went. We got to the parking lot arount 10pm, and reached the summit sometime around half past midnight. I was dead, since my friend was fitter than I, but it was mervelous! We got all sorts of weather: wind, lightning & thunder, hail, clear skies and finally rain. Fantastic!

Now before you say "average, what is she thinking?", we only went as far as Marcy dam!! Mt Marcy is a 14 ish mile hike(round trip), and near the top I am told its a biotch. We left later in the morning and although my 54 yr old brother really wanted to do the whole thing, I knew that my out of shape 55 yr old body wasn't going to do it without a great deal of rebelling. My 58 yr old SO isn't an avid hiker, so going to the dam was about as far as he was going to go. The 2. something mile hike to the dam is really nice- 'beginner hiker territory'. You will work up a sweat (well, I did), but it was an enjoyable hike for us with nice views at the dam. Took about 3 hrs- but we stopped and spent some time at the dam.

My son (19 yrs old) and I (53 yrs old) took the trip in late June. Weather was great (not too warm, no rain). For me, this was not an easy hike due to length, obstacles, and elevation. While I walk frequently I found it challenging and regret I wasn't in better shape for the hike (it became a quest to finish not a trip to enjoy). That being said, my son had no issues (who is in good shape). It took us 8 hours to do the round trip and we took our time (15 miles). Bring plenty of water, some snacks, and for me a walking stick was essential. Also, once you pass the tree line it's pretty chilly on top. Also, no bathrooms along the way.The trail starts out very easy for the first 2 miles. It gets more steep and more rocky as you go up. Imagine a river bed full of rocks (some very large) and no water. If you can walk along the top of the rocks it's not so bad. The last portion is over large smooth granite outcrops. For me (not being in great shape) going up is tough on the lungs go down tough on the joints. Also, there are some really steep portions.Make sure and enjoy the trip. Indian falls is a nice view, there are stops along streams where you can stop and relax (put your feet in the water). The view on top was spectacular. The sense of accomplishment was worth the trip.

July 10 2014:A friend and I arrived at the Adirondack Loj at around 9:00 am to set out on our adventure. There is a small $10.00 parking fee at the Loj, but this fee is completely reasonable given the nicely maintained trails and ample parking. We set off from the Loj at around 9:30, coming across many sights on our way to Mt Marcy including Marcy Dam and Indian Falls, both of which are awesome places to see! We arrived at the summit of Mount Marcy at around 1:30 pm, after about a 4 hour hike including a stop for lunch and to admire some sights. As you approach the summit from the trails branching out from the Loj, there are some relatively steep sections of rock which must be climbed to reach the summit. We were easily able to make it up with 20+ lbs of gear in an internal frame backpack. The views are absolutely amazing, even being able to see mt mansfield (the highest peak in Vermont) from the summit. At the summit, we met an incredibly friendly summit guide named Devin, who told us all about the history of the area, the endangered plants, and what laid beyond the mountain. We ended up climbing down the opposite side that we ascended, and hiking to Lake Colden to camp at a surprisingly nice campsite directly beside the lake, providing a beautiful view. We hiked back out around Avalanche Lake, and through Avalanche Pass. The trails in and around Avalanche Lake are a ton of fun, including many ladders, bridges and platforms to navigate, providing a fun obstacle course type hike. Our hike was around 18 miles total, spread out between two days. I was very sore by the end, but the natural beauty and majesty of the area is more than enough to make up for that. I could not have imagined a better hiking trip. Make sure to bring bug spray!

