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The ADKs can get quite gnarly, particularly when those steep bare rock sections become slick from precip. You also have to deal with ridiculously sloppy conditions where you're constantly stepping in deep mud and water.
Western peaks often have steep talus/scree sections with loose rocks everywhere. You also have the effects of altitude to contend with higher up.
You could make a case for either being more difficult. Just don't talk shit about mountains in New York and Northern New England being "easy" based on elevation alone.
Same is true for lower-elevation desert hikes out west. A few of the toughest hikes I've done out west were < 10k desert hikes. The sun beating down on you the entire time and the complete lack of shade doubles the difficulty of those hikes during the warmer months imho.
