The mountain is popular for back-country skiing in the winter and features trails to the summit as well as long landslides on its slopes.

[4] On January 16, 1962, a B-47 aircraft from Plattsburgh Air Force Base crashed into Wright Peak during a training mission, killing all four crewmen.

Their training mission involved practicing low bombing runs over Watertown, New York.

Due to inclement weather, the bomber veered about 30 miles (48 km) off course, and into the High Peaks region.

Due to severe winter weather, which left snow drifts of 10–18 feet (3.0–5.5 m) on the mountain and produced wind gusts of over 50 miles per hour (80 km/h), the search and rescue mission which followed took weeks to identify and retrieve the wreckage and bodies of the airmen.