Mount Marshall rises to 4,360 feet as the southernmost summit of the MacIntyre Range and the 25th highest of the Adirondack High Peaks. The mountain carries a layered history: first named Mount Clinton after Governor DeWitt Clinton, then Herbert Peak in honor of guide Herbert K. Clark who made the first recorded ascent on August 13, 1921, alongside brothers Robert and George Marshall. After Robert Marshall's death in 1939, the state formally adopted the name Mount Marshall in 1942, recognizing one of America's most influential wilderness advocates.
The summit has no maintained trails. Two Forty-Sixers-designated herd paths lead to the top. The more common approach follows Herbert Brook from the junction near the Calamity lean-tos and Lake Colden dam, climbing 1.5 miles to the summit. A second route departs from Cold Brook Pass, the valley separating Marshall from Iroquois Peak to the northeast, and ascends 0.7 miles from there. Both options are steep, require solid navigation skills, and involve substantial elevation gain from any trailhead. The round trip from Upper Works via the Calamity Brook approach covers roughly 14 miles with close to 2,900 feet of gain.
The summit is densely wooded with limited views, so the reward here is the journey and the Forty-Sixers checklist rather than a panoramic finish. Overnight campers in the Eastern High Peaks Wilderness are required to carry bear-resistant canisters from April through November.
