Dix Mountain is the sixth highest peak in the High Peaks Region of the

Adirondack Park The Adirondack Park is a part of New York's Forest Preserve in northeastern New York, United States. The park was established in 1892 for “the free use of all the people for their health and pleasure”, and for watershed protection. The park ...

, and is located roughly on the boundary between the

towns A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

of North Hudson and Keene in Essex County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. The peak was named in 1837 after John Dix (1798–1879), who was the

Secretary of State of New York The secretary of state of New York is a cabinet officer in the government of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York who leads the New York State Department of State, Department of State (NYSDOS). The current secretary of state of New York ...

at the time, and later became the state's

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

. While it stands somewhat south of the main High Peaks region (and in fact is at the center of its own

Dix Mountain Wilderness Area The Dix Mountain Wilderness Area is the name previously given to an area of New York's Forest Preserve in the Adirondack Park , and is located in the towns of Elizabethtown, Keene and North Hudson, Essex County. It is roughly bounded on the n ...

) and is more difficult to reach and steep and challenging to climb, the mountain enjoys great popularity with serious

hikers Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

not only due to its status as a required peak for

Adirondack Forty-Sixers The Adirondack Forty-Sixers are an organization of hikers who have climbed all forty-six of the traditionally recognized High Peaks of the Adirondack Mountains. They are often referred to just as 46ers. As of 2021, there were nearly 14,000 regi ...

but for open views of the region from its summit, almost as good as those to be found at nearby

Mount Marcy Mount Marcy (Mohawk: ''Tewawe’éstha'') is the highest point in New York, with an elevation of . It is located in the Town of Keene in Essex County. The mountain is in the heart of the Adirondack High Peaks region of the High Peaks Wildern ...

with far less crowds. Dix is also the gateway to four other High Peaks in the Dix Range, all of them, unlike Dix itself, officially trailless:

Hough Hough may refer to: * Hamstringing, or severing the Achilles tendon of an animal * the leg or Tibia, shin of an animal (in the Scots language), from which the dish potted hough is made * Hough (surname) Communities United Kingdom * Hough, Alderle ...

, Macomb, South Dix and

Grace Peak Grace Peak is a mountain located in Essex County, New York. It is part of the Dix Range, named after John A. Dix (1798–1879), New York Secretary of State in 1837, and later Governor. The mountain was formerly called East Dix, but in 2014 it ...

. One of the most difficult Adirondack

peakbagging Peak bagging or hill bagging is an activity in which hikers, climbers, and mountaineers attempt to reach a collection of summits, published in the form of a list. This activity has been popularized around the world, with lists such as 100 Peaks ...

challenges is to do all five in the same day; while many have, most hikers prefer to break the trips up into separate assaults on Dix and/or one of the others. The mountain was reportedly first climbed by a man named Rykert in the course of

surveying Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...

the town line. Hikers commonly choose to climb Dix from the south by taking the ''Elk Lake Trail'' from the similarly named lake toward Hunters Pass, where a spur leads up to Dix. Less frequently, a lengthy northern ascent can start from the

Ausable Club The Ausable Club, in St. Huberts, New York, is the name of a club and the clubhouse of the Adirondack Mountain Reserve (AMR), which upon the initiative of William George Neilson, formed in 1887 to save the lands around Beede's Hotel from the lumb ...

in St. Huberts.

Gallery

Image:Dix Mountain.JPG, As seen from

Hough Peak Hough Peak () is a mountain located in Essex County, New York. The mountain, part of the Dix Range, is named after Franklin B. Hough (1822–1885), the first chief of the United States Division of Forestry, and sometimes called the "father o ...

Image:Dix and Hough seen from Nippletop.jpg, Dix Mt. and

seen from

Nippletop Nippletop is a mountain located in Essex County, New York. The mountain is part of the Colvin Range. Nippletop is flanked to the northeast by Dial Mountain. To the east, it faces Dix Mountain across Hunters Pass, and to the west it faces Mou ...

Image:View from Dix Mountian Peak on July 1 2018 looking south towards Elk Lake.jpg, View from Dix Mountain Peak on July 1, 2018, looking towards Elk Lake.

Notes

External links

* * * {{Mountains of New York Adirondack High Peaks Mountains of Essex County, New York Mountains of New York (state)