US  | 

Hiker, 21, Dies After Fall on NY's Highest Peak

21-year-old woman died of hypothermia on Mount Marcy
Posted Feb 16, 2026 9:15 AM CST
Hiker Survived the Mountain Fall, but Not the Cold
The peak of Mount Marcy in winter.   (Wikimedia Commons/petersent)

A call for help from high on New York's tallest mountain ended in tragedy Thursday. A 21-year-old hiker from New Jersey died near the summit of Mount Marcy after reporting to 911 that she had slipped off the trail and couldn't get back up, state environmental officials said, per Fox News. Clouds shrouding the peak blocked a State Police helicopter from spotting the hiker, prompting a forest ranger to begin a ground search from the Marcy Dam outpost, about five miles and nearly 3,000 feet below the summit, shortly after 6pm, about 3 hours after the 911 call. The ranger found the hiker dead at 9:51pm, according to state officials.

In a Reddit post, a person claiming to be a relative of the hiker said the woman "succumbed to hypothermia after falling off the trail and lying in the snow," per the New York Almanack. She had "called rangers after experiencing disorientation," the post added. The Almanack notes that "there is more (than) four feet of snow on many Adirondack High Peak summits." The hiker's dog was discovered alive and escorted off the mountain; officials said it was not clear if anyone else had been with the hiker or what led to the fall. Poor weather delayed recovery of her body until Friday morning, per the Adirondack Daily Enterprise.

Read These Next
Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X