Every spring someone moves to Albany or Saratoga or Burlington, learns about the 46ers, and asks me which one they should start with. The answer isn't algorithmic. It's mostly Cascade. But not always.
These are the five 46ers I would send a friend to climb first. They aren't ranked by difficulty — they're ranked by how often I actually recommend them, which is a different thing. The order reflects how confidently I'd hand the peak to someone whose hiking history I don't fully know.
Cascade Mountain · 2.4 mi · 1,940 ft · 4,098 ft summit
is the default first 46er, and the default for a reason. The trail leaves Route 73 between Lake Placid and Keene Valley, climbs at a consistent grade for 2.4 miles, and breaks treeline onto a treeless dome with views of every High Peak that matters. I've sent more than a dozen first-timers up Cascade in the past decade. None of them have stopped hiking. The summit converts people.
I last climbed it on a clear afternoon in September 2025 and there were maybe forty people on the summit. That's the popular reality. If you're bothered by other humans on a mountain you should pick another peak. If you're curious whether the High Peaks are worth the drive, this is the one that answers the question.
If you can only ever do one 46er, do this one.
Porter Mountain · +1.4 mi from Cascade · 4,059 ft summit
is what I tell people to add when they ask "what's the most 46er I can do in one day for the least effort?" Porter is 1.4 miles past the Cascade col on a roll of wooded ridge. No real summit view. The bag isn't the point. The point is that you walk back to the car with two 46ers in a single day that wasn't twice as hard, and you feel like you've started something. That feeling is what converts people more often than the view does.
Phelps Mountain · 4.8 mi · 2,090 ft · 4,161 ft summit
is where I send experienced day-hikers when they're ready for a real climb. Same trailhead as Marcy — Adirondak Loj — but Phelps is 9.6 round-trip miles instead of sixteen. The path stays sheltered until the final clearing, where the MacIntyre Range opens across the valley. I climbed Phelps in late August of last year and the south-facing slopes were already starting to turn. The right second 46er after Cascade.
Big Slide Mountain · 8.4 mi loop · 2,820 ft · 4,240 ft summit
is my favorite of the introductory five, which I admit is an opinion I cannot fully justify. From The Garden trailhead in Keene Valley the loop crosses The Brothers — a three-bump open ridge — before climbing the shoulder of Big Slide proper. 8.4 miles, 2,820 feet of gain. The first 1.5 miles are hard: steady climbing through hardwood. After that the day becomes mostly walking and looking at mountains. I send people here when they've earned an opinion about hiking and want a real one.
Wright Peak · 7.8 mi · 2,400 ft · 4,580 ft summit
is the exposed peak you can do without committing to a thirteen-hour day. From Adirondak Loj you climb the MacIntyre approach toward Algonquin, then split off for Wright's final 0.4 miles, a scramble over open bedrock. I was on Wright in October of 2018 with two friends and we had to bail off the summit because clouds rolled in and we couldn't see our hands in front of our faces. That happens up there. Bring layers. Plan to retreat.
Five 46ers. None of them require navigation skills, none of them require gear most day-hikers don't already have. If you're climbing for the list, every one of these counts toward 46. If you're climbing to see whether the Adirondacks are for you, any of them will give you the answer.
Disagree? Tell me. I read every email.