About Tim Rowland

Tim Rowland is a columnist, author and outdoors writer living in Jay.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. AK says

    The State could also spend its marketing dollars on increasing education, better parking and transportation infrastructure, and encouraging people to explore other areas of the Adirondacks. There is more to explore than just the eastern high peaks…

  2. gebby says

    Parking lots are completely inappropriate in size for the numbers of people that the state is ACTIVELY encouraging to come recreate in the Adirondacks and all we hear about or see done is limiting parking and “chasing people away” as someone says they are not trying to do. The state does not put enough money in to trail work and maintenance and does not have enough rangers. We hear nothing about that!

  3. TCD says

    I hoped the publication date for this would be April 1, as it is an incredibly foolish policy. But no, it’s April 5, so I guess they actually mean it.

    So they are closing the parking for the Deer Brook Trail to Snow Mountain and the Mossy Cascade Trail to Hopkins. These are local favorites, and have long been touted by these same “policy makers” as “alternatives to take the pressure of the high peaks.” Nice job. Punish the locals for your failure to manage the trails, and close alternative non high peak hikes.

    This just gets more stupid all the time. This latest one is so stupid I don’t even know what to say. “We’re from Albany and we’re here to help.”

  4. Nora Roy says

    Thank you for your decision to restrict parking along the roadside near Cascade & Porter, and near trails towards Giant and the cliffs on the west side of the road at St. Hubert’s, Keene Valley, and Keene.

    I recommend a mandatory trails fee for the most heavily hiked high peaks.

    Thank you,
    Nora Leonard Roy, Aspiring 46er since 1969. Age 72 now, my days of achieving « high up histedness » are probably done, but I would not want to be on any summit with more than a couple of other hikers anyway.

  5. Local ADKer says

    The problem with this article is obvious in the first sentence: “To limit the swelling numbers of High Peaks hikers and the environmental damage they cause”.

    Anyone with trail building experience will tell you that foot traffic doesn’t necessarily cause the damage, poor trail design and bad maintenance does. All one needs to do is look east to the White Mountains and notice the excessive hiker traffic they receive but the trails are generally in good shape. NY needs to invest in FULL TIME TRAIL CREWS. We’re not talking a few individuals, we’re talking several trained crews for various areas of the park. Trails should be hardened and re-routed when appropriate. Number of people are not the problem, our trail maintenance is. An ignored trail is a destroyed trail. The DEC suggesting that they intend to “spread traffic to other areas” is a joke. This means we’re just going to increase the number of damaged trails that aren’t garnering the attention and maintenance they need!

    You can’t stop people from coming to the High Peaks, especially when there are “I Love NY” billboards all across the southern parts of the state. If the Governor invested a fraction of the advertising budget in a couple trail crews we could actually make some headway on this severe problem!!

  6. Pete McConville says

    As an avid Waterfowler I’m constantly paying licensing fees, permit fees, stamp fees to pursue my interests.
    Hikers are wreaking havoc on our trail systems and taxing our Forest Rangers. Why no charge for them?

  7. Chris says

    So, I’ll take a day off from work, drive 3 hours to the high peaks for a planned hike and will be turned away because there won’t be enough parking? That’s a very productive plan. This is turning the Adirondacks into a negative experience. Go back to the drawing board.

  8. Paul Messina says

    Let’s see. Ban parking at popular trail heads. Close the Garden lot for a year. Relocate cascade parking lot. Increase tourism.
    Conflicting priorities.
    Perhaps the potential hikers can gather at the new rest stops on the Northway.
    End result will be more people at fewer trailheads with those trails being overused.
    I suggest building additional parking. Put up tow away signs where it is illegal to park, then enforce it.

  9. Jeremy says

    Just want to echo the comments here about state funding – how can we work together to get NYS to double the budget for maintenance, trail work, and parking (among other things)?

  10. Joe says

    Maybe its time for those who use the trails to invest a little more time and money into maintaining them. Why should New York taxpayers foot the bill? Take a look at the environmental impact of over using the trails. Some of the trails are more littered than a NYC sidewalk. Maybe it is time to enact something similar to the Pittman–Robertson Act. Whats a few extra dollars on a several hundred dollar back pack or backpacking tent? Whats wrong with charging for a trail permit? Are people opposed to investing in the preservation of the trails for future generations? Not me, I would happily invest $20 a year to preserve something I love. I’d still have a few bucks left to enjoy an ice cold Ubu Ale to cherish the day.

    • Boreas says

      Joe,

      You are right – and most, if not all hikers, would be fine with paying their share. What we lack is a way to do so in addition to Trail Supporter patches, which many people don’t even know exist.

  11. roger dziengeleski says

    The DEC continues to live up to it’s reputation as the “NO PEOPLE AGENCY” by further limiting infrastructure for parking and use of the very popular high peaks. Instead of providing stewardship and designing infrastructure to fit use, the Department chooses to limit use. Interesting timing with a budget allocation to increase diversity via the Adirondack Council. So we want fewer people using the park but more diversity?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *