Adirondack State Park - New York
Posted by: 
sagefemme
N 44° 14.610 W 073° 57.300
18T E 583438 N 4899449
The Adirondack Mountains include 6.1 million acres of lakes, mountains, towns, resorts and wilderness. Of those 2.6 million are New York State parkland, and of those, 1 million are classified as wilderness.
Waymark Code: WMDR58
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 02/17/2012
Views: 24
I've identified the intersection of Route 73 and Adirondack Loj Road as an "entrance" to Adirondack State Park. Adirondack Loj Road takes visitors to the Adirondack Loj campground, which is owned and operated by ADK, the non-profit hiking club. (
visit link) Many of the 46 High Peaks can be reached from trailheads originating at the Visitors Center here, including Mount Marcy.
Mount Marcy, at 5344 feet above sea level, the highest of the 46 High Peaks and the highest point in New York State, as the coordinates for this waymark. The additional coordinates below are the turnoff to Adirondack Loj, where visitors can access the trailheads to many of the other High Peaks. Because the State Parkland is peppered throughout with privately held property, there are probably hundreds of entry points into the park, and most of them are unmarked.
The Adirondacks are broken up into 7 Regions: Adirondack Coast, Adirondack Lakes, Adirondack Seaway, Adirondacks - Tug Hill, Adirondack Wild, Lake George Region, and Lake Placid Region. Of the 6.1 million acres (noted above), 2.6 million acres is owned by the state, with 1 million of those listed as wilderness. (
visit link)
If hiking or mountainclimbing is your thing, and you are fit enough for a 10 hour hiking day and a 3166 foot ascent over 7.4 miles (one way), then Mount Marcy is your destination! From the summit you can see many of the other Adirondack peaks (Haystack, Saddleback, Algonquin, Whiteface, Phelps, and the list goes on...) in the Lake Placid Region. "The view is spectacular! You can see the summits of 43 high peaks throughout the Adirondacks. On a clear day you can see Mount Royal in Montreal to the north, which is almost 65 miles away!" (
visit link)
There is day parking at the Visitors Center and trailhead for $10.00/day (cost listed below) but I highly recommend and overnight stay at the lodge or at a campsite so that you can get an early start. If you do, then $5.00 of your camping or lodging fee is applied to the day parking. The alternative is to stay in Lake Placid, the nearest town.
If you don't have THAT kind of stamina, there is a fun guided tour up Mount Jo, at the edge of Heart Lake. It is too short to qualify as one of the 46 High Peaks, but offers a nice view of it's own.
There is more to see in the Adirondacks than mountains. To that point I freely admit. My first trek into The Adirondacks was for a canoing/camping adventure, launching from Blue Mountain Lake to Racquette Lake and Long Lake. This adventure was much closer to civilization at all times, with privately held lands interspersed with the public lands all along our way. You shouldn't have any trouble finding a proper bed in this Adirondack Lakes Region.