Published October 20, 2026 11:27AM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
People have written books and made movies about the magic of hiking in New York\u2019s Adirondack mountains, the largest publicly protected swatch of land in the United States at about 6 million acres. But the rugged, high peaks have seen some negative coverage, too\u2014like when a hiker died of hypothermia<\/a> on a solo hike up Mount Marcy, and the slew of near-daily nonfatal rescues<\/a> where hikers run out of food and water, or lack sufficient gear, maps, or flashlights.<\/p>\n Many are drawn to the Adirondacks with the goal of becoming a 46er<\/a>, someone who has summited all 46 High Peaks\u2014traditionally defined as mountains taller than 4,000 feet\u2014and taken on the toughest terrain. As an aspiring 46er myself\u2014I just hit my tenth peak (Big Slide) last fall\u2014I know how unpredictable weather in the region can be and how the trails differ from others in the state and in the Northeast. I\u2019ve also witnessed the influx in traffic to trails post-COVID and have encountered eager, unprepared hikers on my descents.<\/p>\n One late afternoon, while descending Mount Marcy in a downpour after a roughly 16-mile hike, I ran into a group of hikers just heading up. That encounter and others prompted me to talk with search and rescue\u00a0(SAR), who explained that the publicity of the region can draw in people who are unprepared, leading to higher rescues and recoveries. I asked what advice they\u2019d give to hikers just starting out.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what they shared on how to safely enjoy the mountains in any season.<\/p>\n The 46 mountains in the Adirondack High Peak region draw people in from all over the state (and beyond) eager.\u00a0Adirondack Forty-Sixers, Inc., is a membership organization that recognizes those who have climbed all 46 High Peaks since 1925. While passionate, these peak baggers can sometimes push themselves beyond their limits or comfort zone, said Logan Quinn, forest ranger with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Quinn has been a ranger in the state since 2013 and situated in the Adirondacks since 2016. \u201cA lot of the people we rescue out of the High Peaks are aspiring 46ers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Like many, I\u2019ve long felt drawn to the region, though I didn\u2019t jump straight into tackling high peaks. I spent my first visits exploring local Photos from the region regularly trend on social media, said John Bulmer, publisher of Adirondack Mountain News<\/a> and co-founder of the nonprofit Adirondack Mountain Rescue.<\/a> Viral photos attract less experienced hikers looking for the perfect shot\u2014especially during leaf peeping season in the fall. \u201cPeople see Indian Head and a lot of things online, and they want to go and see that, and there\u2019s really no context involved in how hard it was to get there and the navigational skills it takes to take some of these photos,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n In the summer, visitors might encounter sweltering hot and humid days where normally dependable water sources have diminished to a trickle, or downpours and thunderstorms that only impact certain peaks. Come fall and winter, the temperature can drop drastically between nearby Lake Placid and a peak, with whipping winds and unexpected snow accumulation to account for. For those unaccustomed to the region, the seasons can be unpredictable and unruly, especially if you find yourself ill-equipped in the backcountry or atop a bald peak.<\/p>\n \u201cYou go out in the winter, you\u2019re not prepared, you\u2019re somewhere remote, your phone dies, your light dies. That\u2019s a worst-case scenario,\u201d said Bulmer, who was also vice chairman of the nonprofit New York State Federation of Search and Rescue Teams<\/a> that assisted SAR teams. When people come to the range who have hiked other Northeast regions, like the Catskills or New Hampshire\u2019s White Mountains, they\u2019ll often encounter what\u2019s infamously called the \u201cAdirondack mile,\u201d a term hikers use to describe how miles in the Adirondacks can feel much longer and harder than the distance suggests.<\/p>\n High peak trails are more than a century old, sometimes poorly marked, and covered in rocks and roots. They\u2019ll send you straight uphill, gaining a significant amount of elevation over a short span. And if you hike in the melting snow or rain, there\u2019s a chance the trail could become a downhill creek. All of these thing can lead to injuries or blowing through food and water quicker than expected.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople can get a little overconfident in their abilities, and that might lead them to go out and try a mountain that they\u2019ve done before during a period of inclement weather or during a time when conditions are very bad,\u201d said Sam Fairchild, strategic coordinator He pointed to Allen Mountain<\/a> as a common culprit, an 18-mile hike he said is one of the most remote peaks in the Northeast. The peak made national news in winter of 2024 when an experienced young Canadian hiker went missing on a solo hike. His body was later recovered in the spring.<\/p>\n Outside of unpredictable weather and inadequate gear, experts agree at the most common reason for search and rescue calls is the dependence on cell phones.<\/p>\n \u201cThe reliance on phones to do everything\u2014including being your light and being your only form of navigation\u2014causes a lot of issues,\u201d said Quinn. Each of the SAR experts I talked to harped on the importance of bringing these ten essentials as well as being aware of the unique scenarios that might be encountered in the Adirondacks.<\/p>\n These include:<\/p>\n They also recommended having additional gear to prepare for an unexpected night in the backcountry or a way to stay warm when waiting for a rescue, especially in winter when hypothermia can set in quickly.<\/p>\n There are resources hikers can check beforehand to prepare, such as the Adirondack Trail Conditions group Facebook group<\/a>\u00a0and the DEC website<\/a> for notices like trail closures, air quality, and weather reports. For new hikers, the Adirondack Mountain Club offers trainings, from things like learning how to read a map to beginner backpacking classes.<\/p>\n The biggest piece of advice SAR experts can give, no matter the skill level, Logan emphasized, is to avoid hiking alone.<\/p>\n \u201cIf something goes wrong, you\u2019re in it on your own,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, my biggest advice, to those new and experienced, is please don\u2019t go alone to these more remote places.\u201d<\/p>\nWhat Makes the Adirondacks a Popular Destination<\/h2>\n
towns, hiking lower peaks, and kayaking, because I wasn\u2019t yet comfortable in the backcountry. My hiking experience has grown alongside my knowledge of safety and preparedness.<\/p>\nThe Elements Aren\u2019t Always Kind to Hikers<\/h2>\n
![\"Mount](\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Mount-Marcy-in-a-storm.png?width=3840&auto=webp&quality=75&fit=cover\"\/)
and interpretive educator with the Adirondack Mountain Club<\/a>, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting the state\u2019s wild lands and waterways. Plus, the remoteness of the peaks can be challenging for even experienced hikers, especially if you run out of food or the hike takes longer than planned, Fairchild added.<\/p>\nHow to Prepare for the Adirondack Mountains<\/h2>\n
![\"Mount](\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Mount-Marcy-before-the-storm.png?width=3840&auto=webp&quality=75&fit=cover\"\/)
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Resources for Before You Go<\/h2>\n
![\"Sunrise](\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Sunrise-on-Big-Slide-Mountain-1.png?width=3840&auto=webp&quality=75&fit=cover\"\/)