The seventh highest peak in the Adirondacks was named after American botanist Asa Gray. A former professor of Harvard University, Gray’s 1848 textbook, Manual of Botany of the Northern United States, was a key contributor to the study of North American fauna during this era. Professor J.A. Lintner, state entomologist at the time, is credited with giving the peak its name in 1869.

The classification of Gray Peak as a High Peak has been repeatedly questioned throughout Adirondack history. Technically, the summit is too close to Mount Marcy and lacks enough rise on all sides to be considered its own mountain. Seemingly out of admiration for Professor Gray and the historical significance of the peak, Carson successfully lobbied for its inclusion in the list of High Peaks.

On September 16th, 1872, Colvin and his guide Bill Nye made the first recorded ascent of the peak. This trip also saw the first recorded visit to Lake Tear of the Clouds, the highest source of the Hudson River.

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_{Sasso, John. “Rise of the Adirondack High Peaks: The Story of the Inception of the Adirondack Forty-Six by Robert Marshall, George Marshall, and Russell M.L. Carson.” The Adirondack Journal of Environmental Studies, vol. 22, no. 1, Article 8, 2018, pp. 88–103., https://digitalworks.union.edu/ajes/vol22/iss1/8.}