3
 Ten more minutes to Marcy's summit

11 Photos

Route:

• Feldspar Brook Trail to Four Corners

• Four Corners to summit of Marcy
  

Peak View Rankings      Printable Marcy

First Thing First:
You have a choice of any of the 3 major trailheads for this hike: the Garden, Adirondack Loj, or Upper Works  

The Trip In A Nutshell:
We hiked in from the Upper Works trailhead via the Calamity Brook Trail (ADK #121, McM #39).  From there we followed the Opalescent River Trail (ADK #121, McM #46) to the Uphill Brook lean-to at the intersection of Uphill Brook and the Opalescent River.  This lean-to makes a very convenient "base camp" to hike the 5 peaks we had in mind.  Our itinerary:

• Day 1:  Hike in from Upper Works to Uphill Brook lean-to.
• Day 2:  Climb Cliff and Redfield via their herd paths only a stone's throw away.
• Day 3:  Read, whittle, discuss the meaning of life, and pet the ranger's dog.
• Day 4:  Climb Gray Peak via its herd path which begins off the Feldspar Brook Trail at the outflow of Lake Tear-of-the-Clouds.  Next climb Skylight and Marcy from Four Corners (the saddle between Skylight and Marcy; also the terminus of the Feldspar Brook Trail).
• Day 5:  Hike out to Upper Works   

Difficulty:
Marcy, the way we did it in conjunction with Skylight and Gray starting from the Uphill Brook lean-to, is an excellent moderate hike with lots of views and time to take photos.  Compared to doing the Dixes in a day or the Santanonis, this ascent on Day Four of our trip was a walk in the park.

Best Tip:
Marcy is easiest if you start from the Upper Works trailhead.  Also, the parking at Upper Works is free unlike at the Garden or Adirondack Loj which are both quite expensive and crowded on weekends.  Plus, the elevation of Upper Works enables you to start higher and, while its strenuous day hike, you will run into few people.  You'll be able to throw in Gray Peak as well since Gray is a "quickie" and barely a 20 minute detour from the Marcy trail.    

Also see:
For the description of the trails that we hiked in on, click here:  Calamity Brook Trail, Opalescent River Trail, Feldspar Brook Trail, and Four Corners.

Map:

Map shows route from the Uphill lean-to on the Opalescent River to the summits of Gray, Skylight, and Marcy.  The route shown is 4.5 miles from the lean-to to Gray, then Skylight, and then Marcy summits.  Return trip not included in this distance.

Summit of Marcy from Four Corners (ADK #121, McM #56)

1		Marcy from Four Corners.  Note the very steep slope at the right.  This is the pitch into Panther Gorge.  By and large, the trail to Marcy's summit runs up along the ridge in the photo about 100-250 yd away from the gorge.	2		Haystack and Panther Gorge taken from a point on Marcy's S slope roughly a third of the way from Four Corners to the summit.  The day is very clear.  Haze is minimal.  The Colvin Range is visible behind Haystack, and the Dixes far to the rear.
3		Skylight from Marcy's summit.  To the right behind Skylight, is a shoulder of Redfield.  In the background (center) is Allen.  Right rear is the North River Mtns.	4		Haystack from Marcy's summit.
5		Johns Brook Valley and the Great Range from Marcy's summit.	6		This view N shows the long ridge that the Van Hoevenburg Trail follows to Marcy's summit.  Big Slide Mtn is visible rear center.
7		A close-up view of Little Haystack, Basin, and Gothics. Nippletop and Dix are also visible. Notice the drop into the head of Panther Gorge!	8		Beautiful, beautiful, mountains.  Haystack again with the Colvin Range behind it and then the Dixes (S. Dix and Macomb) furthest back.
9		Elaine and David taking in the views and experiencing Adirondack euphoria.	10		Colden and the MacIntyre Range
11		Redfield, Cliff, and Lake Tear of the Clouds below us.