AMR permit system enters second year
By Gwendolyn Craig
A reservation system tested last year at the Adirondack Mountain Reserve in Keene will resume May 1 with no changes, state officials announced today.
Those wishing to hike on the AMR’s 27 miles of trails and pathways to popular High Peaks-area destinations will need an online account at hikeamr.org to reserve one of 70 daily spots.
The reserve is the gateway to about a dozen High Peaks including Gothics, Lower and Upper Wolfjaw, Dial and Nippletop. It is also used to access smaller mountains, like Round and Noonmark, and hikes to waterfalls and other scenic spots. The reserve is 7,000 acres privately owned by trustees, who are also members of the Ausable Club. A foot traffic easement allows for the public to hike, ski and snowshoe on marked areas of the property, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s website.
Though the AMR trustees and DEC are calling the pilot program a “parking reservation,” anyone getting dropped off or arriving by bicycle must also have a reservation. Only those with a Greyhound or Trailways bus ticket from within the past 24 hours may enter without a reservation.
Free reservations can be made starting at noon up to two weeks in advance and at minimum 12 hours the day before. One reservation accommodates up to eight people. The hikeamr.org website will open for reservations starting April 17. The system will be in place May 1 to Oct. 31.
In a joint statement, the DEC and AMR trustees did not announce any changes to the reservation system this year. They did highlight adjustments made in 2021, including the installation of an automatic one-way gate to allow for later departures and email reminders of reservations.
When the DEC announced the program last year, it was intended “to provide reliable access and address public safety along a particularly crowded stretch of Route 73 and Ausable Road,” according to DEC’s website. AMR trustees also told the Adirondack Explorer it was intended to protect the natural resources.
DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said the DEC put together the second year of the reservation program with “valuable input shared by hikers, local leaders, and other stakeholders committed to making the Adirondacks safer and more accessible.” AMR General Manager John Schuler also said last year’s reservation system improved safety along Route 73, provided “fair and equitable access to parking for all levels of the hiking community” and protected the lands.
The inaugural system saw 16,000 reservations and 21,000 users, DEC said. About 14,200 registrations were New Yorkers and 6,600 were from out-of-state. About 113 Canadians registered, though DEC and AMR officials said they expect that to increase as coronavirus restrictions are lifted.
The officials noted the system helped distribute visitor numbers more equally throughout the week, “reducing the heavy use typically experienced on weekends or holidays.” Illegal parking on Route 73 was also reduced as was traffic congestion.
Hikers react
Early last May, multimedia reporter Mike Lynch visited the Adirondack Mountain Reserve to test out the new pilot hiking permit reservation system and get some input from some of its first users.
When the Explorer asked users their thoughts on the reservation system last year, some said they appreciated the assurance of a parking spot. Others were caught off guard and arrived without one, though they were able to hop on another person’s. Others suggested there should be a few same-day reservations.
DEC and AMR officials did not respond to the Explorer’s question about why there were no same-day reservations.
“DEC and AMR continue to work together to adaptively manage the pilot to improve public safety, ensure equitable access, and promote sustainable use of this popular hiking destination,” the news release said.
Update: More permit questions answered
Editor’s note: Gwendolyn Craig received some answers to some additional questions that came from this week’s announcement.
DEC and AMR are waiting to assess the potential impacts of the opening of Canadian border crossings prior to proposing changes to the program. Last year was a great start, but probably not a true indication of what we’ll see when we get back closer to traditional peak demand, much of which comes from Canada.
AMR and DEC made changes last year throughout the inaugural season to reduce no-shows and we look forward to seeing how this season goes with a full implementation of those changes prior to considering opening up same-day reservations. We will evaluate the effectiveness of these changes in improving no-show rates and simultaneously, will continue to listen to users and the community and consider additional options and adapt as necessary.
While we don’t have scientific data at this point, anecdotally we received feedback from many people directly and on social media that out-of-state hikers and people who live farther away felt they had better access to the peaks through the AMR gate and having a parking spot reserved.
For planning in advance, the hiking public that does not have internet access can always go to a local public library to access the internet. Another option is to send a letter to Adirondack Mountain Reserve, Attention: Hiker Safety, 137 Ausable Road, Keene Valley, NY 12943 and we will grant them access. The letter must be received prior to your arrival. It may be best to send with tracking information.
Part of the reason we implemented the parking reservation system is to alleviate traffic and public safety issues in the Route 73 corridor. To ensure it is inclusive to hikers not traveling by car, the program is open to those who may have traveled by bus or other means. If we allowed for everyone to just drop off hikers, it wouldn’t do much to address traffic in that you’d have people backed up trying to get into and out of Ausable Road. That would defeat the purpose of the parking reservation system in the first place. It includes those being dropped off who may have traveled to the region via bus, etc.
DEC partnered with SUNY ESF to assess visitor experience, recreational interests, and other factors. Data from last year is being finalized and additional information will be collected this year. Results will be shared once the study is completed.
In my view, the AMR is entitled to throttle parking on their property. However I believe it highly improper, and arguably illegal, to limit foot traffic on defined easements.
It is ludicrous to expect someone who isn’t utilizing their personal vehicle to reserve a parking berth. With today’s ride hailing services, there are many legitimate methods to arrive to use public access.
The AME doesn’t have a right to limit access by foot, nor does the DEC have the authority to legislate on-the-fly, subverting due process.
