Gray Peak (New York)

For other uses of "Gray Peak", see Gray Peak (disambiguation).
Gray Peak
View of Gray Peak from Mount Marcy in winter.
Highest point
Elevation4,840 ft (1,480 m) NGVD 29[1]
ListingAdirondack High Peaks 7th[2]
Coordinates44°06′41″N 73°56′06″W / 44.1114427°N 73.9348658°W / 44.1114427; -73.9348658[3]
Geography
Map of New York showing location of Gray Peak
Map of New York showing location of Gray Peak
Gray Peak
Location of Gray Peak within New York
Map of New York showing location of Gray Peak
Map of New York showing location of Gray Peak
Gray Peak
Gray Peak (the United States)
LocationKeene, New York, U.S.
Parent rangeAdirondacks
Topo mapUSGS Mount Marcy
Climbing
First ascentSeptember 16, 1872 by Verplanck Colvin and Bill Nye[4]
Easiest routeHike

Gray Peak is a mountain located in the town of Keene in Essex County, New York. It is the seventh-highest of the Adirondack High Peaks, with an elevation of 4,840 feet (1,480 m), and is located in close proximity to Mount Marcy, the highest peak in New York. Gray Peak is southwest of Mount Marcy and southeast of Mount Colden.[5] The first recorded ascent of the peak was made on September 16, 1872, by surveyor Verplanck Colvin and guide Bill Nye.[4] It was named for Asa Gray by Colvin. Although the mountain is only 0.6 miles (0.97 km) from the summit of Marcy and lacked prominence desired by the Marshall brothers for inclusion in the High Peaks, it was added to the list to preserve the name.[6]

Gray Peak can be climbed on an unmarked trail from Lake Tear of the Clouds, which can be approached from the Elk Lake or Upper Works parking lots. It is the highest peak in the Adirondacks without a maintained and marked trail.[7]

  1. ^ Goodwin, Tony, ed. (2021). Adirondack trails. High peaks region (15th ed.). Adirondack Mountain Club. p. 286. ISBN 9780998637181.
  2. ^ "The Peaks – Adirondack 46ers". adk46er.org. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Gray Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2012-12-18.
  4. ^ a b Waterman, Laura (2003). Forest and crag : a history of hiking, trail blazing, and adventure in the Northeast mountains (First ed.). Boston: Appalachian Mountain Club Books. p. 175. ISBN 0910146756.
  5. ^ "Gray Peak". Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary (3rd ed.). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster Inc. 2001. p. 442. ISBN 0-87779-546-0.
  6. ^ Sasso, John Jr. (2018). "Rise of the Adirondack High Peaks: The Story of the Inception of the Adirondack Forty-Six by Robert Marshall, George Marshall, and Russell M.L. Carson". Adirondack Journal of Environmental Studies. 22 (1): 89–103.
  7. ^ Goodwin, Tony, ed. (2021). Adirondack trails. High peaks region (15th ed.). Adirondack Mountain Club. p. 218. ISBN 9780998637181.