A last minute pivot from trying to grab a spot at The Garden resulted in the crew snagging one of our few remaining High Peaks. Marshall was the natural pick since we could still get parking at the LOJ. Justin had not yet seen the majesty that is the Avalanche Pass, so we decided that trail up would be the best, taking the Indian Pass trail back to the LOJ after.

This climb is pretty long but the difficulty isn’t particularly intense. I’ve noticed the trails out past Marcy tend to be very muddy, this one included (see Cliff and Redfield as well as Grey and Skylight). There is also an abundance of stream and river water on this trail which should make things easy for those who plan to filter.

The peak of Marshall itself is wooded but there are two pretty good, but small, lookouts for some views. Marshall is dwarfed by some of the larger mountains nearby (Colden), but still offers great views, particularly on the rear side. The best lookout for this one is on the left when approaching the peak sign.

• Although approaching this climb from the LOJ is not the shortest way to approach (Upper Works looks like it might be shorter) we always enjoy an excuse to trek through the Avalanche Pass.
• After completing the actual peak you will have a LONG walk back to Heart Lake on the Indian Pass trail, over 5 miles.
• The peak offers limited but pretty good views. The trail up and near the peak was very overgrown and muddy, be careful.
• Parking the LOJ fills up quick as most people know, it would be wise to arrive before 6:00 AM.