![]() Ever since the state began a concentrated land acquisition program here circa 1920, the High Peaks region has been managed for recreation. Nevertheless, all these superlatives come with a tremendous amount of recreational pressure. The highest summit, Mount Marcy, is 5344 feet in elevation – modest in the global scheme of mountains, but high enough to sustain an alpine habitat shared by precious few of its Adirondack neighbors. The wilderness credentials of this place are hard to deny, based just on the sheer size and ruggedness of the landscape alone one would have to venture westward to the Rocky Mountains before encountering another protected area that matches or surpasses the High Peaks in terms of both size and quality. Flora found nowhere else in the Empire State can be found on the loftiest summits, and our largest river springs from its mountain streams.īut there is also one other superlative figure that must be noted: the High Peaks Wilderness is far and away the most heavily visited region in the Adirondack Park, with allegations of overuse being a perennial cry since the late 1960s. It features Mount Marcy, the state’s highest summit, as well as dozens of other aptly-named High Peaks. At over 272,000 acres in size, this is by far the largest protected wilderness not only in New York State, but in the entire northeastern region of the United States. Beyond all doubt, the High Peaks Wilderness is a land of superlatives.
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