Winter Mountaineering: Feb 2010
The plan to climb this peak was pretty simple. We drove from my house in Jersey City, stopping in New Paltz in the parking lot of Rock and Snow to pick up our third guy, and then on to the Adirondacks. The parking lot of the Adirondack Loj is where the trailhead starts (that's where the trail register is). So just park, layer up, and go!
Getting There:
From Lake Placid, go east on Route 73 for about 3 miles to Adirondak Loj Road (the first major road on your right past the Olympic Ski jumps). Follow the road for 5 miles to the entrance booth. There is a small parking fee (money can be inserted into a box when the station is closed and you can self-issue a parking permit). Park in the lot just past the booth. The trail begins at the sign-in register at the east end of the parking lot.
Plan
- Day 1:
- Start at the Adirondack Loj
- No guide, permit or trail reservations are required
- Register and pay the parking fee.
- Hike to the campgrounds at the Marcy Dam
- Camp in an open campground area or in a lean-to
- Day 2:
- Hike from Marcy Dam to Summit at 5,344'
- Descend back to Marcy Dam
- Camp overnight
- Day 3:
- Hike out from Marcy Dam back to Adirondack Loj parking lot
- Check the Weather at the Adirondak Mountain Club web site.
- Check out the Trail Conditions also at the site.
- ** Important ** Snowshoes are required on the trail. If you don't have them and a ranger happens by and asks you to produce them, they may make you descend. So even if you don't want to use them on the trail, have them with you just in case.
Costs
- The only cost for climbing the peak is the fee to park your car for however may days you are there.
- The trailhead starts right at the end of the parking lot so it is very convenient. We payed $9 per day since we were non-members. Check the link above to see what the current rates are.
- Parking at trailheads in the Forest Preserve is on a first-come, first-served basis. There is a fee to park at Heart Lake (Adirondak Loj) and the Garden (Johns Brook Lodge trailhead), but there is no fee at other trailheads in the High Peaks.
- Be aware that parking lots at major trailheads fill quickly in summer. The Heart Lake lot is usually full by 9 or 10 AM on summer weekends and earlier on holidays, while The Garden usually reaches capacity late Friday or early Saturday all weekends from early May through late October. Winter you won't have a problem! :-)
- The only other cost you may want to endure is the
Map
There are lots of options to getting up the the summit of Mount Marcy and back. We took the most direct route.
Trip Notes
- It got down to minus 13 degrees the weekend we stayed up at Marcy Dam. So be prepared.
- Pay attention to the weather prognosis.
- Bring enough layers.
- Have a warm enough bag.
- Have a backup stove so you can melt for water if everything is frozen.
- There were way more people camping out there than we expected, to the point that we had to do some walking to find an empty camp site and all of the lean-to's were taken.
- The wind at the top the day we summited was unreal. It was worse than I've seen it on Mt Washington, which is generally known to have the worst weather in the world. Be prepared with
- crampons in case it's icey.
- face mask or balaclava in case it's cold.
- goggles in case it's windy.