I couldn’t of said it better myself. I understand the need to limit the amount of cars blocking the roads and parking lots, but it seems to me they should be encouraging people to get dropped off. The trail itself can handle thousands of hikers a day. I can’t imagine how angry I would be if I got dropped off and they were telling me I couldn’t hike after driving eight hours to get there. I have no idea how they expect to stop people from just cutting through the woods
The link to easement is on this site. It doesn’t permit this. The state should enforce their rights on behalf of the people instead of partnering with the 1% to keep the rest of us out. Prohibitions on walk-ins make it clear that this is all about restricting access and parking or road safety. Personally the reservation system benefits me, but I’m more concerned with restrictions on larger community than my own self interest. This is another example of the golden rule: he who has the gold makes the rule. Shame on the DEC.
This land is your land and this land is my land, it was made for you and me.
The AMR can do whatever they want with their own lots, but keeping people off the public easement by falling back on one like from the original contract giving them the right to limit use to protect their own property is bogus. Its a *road*. Its not being “over used” by anyone except that diesel clunker of a club bus.
Its also causing nearby trailheads to fill up faster because people are using them as carpool lots to access the state lands adjacent the AMR property easement by simply going around the gates.
A smarter, better led AMR would ditch the permits and let anyone enter for a nominal fee and use that funding towards an expanded lot or better infrastructure. But, they share leadership with the ADK Council, and we all know they won’t lift a single finger towards trail work, supplying trailhead stewards, or anything else that doesn’t equate to limiting overall use in the HPW.
When you drive by on a misty Saturday and see three cars in the parking lot, you realize it has nothing to do with safety along the Route 73 corridor, and everything to do with the members at AMR wanting to limit access to the easement that taxpayers are paying for. What’s more likely is that the AMR finally padded enough pockets at the DEC to get them to go along with this cockamamie plan. If safety was really paramount, the State Police and DEC Rangers would have ticketed or towed unsafe and illegally parked vehicles in the preceding years solving the issue once and for all while generating a boatload of revenue for Keene.
I have family and friends who are both Rangers and Troopers, and ticketing/towing is not what they were hired to do. They have much more important responsibilities than dealing with traffic congestion. You might not like the reservation system, but for anyone who lives in this area you can’t seriously say that traffic wasn’t an issue. In my opinion having to make a reservation is a small price to pay for being able to drive rt 73 safely.
So no changes at all? Not even allocating some spots for same-day reservations only? Wasn’t that the number one complaint most people had? Probably could eliminate at least 80% of the Hate if they just allocated 20 or so spots for same-day first come first served.
And also allow people to get dropped off without a parking pass. If the argument is too many cars than why are they restricting drop offs?
It is important to note the Canadian border was closed last year. The system has not really been tried with the border open. Results and problems may differ this season.
70 parking permits for up to 8 people each, 560 hikers from one lot. Not enough for the “high peakers” though.
Absolutely ridiculous that they are not allowing shuttle/drop offs/walk ins. This is NOT a parking reservation, this is a “stay out” jab at the public which has a right to hike on that property. I’m a fan of having reserved parking spots, I LIKE not having to get up at 4am for a chance to go hiking there. But there absolutely needs to be other methods of accessing AMR hikes.
So the DEC continues to support an exclusive private club artificially limiting public access to a public right of way based on zero research or science? Where is the traffic study? Where is the study of trail carrying capacity? Where is the study of its effect on the public? Wasn’t this proposed as a “trial,” meaning some sort of data was being collected and studied? Once again the DEC just does what it wants to to do regardless of what is best for the public and without any meaningful public input.
As with other DEC policies/procedures, until someone files a suit or the winds shift in Albany, they do as they wish.
But the way I see it, this IS the study – it just hasn’t had a normal season to evaluate. Effectiveness studies and results cannot be published until the study is done. It is also silly to perform a study with too many variables. AMR parking/usage should have been sorted out PRIOR to implementing shuttles. Shuttles and restrictions are tests going in two different directions at the same time. How will anyone ever make sense of the data?
The only thing they are piloting in this so-called “pilot program” is how much bs the public will put up with. Out of one side of their mouths they call it a parking reservation system, then out of the other side of their mouths they call it a hiker reservation system. In practice it is both–you’re not allowed to hike without a parking permit unless you get dropped off or have a bus ticket, which is particularly silly because the buses don’t actually stop there. You have to buy a bus ticket to someplace nearby then get dropped off to hike.
If I want to hike Giant, is it possible to get a permit at the Ausable Club Lot and hike it or do you need hike the AMR trails?
Don’t need to park at Ausable club for Giant. Can park at Roaring Brook Falls or Chapel Pond or New Russia to get that onas
Very frustrating to read the mission accomplished press release from Commissioner Seggos. The DEC could have, and should have, avoided much unneeded contentiousness by enlisting public comments ahead of time for an initiative of this impact, accurately describing the pilot as involving hiker restrictions, and being completely transparent regarding goals and metrics. If you have a data-driven, thoughtful proposal, you should be anxious to own it and defend it.
One year in, I have never gotten a reply, nor heard any mention of the specific metrics being used for evaluating the very broad goal #3, ‘to preserve and protect both public and private lands’. Presumably what we need to ‘preserve and protect’ from is ‘misuse’, which points more to an issue of hiker behavior and suggests that greater education re: hiker etiquette (trash, noise, avoiding fragile vegetation etc.), might be much more effective than an arbitrarily established hiker headcount.