Dix Mountain is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

in the

Dix Range The Dix Range is a range of mountains in the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks, southeast of Mount Marcy and the Ausable valley, in northeastern New York State. The Dixes are named for John Adams Dix, then Secretary of State under New York ...

of the

Adirondacks The Adirondack Mountains ( ) are a massif of mountains in Northeastern New York (state), New York which form a circular dome approximately wide and covering about . The region contains more than 100 peaks, including Mount Marcy, which is the hi ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. With an elevation of , it is the sixth-highest peak in New York and one of the 46

Adirondack High Peaks The Adirondack High Peaks are a set of 46 mountain peaks in the Adirondack Mountains of New York (state), New York state. They have been popular hiking destinations since the late 1920s, when the list of peaks was published in Russell Carson's bo ...

. It is located roughly on the boundary between the

towns A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

of North Hudson and Keene in Essex County, and in the

High Peaks Wilderness Area The High Peaks Wilderness Area is the largest wilderness area of the Forest Preserve in the U.S. state of New York. It is located in three counties and six towns in the Adirondack Park: Harrietstown in Franklin County, North Elba, Keene, ...

Adirondack Park The Adirondack Park is a park in northeastern New York (state), New York protecting the Adirondack Mountains. The park was established in 1892 for "the free use of all the people for their health and pleasure", and for watershed protection. At , ...

. The crest of the peak consists of a very narrow ridge, which continues to the southeast and rises to a subsidiary peak named Beckhorn, then continues south to other peaks of the Dix Range. The summit is also in an

alpine zone Alpine tundra is a type of natural region or biome that does not contain trees because it is at high elevation, with an associated alpine climate, harsh climate. As the latitude of a location approaches the poles, the threshold elevation for alp ...

above the treeline. The ridge offers unobstructed views of Elk Lake to the southwest, the

Great Range The Great Range is a mountain range in the Adirondack Mountains, near Keene Valley, New York, United States. It rises in the heart of the High Peaks region between Ausable Lakes to the southeast and the Johns Brook Valley to the northwest. ...

to the northwest, and

Lake Champlain Lake Champlain ( ; , ) is a natural freshwater lake in North America. It mostly lies between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canadian province of Quebec. The cities of Burlington, Ve ...

and the

Green Mountains The Green Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Vermont and are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains. The range runs primarily south to north and extends approximately from the border with Massachusetts to the border with Que ...

to the east. The mountain was reportedly first climbed in 1807 by a man named Rykert in the course of

surveying Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the land, terrestrial Plane (mathematics), two-dimensional or Three-dimensional space#In Euclidean geometry, three-dimensional positions of Point (geom ...

the town line. The peak was given its current name by state geologist

Ebenezer Emmons Ebenezer Emmons (May 16, 1799October 1, 1863), was an American geologist whose work includes the naming of the Adirondack Mountains in New York as well as a first ascent of Mount Marcy. Early life Emmons was born at Middlefield, Massachusetts, ...

, who named it in 1837 after

John Adams Dix John Adams Dix (July 24, 1798 – April 21, 1879) was an American politician and military officer who was Secretary of the Treasury, Governor of New York and Union major general during the Civil War. He was notable for arresting the pro-Southe ...

, who was the

Secretary of State of New York The secretary of state of New York is a cabinet officer in the government of the U.S. state of New York who leads the Department of State (NYSDOS). The current secretary of state of New York is Walter T. Mosley, a Democrat. Duties The secr ...

at the time, and later became the state's

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Ascent routes

Approaching from Elk Lake to the south, hikers can climb the mountain from several routes. The Hunters Pass Trail begins at the Elk Lake parking lot and is closed during the big game hunting season. It proceeds north, parallel to the Dix Range, and passes through Hunter's Pass before intersecting the Round Pond Trail, after which it turns and ascends Dix mountain from the north. This route is and involves and elevation gain of .

Lean-to A lean-to is a type of simple structure originally added to an existing building with the rafters "leaning" against another wall. Free-standing structures open on one or more sides (colloquially referred to as lean-tos in spite of being unattac ...

s are located along the trail at Slide Brook, from the trailhead, and Lillian Brook, from the trailhead. An alternative route is to take the Dix Trail from its junction with the Hunters Pass Trail along a steeper but shorter route to Beckhorn and from there to the summit. This route is from the Elk Lake parking lot to the summit. Hikers wishing to cover other peaks in the Dix Range can follow an unmarked trail to the summit of Macomb Mountain, or follow an unmarked trail from Lillian Brook to the ridge between

Hough Peak Hough Peak () is a mountain in the Dix Range of the Adirondacks in the U.S. state of New York. It is the 23rd-highest of the Adirondack High Peaks, with an elevation of . The mountain is located in the High Peaks Wilderness Area, in the town o ...

, South Dix, and Macomb Mountain, and travel north on the crest ridge. Dix Mountain can also be approached from the north on the Round Pond Trail beginning at New York State Route 73, which is maintained by the

Adirondack Forty-Sixers The Adirondack Forty-Sixers are an organization of hikers who have Peak bagging, climbed all forty-six of the traditionally recognized Adirondack High Peaks, High Peaks of the Adirondack Mountains. They are often referred to just as 46ers. As of ...

. The trail is to the summit for an elevation gain of . A lean-to is located from the trailhead. At , this trail has a junction with the Hunter's Pass Trail from Elk lake, before turning up the ridge of the mountain to the summit. A history of

landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, rockslips or rockslides, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, mudflows, shallow or deep-seated slope failures and debris flows. Landslides ...

s has left Dix Mountain with several slide tracks which can be climbed instead of hiking. The Buttress Slide on the western face of the mountain can be accessed from the Hunters Pass Trail from Elk Lake and continues to the summit with of elevation gain. The climb is rated a 5.4 on the

Yosemite Decimal System The Yosemite Decimal System (YDS) is a five-part Grade (climbing), grading system used for rating the difficulty of rock climbing climbing routes, routes in the United States and Canada. It was first devised by members of the Sierra Club in Southe ...

due to the slope and features.

Climate

Gallery

Image:Dix Mountain.JPG, As seen from

Image:Dix and Hough seen from Nippletop.jpg, Dix Mt. and

seen from Nippletop Image:View from Dix Mountian Peak on July 1 2018 looking south towards Elk Lake.jpg, View from Dix Mountain Peak on July 1, 2018, looking towards Elk Lake.

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

Backcountry information for Adirondack Park
at ''dec.ny.gov''
Dix Mountain hiking guide
at ''lakeplacid.com''
Dix Mountain geography
at ''peakbagger.com''
Dix Mountain description
at ''summitpost.org'' {{Mountains of New York Adirondack High Peaks Mountains of Essex County, New York Mountains of New York (state)