Algonquin Peak is a mountain in the MacIntyre Range of the Adirondacks in the U.S. state of New York. It is the second-highest mountain in New York, with an elevation of , and one of the 46 Adirondack High Peaks. It is located in the town of North Elba in Essex County and in the High Peaks Wilderness Area of Adirondack Park. The first recorded ascent of the mountain was made on August 8, 1837, by a party led by New York state geologist Ebenezer Emmons. It was originally named Mount McIntyre, after Archibald McIntyre, but this name was eventually applied to the entire range.

Algonquin Peak is accessible from two trails. Starting at the Adirondak Loj outside Lake Placid, the mountain can be approached from the north by following the blue-blazed Van Hoevenberg Trail to its junction with the yellow-blazed MacIntyre Range Trail. That trail continues the remaining to the summit, during which the route gets progressively steeper and rockier. The total distance is for an elevation gain of . From the summit, an unmarked trail leads southeast to nearby Boundary Peak and Iroquois Peak.

left|225px|thumb|Hikers at summit|alt=Six people on a rocky surface. Three are sitting and three are standing. One is wearing a backpack. At the right are two shirtless men with a backpack in between them on the rock.

An area of surrounding the summit is an alpine tundra zone, the largest found in the Adirondacks. This area is home to many arctic plants, including American dwarf birch, bearberry willow, black crowberry, Bog bilberry, Cutler's alpine goldenrod, Diapensia, Lapland rose-bay, and low rattlesnake root, and contains a prominent bog.

Climate

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Image:AlgonquinWaterFall.jpg|Waterfall on the trail to Algonquin Peak

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Notes

References

  • Backcountry information for Adirondack Park at dec.ny.gov
  • Algonquin Peak hiking guide at lakeplacid.com
  • Algonquin Peak geography at peakbagger.com
  • Algonquin Peak hike and trip report at peakfever.com
  • Algonquin Peak hiking guide at pureadirondacks.com
  • Algonquin Peak description at summitpost.org