New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has issued guidance to reduce the potential for human-bear conflicts. Conflicts between people and bears typically increase in summer months due to the dispersal of young bears from family groups, the onset of the breeding season, and a lull in natural food availability prior to the ripening of local berries and other natural food sources. These conditions occasionally cause bears to travel through unfamiliar areas. Bears will take advantage of anything they consider a food source as they travel, adding to the potential for conflict. The most common attractants are poorly stored >>More

Baldface Mountain (2,230 feet), part of the Jessup River Wild Forest, is located in Indian Lake and is a great sunny day adventure that includes paddling and hiking. The trail is accessed on the northeast shore of Indian Lake. This hike requires a canoe paddle to reach the trailhead in Norman’s Cove, the shortest (1.0 mile) from the Clarks Indian Lake Marina off Lakeshore drive in Sabael. There is a charge for the use of the marina. You may also paddle 7.5 miles from the DEC Indian Lake Campground boat ramp to reach the trailhead. As » Continue Reading. View >>More

More than half of the trail mileage in the Adirondack Park’s central High Peaks Wilderness Area is too steep to remain stable and fails to meet the modern design standards for sustainable trails that apply to other state and federal lands, according to a new analysis funded by the Adirondack Council. “It’s well known that Adirondack foot trails are in crisis with overuse and huge crowds of people hiking on these too-steep slopes,” Adirondack Council Executive Director William C. Janeway said in a statement announcing the analysis sent to the press. “We are seeing wider paths, deeper ruts, trampled » >>More

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents in the Adirondacks. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people from the Adirondack backcountry. What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers in the Adirondacks. Essex County Town of Elizabethtown Wilderness Rescue: On July 2 at 1:43 pm, Essex County 911 transferred a call to DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch from hikers on Owls Head Lookout in the Giant Mountain >>More

Divers, amateur geologists, anglers and anyone with curiosity about what lies beneath the waves, will enjoy the new water depth map of Blue Mountain Lake. The printed contour map reveals dramatic underwater terrain. Sharp cliffs tumble into cavities, giant glacial erratics are scattered about, and unseen underwater ridges link some islands while deep holes separate others. Blue Mountain Lake straddles the divide between the Saint Lawrence and Hudson watersheds and is ringed by mountains whose slopes continue below the surface. An enormous northeast to southwest glacial groove runs under West Bay and includes the lake’s deepest spot. That low point >>More

This trail system, located in Independence River Wild Forest, consists of just over 11 miles of trails. Beach Mill Trail extends 5.3 miles along the north bank of the Independence River from a trailhead at the end of Beach Mill Road. Panther Pond Trail extends 1.1 miles to the Panther Pond Lean-to from a trailhead at the end of Smith Road, and extends another 3.2 miles to the Independence River where it meets up with the Beach Mill and Fish Trails. Fish Trail extends 1.7 miles to the Independence River from a trailhead at the » Continue Reading. View original >>More

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents in the Adirondacks. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people from the Adirondack backcountry. What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers in the Adirondacks. Franklin County Town of Santa Clara Wilderness Rescue: On June 24 at 2:42 pm, Franklin County 911 transferred a call to DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch from two hikers in their late 60s on Saint >>More