This hike was about 15 miles round trip from the Loj. We wanted to beat the crowds so we got up at 4:30am and hit the trail before 6am. We had an amazing sunny day that was not too hot or too cold. Marcy dam was the first scenic stop, followed by Indian falls, and of course, the summit of the highest peak in NY! The views were amazing! There was only 1 person on the summit when we arrived around 11am and he left shortly after we arrived and we had the summit to ourselves for about 45 minutes before the next people arrived. We headed back down and got back to the Loj around 4pm. The hike was definitely long (the last 3 miles back were painful on the feet) but so worth it. The first 2-3 miles (and last 2-3 miles since it's an out-and-back) were flat. The other miles were moderate in terms of grade, and just the climb to the summit was strenuous. If you are fit or up for a challenge, go for it! Make sure the weather is clear so you have views from the top after all that work!

This is a great hike for moderate hikers. I don't believe I have seen so many boulders and pines in my life. This mountain was definitely beautiful and serene. The climb (at least to me) was a good moderate hike, and had taken 11 hours total. 6 hours up (which included photo taking and taking in some of natures beauty), and 5 hours down. When we had gone up there was still some ice melting, and this was at the end of May. Some of the trails were muddy, but what do you expect with the melting snow results. my recommendation would be start out at around 5:30 am. ten dollars for parking, and you are set to go.

10 hour hike. Loved the views. good hike, but there was a lot of running water, mud, ice and snow (it was mid May). Fun hike and not too challenging.

Most people do this hike from the Adirondack Loj or Johns Brook Lodge, but if you want a challenge, then you do it from the parking lot. I hiked from the Garden parking lot to the top and back, stopping at Johns Brook for Lemonade on the way up, and some reward ice cream and chatting on the way down. Either way, you'll be taking the Phelps trail towards Mount Marcy, but it was recommended to me via an online source, to make it a loop trail, by taking the Hopkins up, and the Von Hoevenberg down, or vice versa, which return you to the Phelps main trail. This was a mistake, as one of the trails (I forget which one), hadn't been used for a long time, and thus the trail had narrowed out, I walked through well over a dozen spider webs, and there were a couple times where I actually wasn't sure if I was on a trail, or just walking into the wilderness. How many people did I pass on the way up? 0. On the way down? A handful (it was starting to get somewhat late). The hike itself wasn't too difficult, but a lot of elevation gain and very minor scrambling starts to add up, especially when you do the full hike, round trip., which came out to be about 18 miles. I regret not doing Haystack while I was up there, but I didn't have a headlamp and I knew that Haystack would have definitely caused me to do at least a couple miles of night hiking, even if I skipped the Lodge on the way down, so I had to make the tough decision. There was a member of the Adirondack Mountain Club up there, making sure people kept off of the Alpine Vegetation that they were trying to restore up there, and he also was great to talk to and pointed out the major peaks from the Summit. Make sure you hike to this highest point in NY, while you're in the area!Bring 1-2 liters of water, just in case, and of course, a camera! :)

Mount Marcy was a wonderful hike that took us 4 hours to reach the summit from our base at the adirondack loj. The day was very cloudy with spurts of light rain that I truly needed when climbing up. We first past Marcy Dam and then found Indian Falls in which I fell in love with. Once we reached the summit we were greeted by Jamie a Summit Steward, who gave us history and alot of tips to what was on the opposite side of Mt. Marcy. After taking pictures and having lunch on the summit and almost freezing my butt off (yes it is very cold and windy up there). We decided to do the loop and explore waterfalls, lakes, meadows and the many bridges. The 8 hours hike that we originally had planned actually took us 12 hours to complete and we did stop to take in sights, eat and swim in the many waterfalls down stream to cool off. The paths can be very tricky for some of the boards over water streams are weak, slippery, and very unstable. Parts of the trails were very muddy with boulders and sticks in some parts of the mud as well. I am not a avid hiker by any means and I was sore for about two days after this hike. But I felt great to accomplish this hike since I do excercise a regular basis and consider myself very fit. We met alot of single and group hikers along the way and my highlight of this hike had to have been the female hiker who was over 70 years old who we met at the top of the summit. OMG! I love her.We did not see any wildlife animals, but I am glad of that to. Did not see much life in the lakes and streams as well. However, will plan to do again with a group of friends next year.