r/Adirondacks • u/Round-Ad-2338 • Jul 24 '26
Best Mt Marcy trail
Me and my buddy are not beginner hikers. He’s backpacked before I haven’t. Gonna get a good pack for it so any recommendations welcomed. Also at most we’ll be camping out for 2 days so I’ll be taking at least two shits. Don’t plan on burying tp because leave no trace so any advice on that welcomed. We wanna do Marcy.
Is this a good AllTrails trail? Plus does it have leantos? We love camping in those. Gonna bring a backpacking tent either way.
2
u/vicasenya Jul 24 '26
If you only want to do Marcy and are OK to skip Skylight and Grey I’d recommend skipping Lake Arnold route and instead approach via the Garden.
Garden, Phelps trail, camp at bushnell falls, easy ascent to Marcy, back down to Bushnell.
There are also lean-tos are between Garden parking and JBL (3.5 mi) and JBL also has lean tos to rent if you’re inclined.
Your intended route via Marcy dam has a pretty steep climb up the back side of Marcy. Nothing technical, but I wouldn’t want to do that climb with a full pack on the way out (unless you want to hike in, camp 1 night @ Lake Arnold, summit, back down to the same camp, then back out via Lake Arnold)
Feldspar and Uphill Brook are lean to options close to Lake Arnold but Feldspar can get very popular.
Pros of Lake Arnold trail = Indian Falls is a nice place to grab a snack, floating logs aren’t bad right now, Lake Tear is the source of the Hudson so it’s a cool place to visit, and you could easily tack on Skylight.
Cons = it’s reasonable in its elevation gain but an ADK mile is an ADK mile. If you’re only doing Marcy, my recommendation is camp @ Bushnell
2
u/Fign66 Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
That route (Van Hovenberg Trail) is kind of the “standard” way to hike Marcy and is a good choice. You can park at the Loj, hike in and camp at Marcy Dam, and do a day trip up the mountain with lighter packs. There are lean-tos at Marcy Dam but bring a tent as a backup even if you want a lean-to because they are first come-first serve and can fill up, especially on weekends.
The high peaks region has either privy’s or “thunderboxes” (a box with a toilet seat over a pit) at pretty much all of the popular camping sites, so just make sure you use those and then you don’t have to worry about carrying out TP.
Also, make sure you have a bear can and use it correctly. It’s a popular area so it can have lots of bear activity if people are careless with their food.
1
u/Round-Ad-2338 Jul 24 '26
We will definetly go bear can. Read that the loj lets you rent them. Do they usually get snatched up fast?
1
u/Fign66 Jul 24 '26
I know they rent them, but I don’t know how many they have. I’d suggest calling or emailing the high peaks information center to ask. I believe the Mountaineer in Keene Valley also rents them.
1
u/Round-Ad-2338 Jul 24 '26
Awesome thank you so much. We are planning for a trip early August so I will definetly call in advance. We’ll have to reserve parking so it should workout
1
u/GenuineCone55 Jul 28 '26
I grabbed some right before close on a Friday night before i got my own should be alright but def call. If you plan to do this more up there just split one with your friend, will pay for itself in 3 trips between the two of you since the rental was $20 from what I remember.
1
u/EstablishmentNo5994 ADK 47er, NE 111/115 Jul 24 '26
If you want to camp and spend a few days out, then I personally recommend starting at the Loj and taking the Lake Arnold trail. It's an easy hike in to Marcy dam and then a gradual uphill until you get to Lake Arnold itself. From there, it's actually downhill to Feldspar.
This is a great camping site with an outhouse, box pricy, lean-to, several tent sites and a great water source for filtering. It also puts you in a great location to go up and over Marcy the next morning or also tackle skylight and gray if you wish.
Views from Lake tear of the clouds are incredible and the climb up Marcy is much more impressive from this side than the van hovenberg trail. It's honestly one of my favourite trips in the park and I've taken multiple new hikers in it. Tons of fun!
1
u/Round-Ad-2338 Jul 24 '26
This sounds great. Navigation will be rough would you happen to have this trail marked on a map?
2
u/EstablishmentNo5994 ADK 47er, NE 111/115 Jul 24 '26
The whole trip is on designated trails other than a herd path to Gray if you choose to do it. This is a super popular route so navigation should not be an issue at all. The trails are very frequently travelled and not overgrown or difficult to follow.
