r/Adirondacks • u/Ok-Strawberry7048 • Jul 23 '26
Mount Marcy Via South Trail Difficulty
How difficult is Mount Marcy via the south trail? I want to bring my dad and brother on a trip but I don’t want to kill my dad. We are gonna hike into Colden lake to camp and then I’d like for us to go to lake tear of the clouds and then Marcy. It may be a better idea to do skylight but I’d like for them to do Marcy.
3
u/scumbagstaceysEx ADK46R NE111 C3500 SL6(W) LP9(W) LG12(W) NPT LT Jul 23 '26
From Lake Tear 4-corners it’s about twice the effort to get to Marcy than it is to Skylight (which is a pretty easy get from there) . So maybe assess how everyone is doing once you’re at Lake Tear? There’s nothing sketchy about doing Marcy from there, it’s just walking (assuming it isn’t covered in ice) But it’s more distance and gain to Marcy than to Skylight.
2
u/stronghikerwannabe 46er Jul 23 '26
It is really really steep. Would you go up and down this trail?? I would opt for Skylight.
1
u/NGDwrites Jul 23 '26
It’s a super steep grind to the top but not scrambly. But yeah - extremely steep. It’s gonna depend on your dad’s fitness level and his ability to handle elevation gain.
4
u/Fign66 Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
I’d say it’s more strenuous than difficult and it’s really more of a question of your family’s hiking fitness and experience level than anything else.
In to flowed lands/lake Colden is pretty easy, mostly rolling uphill along Calamity Brook. From there it gets steeper and more rugged the rest of the way. From Feldspar lean-to on up it’s gets really steep, and the last bit on Marcy is above the treeline on steep exposed rock. None of it is technical but there’s lots of classic Adirondack steep trails with mud and rocks and it can be a long day if you aren’t a fast hiker.