Day hike · trailhead + RV staging
Mount Marcy via Van Hoevenberg
New York landscape — scene-setting, not a photograph of the trail.
- Length
- 14.8 mi
- Elevation gain
- 3,166 ft
- Difficulty
- Very strenuous
14.8 mi · 3,166 ft · NY highest at 5,344 ft. Adirondak Loj parking permit + 7am-fill peak season — overflow shuttles from South Meadows. Wilmington Notch Campground (DEC, 30-ft, dry) is 20 min north.
Field almanac
- State
- New York
- Trail type
- Day hike
- Sources
- Cited official (.gov / .org)
At a glance
The facts that set the plan
The trail’s own numbers plus the rig-truth at the trailhead — always worth confirming against current agency conditions before you roll out.
Length
14.8 mi
Elevation gain
3,166 ft
Difficulty
Very strenuous
Trailhead parking
100 spaces
Car-only lot
Shuttle
Not required
Permit
Walk-up OK
The trail
Walking the Mount Marcy via Van Hoevenberg
Mount Marcy is the highest point in New York State at 5,344 feet and the third-highest peak in the eastern US — accessed most often via the 14.8-mile Van Hoevenberg Trail from the Adirondak Loj south of Lake Placid. The trail climbs 3,166 vertical feet through forest, then breaks above treeline into a 200-foot alpine summit zone covered in fragile dwarf vegetation that took the Cairns Initiative trail-hardening project to protect. New York DEC implemented a peak-season parking permit system at the Adirondak Loj trailhead in 2021 — the lot fills by 7am summer weekends and overflow parking moves to a remote shuttle lot at the South Meadows access. The 7-mile one-way distance, the lack of switchbacks, and the relentless 1,000-ft-per-mile final approach earn the very-strenuous rating despite the trail's smooth grading. Wilmington Notch Campground (DEC, 30-ft cap, dry only) is the closest in-park RV staging.
Where the rig goes
Stage the rig, then walk in
The trail is administered by Adirondack High Peaks Wilderness (NY DEC). On a trail like this the rig rarely reaches the trailhead itself — the planning fact is where it waits while you walk.
The staging trailhead holds roughly 100 vehicles, and the lot is car-only — leave the rig at the nearest basecamp and arrive early.
Closest RV-friendly basecamp: Wilmington Notch Campground (NY DEC, 30-ft rig cap, dry, 20 min north).
Official sources
- Lands Official (.gov)
- Outdoor Official (.gov)
- Adirondack high peaks information Official (.gov)
New York rules · last verified 2026-05-10
- State rental tax
- 8.5% · not collected by PickRV
- Min driver age
- 21+ std · 25+ Class A
- Gravel roads
- Allowed — disclosure required
- Generator quiet
- 22:00-07:00
Nearby & related
Keep planning New York
Sourced costs, campground directories, and the places worth a detour — the next layer of New York trip planning.
Planning an RV trip to New York?
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