Bob Marshall Traverse
The Bob Marshall Traverse is a high-mountain hiking traverse in New York’s Adirondack High Peaks, built around the historic 1932 one-day push by Robert Marshall. The route links 14 Adirondack High Peaks plus Mount Jo in a single demanding itinerary. Expect an ultramarathon-style day—timing and endurance matter as much as hiking skill.
The commonly described length is in the 30–35 mile range, with about 15,000 feet of total elevation gain. Times people target commonly fall in a wide window (roughly 13 to 24 hours), reflecting how the same course gets attempted as both a fast, day-long challenge and a more traditional long hiking effort.
Classic summit sequence centers on the Great Range, starting with Big Slide Mountain and then moving through the Wolf Jaw/Armstrong cluster (Lower Wolf Jaw, Upper Wolf Jaw, Armstrong), followed by Gothics and Saddleback, then continuing to Basin, Haystack, and Mount Marcy.
From Marcy the traverse continues toward Skylight (often done as a short out-and-back from the route), then works through Iroquois and Algonquin, and finishes the last major peak section with Wright before dropping to the Adirondack Loj area for the endgame.
The final character is technical and loose-place to exposed-rock. Traversing the Great Range involves steep, root-laced forest climbs plus open alpine slab travel; slick rock and exposure are part of the deal, and key alpine downclimbs may use fixed cables and ladders where present on the route.
For gear and regulations, the Eastern High Peaks Wilderness has a strict overnight bear-canister requirement; plan for bear-resistant canisters if you’re spending nights or carrying overnight camping gear for any portion of the traverse. Also, because sections include steep, technical slab travel, treat wet weather as a real traction constraint rather than an inconvenience.
Practical preparation: scout/inspect committed features you expect to use (notably steep alpine slab downclimbs and any fixed cable/ladder sections) and treat overnight and early-morning route-finding as part of the challenge—visibility drops fast near tree line and the traverse is unforgiving when you miss lines.
More information: Conditions, Introducing a New ADK FKT: The Bob Marshall Traverse, Route: Bob Marshall Traverse (NY) - Fastest Known Time