The Adirondacks is part of the Appalachian Mountain system, Western New York, between the St. Lawrence River Valley to the north and the Mohawk River Valley to the south.

The Adirondack Mountains region is famous for its jagged peaks, lush valleys, and glacial, blue lakes. Mount Marcy is the highest peak in the Adirondacks (and the highest point in New York) with an elevation of 5,344 feet (1,630 meters). But nearly half the 100 mountain peaks in the range are more than 4,000 feet (1,219 meters) high.

Glaciers carved the region's spectacular lakes, gorges, and waterfalls. The name Adirondack comes from the Algonquian words for "bark eaters." When food was scarce, natives of the region sometimes ate tree bark.
Today, more than 6 million acres (2.4 million hectares) of the Adirondack region, including Mount Marcy, have been set aside as protected state parkland. The official motto of the park is "Forever Wild," and much of the park can be reached only on foot or by canoe.