Rocky Peak Ridge
More photographs at the Wikimedia Commons category.
Rocky Peak Ridge rises to 1,338 m in New York. Dix Mountain stands 1,473 m to the southwest, 6.4 miles off. The nearest named place is Giant Mountain, a peak 0.9 miles away. High Peaks Scenic Byway (NYS Route 73) passes 2.0 miles off.
The story
Rocky Peak Ridge is a mountain in the Adirondacks in the U.S. state of New York. It is the 20th-highest of the Adirondack High Peaks, with an elevation of 4,420 feet (1,350 m). It is located in the Giant Mountain Wilderness Area, in the town of Keene in Essex County. The mountain is named for its appearance as a rocky ridge to the east of the better-known Giant Mountain. Other early names for the mountain included "Giant's Wife", "Bald Mountain", and "Bald Peak", the last of which now belongs to a shorter nearby peak. The earliest recorded ascent of the mountain was made by trail guides Fred J. Patterson and Sam Dunning in 1878. A major forest fire in 1903 burned the topsoil from the top of the mountain and left it with its distinctive bare ridge. Rocky Peak Ridge can be climbed from two directions. The East Trail begins at a parking lot on U.S. Route 9, north of its junction with New York State Route 73 and south of New Russia. It continues 1.9 miles (3.1 km) to the Blueberry Cobbles, where it splits in two, with the red trail bypassing the Blueberry Cobbles and the yellow trail passing over them, offering views of the Boquet River and Dix Range. After the trails rejoin in Mason Notch, the route continues over the summits of Mason Mountain and Bald Peak, and then along the ridge to the summit of Rocky Peak Ridge. Near the summit, the trail passes Lake Mary Louise, named for Mary Louise Wicks, a summer visitor in the 19th century. Good views in all directions are available on the peak, including the east face of Giant Mountain. This route has a one-way distance of 6.7 miles (10.8 km) and ascent of 4,700 feet (1,400 m). The East Trail continues from Rocky Peak Ridge to the col between it and Giant Mountain, and then to the summit of Giant Mountain. This allows Rocky Peak Ridge to instead be approached from the west by first climbing Giant Mountain.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q7355957, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 1338 m
What to expect
How to reach it
- 2.0 mi off the High Peaks Scenic Byway (NYS Route 73)
- 13.0 mi off the Lakes to Locks Passage, National
- 14.8 mi off the Olympic Trail
- 22.2 mi off the Roosevelt-Marcy Trail
Overlooks nearby
- Giant Washbowl Overlook · 2 mi
- Ridge Lookout · 2 mi
- Roaring Brook Falls Upper Lookout · 3 mi
- Roaring Brook Falls Lower Lookout · 3 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Giant Mountain: 0.9 mi
- Noble Mountain: 1.7 mi
- Green Mountain: 2.0 mi
- Nubble: 2.0 mi
- Bald Peak: 2.0 mi
- Aserisk: 1.8 mi
- Banana Belt: 1.8 mi
- Nubble Cliff: 1.9 mi
- Future Wall: 1.9 mi
- Second Chance Wall: 1.9 mi
- Indian Head Trailhead: 3.1 mi
- Moriah Miners Park: 9.5 mi
- Thrall Dam Park: 10.3 mi
- Thrall Dam Park: 10.9 mi
- Milholland Park: 10.9 mi
- Beede Brook Falls: 1.7 mi
- Roaring Brook Falls: 2.7 mi
- Shoebox Falls: 3.1 mi
- Split Rock Falls: 3.1 mi
- Russell Falls: 3.8 mi
- Canyon Bridge Memorial: 4.7 mi
- Lower Ausable Lake Dam: 6.4 mi
- Buzz Wright Memorial: 10.5 mi
- Mount Marcy First Ascent: 11.2 mi
- Northwest Bay Road: 12.5 mi
- Boquet River Primitive Area: 3.1 mi
- Johns Brook Primitive Area: 6.6 mi
- Moriah Wilderness Preserve: 9.0 mi
- Bartlett Primitive Area: 11.7 mi
- Twin Valleys Outdoor Education Center: 13.8 mi
- Mountain Pass Lodge: 11.6 mi
- Lake Placid Bobsled Experience at Mt. Van Hoevenberg: 11.6 mi
- Cliffside Coaster: 11.7 mi
- Lake Placid Olympic Ski Jumping Complex: 14.6 mi
- Skyride: 14.6 mi
- Adirondack History Museum: 7.1 mi
- Adirondack history center museum: 7.1 mi
- The Iron Center: 14.5 mi
- Crown Point Historic Site: 16.2 mi
- Chimney Point Museum: 16.3 mi
- Westport Beach: 13.7 mi
- Port Henry Village Beach: 14.4 mi
- Bulwagga Bay Beach: 14.8 mi
- Lake Placid Public Beach: 16.4 mi
- Park beach: 22.3 mi
- Footbridge Park: 6.9 mi
- Powerhouse Park: 14.4 mi
- Witherbee Park and Bandstand: 14.5 mi
- Bulwagga Bay Pavillion: 14.8 mi
- High Peaks Welcome Center: 9.7 mi
- Big Wooden Bear (8'): 17.3 mi
- Tahawus: 18.6 mi
- Schroon Community Garden: 22.2 mi
- Holmes Creek Covered Bridge: 24.3 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 7.3 miles of Rocky Peak Ridge. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dix Mountain | SW 219° | 1,473 m | 6.4 mi |
| Beck-horn | SW 218° | 1,455 m | 6.5 mi |
| Giant Mountain | WNW 303° | 1,410 m | 0.9 mi |
| Nippletop | SW 231° | 1,393 m | 7.1 mi |
| Hough Peak | SSW 212° | 1,341 m | 6.9 mi |
| Armstrong Mountain | W 259° | 1,320 m | 7.3 mi |
| Upper Wolfjaw Mountain | W 262° | 1,281 m | 7.0 mi |
| Lower Wolfjaw Mountain | W 266° | 1,273 m | 6.3 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:59 | 18:29 | 19:07 |
| June solstice | 05:12 | 19:58 | 20:43 |
| September equinox | 06:43 | 18:16 | 18:54 |
| December solstice | 07:28 | 15:32 | 16:20 |
Local time (America/New_York).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Sep.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 15 | 18 | 26 | 39 | 51 | 60 | 64 | 63 | 56 | 44 | 32 | 21 |
| Precip in | 3.1 | 2.3 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 3.5 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Lake Placid 2 S, 17 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOfficial site- USGS Geographic Names Information System feature 962786 — Rocky Peak Ridge, Essex County, New York.
OpenStreetMap element node/1431484619
Day trips start here
- Elizabethtown · 6 mi
- Westport · 14 mi
- Crown Point · 19 mi
- Essex · 21 mi
- Charlotte · 26 mi
- Shelburne · 29 mi
Take the scenic way to Rocky Peak Ridge.
Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.