Mount Haystack 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

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. T ...

of the

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

in the

Adirondack Mountains The Adirondack Mountains (; a-də-RÄN-dak) form a massif in northeastern New York with boundaries that correspond roughly to those of Adirondack Park. They cover about 5,000 square miles (13,000 km2). The mountains form a roughly circular ...

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

. It is the third highest peak in the state, after Algonquin Peak and

Mount Marcy Mount Marcy ( Mohawk: ''Tewawe’éstha'') is the highest point in New York, with an elevation of . It is located in the Town of Keene in Essex County. The mountain is in the heart of the Adirondack High Peaks region of the High Peaks Wildern ...

. It gets its name from the resemblance of its rounded,

conical A cone is a three-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a flat base (frequently, though not necessarily, circular) to a point called the apex or vertex. A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines, or lines conn ...

peak to a haystack. Despite this and the views offered from its bare, alpine summit, it is not visited by as many

hikers Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A His ...

outside aspiring members of the

Adirondack Forty-Sixers The Adirondack Forty-Sixers are an organization of hikers who have climbed all forty-six of the traditionally recognized High Peaks of the Adirondack Mountains. They are often referred to just as 46ers. As of 2021, there were nearly 14,000 regi ...

; it is rather remote from the nearest trailhead and the approach from either direction is steep and challenging. The most frequent approach of Haystack as the main goal is to follow the ''Johns Brook Trail'' from the popular Garden parking area in Keene Valley to the ''Phelps Trail'' and then use ''Shorey's Short Cut'' to get over to the ''Range Trail''. It is possible to combine this with an attempt on Marcy itself, but that makes for a long day and the approach from Panther Gorge is even steeper than that from the north. Some hikers come along the Great Range itself, making the peak their last stop before Marcy itself, or combine it with neighboring Basin and Saddleback. It can also be approached from privately owned Upper Ausable Lake. One of the most famous elements of Haystack is the infamous "Devil's Half Mile". This stretch, which is technically , is the extremely steep last stretch of the trail.

Gallery

File:Little Haystack and Haystack Mt NY.jpg, Little Haystack (left) and Mount Haystack (center), from Mount Marcy

References

External links

*
Peakbagger.com: Mount Haystack

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haystack Mountains of Essex County, New York Adirondack High Peaks Mountains of New York (state)