Algonquin, Iroquois and Wright: Three Peaks, Rocky Slabs & Great Views
Eleven peaks into my 46ers journey, I decided to attempt my first three-peak day. Algonquin, Iroquois and Wright are a standard peak combination, with all three being part of the MacIntyre Range. Iroquois is about an hour past Algonquin Peak, so adding it means roughly two extra hours of hiking, while Wright is a side detour from the main approach. If you miss one, you have to come back and cover much of the same trail again to get it, so tackling all three in one day seemed worth it.
The distance is just over 16 km, so on paper it doesn't sound too bad. But there is a lot of rock scrambling, which makes for a slow hike. In fact, for much of the hike, you're not really hiking along a trail; you're either walking around rocks or climbing up rock slabs. There is also a good amount of elevation, with Algonquin standing at 5,114 ft (1,559 m), making it the second-highest High Peak after Marcy and the second-highest mountain in New York State.
A Rocky Climb
The hike starts off with a bit of a pleasant climb. About an hour and a half in, I reached MacIntyre Falls, a nice scenic spot to stop for a short break.
Beyond this point, the majority of the hike is rock. At one point, I thought to myself that I hadn't realized I had signed up for rock climbing. The way up is definitely a workout, but manageable. The way down was trickier – both on the knees and just trying to safely grip onto something to get down. There were a couple of sections where there wasn't much to grip onto, and the safest option was seemed to be to slide down on my butt.
Panoramic Views in the Alpine Zone
All three peaks are above the treeline, opening up to 360-degree views of the High Peaks region. Being so wide open also means they're exposed to the wind. Luckily it was a fairly nice day and a jacket was good enough cover from the wind. When crossing above the treeline you also enter the Adirondack alpine zone. The landscape consists rare and fragile plants and mosses left over from the ice age.
One of my favourite views from the peaks was of Mount Colden. It's easily recognized by the large bare sections created by landslides over the years. Significant landslides have occurred in 1869, 1942, 1990, 1999, 2011 and, most recently, 2025. In July 2025, heavy rain triggered several new mud and rockslides on Colden, including a massive slide into Avalanche Pass. The newer scars are noticeably lighter in colour than the older, more weathered landslides.
The hike was a mix of rock scrambling (not my favourite type of hiking) and beautiful High Peaks views. The only downside was that, with three peaks in one day, I didn't have as much time as I would have liked to stop and enjoy the summit views.
Hike Details
Trailhead: Adirondak Loj
Distance: 16.24 km (10.1 miles)
Elevation Gain: 1,305 m (4281.496 ft)
Time on Trail: 11h 52m