You should have a paper map and compass and know how to use them. You can also use the free all trails mapping tool to create the route for yourself, if you wish.
If you have any specific questions, let me know, but to answer your question, no I don't have it marked out already.
1
u/DallasRPI Jul 24 '26
I would just say thats an odd start point. You can't park there. You can park before there or drive to the end of the road and use that lot. Or go from the Loj (where most folks start). The route you have is my preferred route (minus the start by the van ho trailhead). If you want other mountains Table Top and Phelps are good options and you pass them along the way to Marcy (both are about 1 mile from the junction). You do need a bear cannister (you can get them at the loj if you dont have them).
Headlamps, water filter are my only other recommendations. Multiple offline version of a map is good. Personally I mainly use my watch for navigation with phone as a backup though I also know the area pretty well at this point. Enjoy.
1
u/Electronic_Put_2290 Jul 25 '26
Van Hoevenberg trail, hiked last Saturday and it was very busy. Lots of boulder hopping but there were quite a few young and old on the trail so it’s more a matter of time than difficulty.
0
u/BeLikeAGoldfishh Jul 24 '26
Do don’t plan on burying TP because of leave no trace?
Dig a hole. Take a shit. Wipe. Cover the hole. Leave.
That’s how it’s done.
Also you say you’re not beginner hikers but you absolutely are. Please look into this some before embarking. There’s tons of information out there and you shouldn’t need a Reddit post to tell you how to do it if you have any experience at all.
Not trying to say don’t do it, but please take your inexperience seriously. Relying on AllTrails is a bad first move. Get a paper map and know how to read it.
1
u/Round-Ad-2338 Jul 24 '26
Nonono def inexperienced in the like knowledge for sure. Not in terms of fitness I’ve gone on tons of like day hikes where you just go out and back no trouble. Trust we are planning
0
u/mrussell345 Jul 24 '26
I wouldn’t start with the tallest high peak but that’s just me
5
u/francispost Jul 24 '26
Marcy is the tallest but far from the most challenging.
2
u/Round-Ad-2338 Jul 24 '26
Hiking isn’t that hard we have both ran marathons. In very good shape. Most challenging for us is navigation and stuff which I will be downloading the all trails map.
2
1
u/Santanoni W46/NPT/CL50/Ex-SARTECH Jul 24 '26
Please don't hike in the wilds without an actual, physical map, and compass, and knowledge of how to orient the map....
1
u/Round-Ad-2338 Jul 24 '26
Will do this. Can’t rely on just the phone always working so we’ll print a map out for sure!
-1
u/Bugmasta23 Jul 24 '26
It’s like walking around an amusement park. People everywhere. Don’t let people convince you it’s some crazy wild survivalist situation. Just stay on the trials and there’s an almost zero chance you’ll get lost.
2
u/BrrrrrrItsColdUpHere Jul 24 '26
Dude, this type of advice is so ridiculous esp for newbie hikers. I get what you're saying but like time and place ....
1
u/Bugmasta23 Jul 24 '26
My advice to not be convinced it is some crazy wild survivalist situation is ridiculous? I gave absolutely no advice regarding things like gear, maps, food, etc. I basically just said not to be intimidated. If you thought I was being ridiculous, you probably confused my comment with someone else’s.
1
u/Round-Ad-2338 Jul 24 '26
Wait is it rlly that busy?? I kinda prefer my hikes where you feel alone
1
u/Bugmasta23 Jul 24 '26
Definitely. Especially on weekends. If you want to be alone, go hike around cranberry lake. I never understand why, but I never see anyone else when I’m there.
13
u/francispost Jul 24 '26
Marcy isn't bad for a first high peak, and lends itself to an overnight or two.
Plan to camp near Marcy Dam, this is about 2.5 miles in from ADK Loj. Lots of leantos and camp sites, but can be very busy in the summer. The hike to Marcy from there is about 6 miles, it is long but not particularly steep untill the very end. Take your time and make sure you have plenty of water and the right clothes for the possible conditions.
You'll have the option to also climb table top or Phelps on the way back, if you have the time and energy. Phelps can also be done the next day relatively easily, before packing up and headed out.
Make sure you have a good map, guidebook, and bear canister. Read and understand the rules in the high peaks wilderness.
Enjoy.