MacNaughton is the forty-third highest peak in the Adirondacks but is not one of the original 46 as defined by the ADK 46ers. It was the one peak that was raised to 4000 feet by the 1953 USGS survey. Most maps have the summit listed as 3983 feet.  There are no trails to the summit.

The access to the peak is to say in no uncertain terms is brutal. There is no true herd path and the area is covered with blow downs. Since it is not one of the 46ers and that there is no great view on the summit, it is a mountain that is not climbed too often.

As there is no clear herd path we can only give you a suggested route.  We would go around Wallface Ponds and then circle around until the summit ridge is met.  It is a rough climb, perhaps the hardest of any of the 4000+ because of the bushwhack, but the seclusion and beauty of Wallface Ponds could make it quite worthwhile. This is the one climb that truly requires map and compass skills since it is quite easy to go off course in this area.

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