peak in the Adirondack Mountains and the highest point in New York, U.S., reaching an elevation of 5,344 feet (1,629 metres) above sea level. It lies in west-central Essex county (Essex) in the northeastern part of the state, about 12 miles (19 km) south-southeast of Lake Placid village. The Hudson River's main headstream, the Opalescent River, originates on the mountain at Lake Tear of the Clouds. First ascended in 1837, the peak was named for William L. Marcy (Marcy, William L), then governor of New York who had instituted a geological survey of the Adirondack region. Mount Marcy is now a popular hiking destination.