Great Range Traverse

High Peaks Wilderness, Adirondack Park (Roostercomb trailhead to the Garden, Keene Valley)

The Great Range runs southwest from Keene Valley to Mount Marcy, New York’s highest summit. Treeline Review rates a traverse “very difficult,” with slabs and scrambling, and its August 2026 guide lists it at 23 miles point to point with about 10,700 feet of gain, most of it in the first 15 miles.

Fast hikers do it in a day. Backpackers can split it over two to four days, but only at a few designated sites, because nearly the whole ridge sits above the elevation where camping is banned.

The hike

Treeline recommends starting at the Roostercomb trailhead and finishing at the Garden, so the climbing comes first and the descent of the Wolf Jaws doesn’t come at the end of a long day without water. The trail climbs past a 0.4-mile spur to Rooster Comb, then over Hedgehog Mountain (about mile 3.6), Lower Wolf Jaw (5.2), Upper Wolf Jaw (6.3), Armstrong (7), and Gothics (7.7). Past Gothics, Treeline describes steel cables on open slab.

Saddleback follows at about mile 8.8, with the Saddleback Cliffs, then the col and short, steep climb to Basin (about 9.5). Little Haystack comes near mile 11, with Haystack a half-mile out-and-back from the junction, and the route reaches Mount Marcy about half a mile up from the Van Hoevenberg junction, near mile 13.

Water is the main planning problem. Treeline says the first source on the route is near mile 10.3 to 10.5, at the Sno-bird spur, with another around 12.5. The author recommends carrying at least 3 liters and says he has never reached the first source in under six hours. Below Marcy, water is frequent for the last 10 miles.

From Marcy, the descent follows the Phelps Trail down Johns Brook Valley past Slant Rock, Bushnell Falls, and Johns Brook Lodge, an Adirondack Mountain Club lodge 3.5 miles from the Garden. ADK says the lodge offers potable water from June through September.

Treeline lists July through September as the best season and notes that the Garden often fills before 7 a.m. on summer Saturdays; the author suggests a single car and an early Roostercomb start, then walking or riding the town shuttle back. The shuttle did not run on the October 10-11, 2026, weekend (DEC), so confirm it is running before counting on it. DEC says parking on nearby Keene Valley streets is prohibited.

For a gentler overnight in the same valley, see Johns Brook Valley to Mount Marcy. Lake Colden is on the other side of Marcy.

Tips

Carry at least 3 liters to start; the first water is about 10 miles in (Treeline).
Go Roostercomb to the Garden, as Treeline recommends.
Rent a canister if you need one: Treeline lists The Mountaineer in Keene Valley and the High Peaks Information Center at Heart Lake.
Skip clear plastic canisters, which Treeline doesn’t recommend here.
Turn back on wet or icy slab. The cables on Gothics are on open rock.

Camping

Treeline says there are no permits, groups are limited to eight overnight and 15 for day hikes, campfires are banned, and camping is allowed only at designated sites above 3,500 feet and at least 150 feet from trails, water, and roads elsewhere. DEC’s rules match on group size and fires; DEC requires a bear-resistant canister for overnight campers in the Eastern High Peaks from April 1 to November 30, and Treeline notes there are no bear boxes.

Treeline’s campsite list, by traverse mileage: a small site about 0.7 mile down the Wolf Jaw Trail near mile 5.75 (no water or privy); Sno-bird near 10.75, with 5 to 7 small tent pads, a privy, and the first water; Slant Rock near 16 (lean-to, three sites); Bushnell Falls near 18.25 (two lean-tos, two sites); sites near Johns Brook Lodge and Crandell Lean-to near 20; Howard Lean-to near 20.5; and Deer Brook Lean-to near 22.5.

Inside Intel: Treeline Review’s Aubri Drake calls Sno-bird, with its tent pads, privy, and the first water of the trip, a solid place to split a two-day traverse. No other camper accounts recommending a specific site were found.

Trail facts

Distance: 23 miles (Treeline Review)
Route type: Point to point; car spot or shuttle needed
Difficulty: Very strenuous; about 10,700 feet up, 10,100 down
Campsites: Sno-bird, Slant Rock, Bushnell Falls, Johns Brook Lodge area, Howard, Deer Brook
Water: None until about mile 10.3; frequent after mile 15; treat all water
Permits: None; overnight groups of eight or fewer
Bear and food storage: Bear-resistant canister required April 1 to November 30
Fires: Prohibited
Trailheads: Roostercomb (start) and the Garden (finish), Keene Valley
Last verified: October 17, 2026

The Lowdown

Cables and slab past Gothics:

The Great Range Traverse packs about 10,700 feet of gain into 23 miles, with steel cables on open slab past Gothics and a short, steep climb to Basin. Smart pole length and rubber tips help on terrain like this.

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Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.