Wright Peak
#16
About Wright Peak
Wright Peak stands at 4,580 feet (1,396 m) and is the sixteenth highest mountain in New York. Located in the MacIntyre Range alongside Algonquin and Iroquois, Wright offers one of the most impressive summit experiences in the Adirondacks despite its relatively modest height ranking. The peak features a large, exposed summit cone of bare rock with spectacular 360-degree views of the surrounding High Peaks. The mountain is accessible via a spur trail from the main Algonquin Trail, making it a popular destination either on its own or as part of a traverse of the MacIntyre Range. The summit also serves as a memorial site, marked by a plaque commemorating a 1962 plane crash.
History
Wright Peak was named after Silas Wright, a 19th-century governor of New York. The mountain's open summit is the result of both natural alpine conditions and the effects of acid rain, which damaged the fragile vegetation. In 1962, a B-47 bomber crashed into the side of Wright Peak during a training mission in bad weather, killing four airmen. Parts of the wreckage remain scattered on the mountain's slopes, and a memorial plaque was placed at the summit in honor of the crew. The summit area contains rare alpine vegetation that survived the last ice age. To protect this fragile ecosystem, hikers are strongly encouraged to stay on the marked trail and not walk on the vegetation.
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