Top Mountains in New York

New York's mountains fall into two distinct ranges: the Adirondacks in the northeast and the Catskills in the southeast. The Adirondacks are among the oldest mountain ranges in North America — ancient granitic cores that have eroded over a billion years.

Mount Marcy (5,344 ft)
The highest peak in New York, located in the High Peaks Wilderness of the Adirondacks. The summit is above treeline — an open krummholz tundra remarkable in the eastern US. The standard route from the Adirondack Loj is 14.8 miles round-trip. The summit, called Tahawus ("Cloud Splitter") by the Mohawk, is often cloud-covered. A plaque marks where Theodore Roosevelt received the news that President McKinley had died, making Roosevelt president.

Algonquin Peak (5,114 ft)
The second-highest Adirondack summit and one of the most accessible high peaks. The Wright Peak connector makes a loop possible. The Wright-Algonquin ridge offers some of the finest open ridgeline hiking in the Adirondacks.

Whiteface Mountain (4,867 ft)
The only High Peak accessible by paved road (the Whiteface Mountain Veterans' Memorial Highway). The summit station is New York's highest publicly accessible point by road. Whiteface hosted alpine skiing events in the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics. The High Peaks Wilderness trails to the summit are a strenuous alternative to the road.

Slide Mountain (4,180 ft)
The highest peak in the Catskills, located in the Slide Mountain Wilderness. The Catskills are a geologically distinct plateau — heavily forested, with dramatic escarpments facing the Hudson Valley. The Wittenberg-Cornell-Slide traverse (9.5 miles) is considered the premier Catskill hike.

Adirondack 46 Peaks
The Adirondacks have 46 peaks over 4,000 feet (some by historical measurement, not modern GPS). Completing all 46 — the "46ers" challenge — is a major long-term hiking goal with a dedicated club founded in 1948. Over 10,000 people have completed the challenge since records began.