About Adirondack Explorer

The Adirondack Explorer is a nonprofit magazine covering the Adirondack Park's environment, recreation and communities.

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  1. Zephyr says

    Any permit system that takes multiple articles to explain and requires an ongoing update page is not going to be understood by the average hiker, if they even know these new regulations exist before attempting a hike from the AMR lot. The parking restrictions are just going to further aggravate a dangerous and hard to understand situation. It’s hard to imagine how they could have created a worse system.

  2. Ned says

    So do the members of the Ausable Club need to make reservations? Guess they don’t count. Glad the rich are now controlling access to the Adirondacks!

    Overuse of trails? Get real, the DEC needs to completely rethink the way they maintain trails, not limit the people who can experience the Adirondacks. I would rather not, but seeing as the number of visitors keeps growing each year what really needs to be done is popular trails, for example most of the trails at the lodge, is they need to be properly built up – not dirt trails that are the cause of trail erosion. I’m not saying pave a path to the top of Marcy, but there needs to be trails built that can withstand a high amount of hikers. People will complain that this is not the nature of the Adirondacks, but to protect the Adirondacks creating trails that can handle a high throughput if hikers will, in the long run, prevent trail erosion better than the current meta of relying on crappy dirt footpaths. When it rains or it is wet, people expand these footpaths by walking around it, this accumulates overtime and you can see how this has effected many popular trails in the Adirondacks.

    The Ausable Club is a joke and I do not respect the institution. The Ausable club should have no rights to the AMR!

  3. nathan friend says

    this is just rediculous, it’s going to become only people with big wallets can hike the trails or even get to trails. there will be no simply go for ride and stop to do something, but rather months in advance to plan an outting. fix the trails and increase parking, fix issues not make it worse. I found simpler solution, i now hike obscure trails and avoid the crowds. get smart and avoid the crowds, spread the load else where and avoid the crunch.
    Route 73 has become so over crowded with idiots parking all over the road and then let kids out into the road, dont supervise their kids as they unload their gear. they need to create parking and shuttle buses to those areas and any illegal parking, slap $200 fine, repeat $500 and tow. use those tickets to fund enforcement and shuttles. from keene to placid, 73 has become unsafe traffic jam because of illegal parking and lack of proper facilities. how many kids have to die or darwin awards handed out???
    i love one idiot as i come around corner walking into road and trying to block traffic for bunch of kids to cross, from a blind corner where its 55 MPH???? almost got his darwin award!

  4. MARALYN MASTER says

    If not for the Ausable Club—these beautiful woods would have been sold in the 1890’s and lumbered over by ruthless lumber companies.

    The Ausable Club has cared for and protected these gorgeous lands so now you can partake in their beauty too.!!

    • Jesse says

      And if not for the state of New York bailing out the AMR from bankruptcy back in the late 1970’s in exchange for hiker access to this land, the state would own all of this property and there would be no issue…

  5. hiker says

    In the text of the easement document, it states that the easement remains in perpetuity, meaning forever, except in times of natural disaster like floods or fire. In order for them to restrict access, BOTH parties (the State of New York and the AMR) must agree on the restrictions. This did not happen people! The State of New York is not just a few reps from the DEC, it is all of the people of the state, meaning there must be referendum prior to any restrictions. There has been NO REFERENDUM, therefore this hiker reservation system should cease and desist immediately.

  6. Zephyr says

    These “adjustments” to the idiotic hiking permit system don’t change the reality that it prevents many of us from hiking there. I can’t keep checking back for last-minute openings–I live too far away for that to make any difference to me. I’ve looked several times for openings on days I could go, and nothing. From what I read many days there are vacancies in the parking lot and yet they don’t let cars in, and more importantly they don’t let hikers in. This is a hiking permit that prevents many of us from using the trail, whatever they want to call it. In fact, they state as much in their FAQs: “Walk-in users without a reservation will not be permitted.”

  7. gebby says

    At the rate that things happen up there, we’ll be lucky to see this up and running before summer is over! The Garden shuttle can’t get drivers this year, so what are the odds they’ll get drivers for this one, for which they’ll need even more drivers?! And someone will need to explain to me how, since the parking restrictions and this “reservation”(permit system) are all about safety on 73, hikers will not be allowed to be dropped at the club to hike. All the no parking signs, delineators and the permit system are all about keeping people out of the Ausable Club and have zero to do with safety. I’ve been in the area almost every weekend since Memorial Day and I have yet to see that parking lot filled and there has been some good hiking weather. What a scam!

  8. Jesse says

    I just attempted to reserve at the AMR… of course it was over-booked and unavailable slots. There are only 17 available slots that can be registered for on any given day. Let me say that again… 17 available slots per day for almost as many hikes available – so only one carload (which is often 1-2 people) per mountain peak, per day?!?

    The time slots are spaced every 15 minutes beginning at 5 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. Several of the longer hikes (Blake and Colvin, Sawteeth, Gothics Armstrong and WolfJaws) can take 8-10 hours depending on how many peaks are attempted in a day. This means that if your “slot” to register is at 3p.m., you’re getting back sometime around midnight, with several hours of hiking in the dark.

    How is this reasonable or safe for anyone?!?

    This is a travesty – one of the most pristine hiking areas in the Adirondacks is now limited to 17 cars per day – (no drop-offs or walk-ins). This was an access easement created for hikers because the state bailed out the AMR back in the late 1970s, and continues to allow them to pay extremely lower taxes in that agreement.

    If this is how this is going to play out, I recommend that the AMR gets an accurate land-value assessment, and begins paying the full amount in property taxes that is required by law. It’s my understanding that they currently pay just over $20,000 per year, for property worth millions of dollars…

  9. Jesse says

    It’s nearly impossible to get a permit to hike there – the opportunity is at noon, exactly 2 weeks prior to when you plan to hike. So far, in my experience the reservations for a weekend slot are full within an hour of that cut-off. It’s nearly impossible to get a permit.

    I was fortunate enough to get a slot in September, and the trails were empty – but not in a good way. The high peak hikes at the AMR are some of the most difficult, and in my opinion, VERY important to see other hikers on the trail for support in the case of emergency. I hiked the Two Wolfjaws, Armstrong and Gothics loop and only saw 3 other groups of 2 the entire day on the trail. I got out after dark by headlamp, and there were still 2 groups that hadn’t signed out yet. How is this safer, or better for the trails?

    The businesses in Keene are all empty, and not open for dinner on weekdays – how is this good for the local economy?

    I’ve met hikers on other trails that had arrived at the AMR not knowing about the permit system, and said they were treated like criminals for arriving without a permit. There is no need for that kind of rudeness or aggressive response. This is a failure in my opinion, and should be fought in court.

    The original agreement for the AMR was to allow up to 17 cars to park in their parking lot – but there is NO limitation for the number of hikers to be allowed to access the trails. That original agreement, like this one, was between the DEC and the AMR – why did the DEC suddenly bend to their whims?

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