The Department of Environmental Conservation and about 60 stakeholders met to talk about the problems of high traffic that have plagued the high peaks region for the past several years.
Hiking apps help but don’t replace maps
Hikers should note that trail apps can never replace a paper map; they’re useful tools, but they rely on phone batteries that can die. Especially in the winter, when batteries often die in the cold, it is important that hikers use apps to supplement their paper maps, not the other way around.
Fall Foliage Nearing Peak in Higher Elevations
Fall Foliage is approaching peak colors in the higher elevations of the High Peaks.
Saranac Lake Native Reissues Adirondack Guidebooks
Falcon Guides releases new editions of two hiking books by Lisa Densmore Ballard.
Hiker Skip Baker Was Military Vet
A fifty-year-old hiker who drowned in the East Branch of the Ausable in late July was a military veteran who had struggled with post-traumatic-stress disorder but found outlets in horses and hiking.
Controlling Crowds In The High Peaks
DEC is relying on education and the efforts of partner groups to deal with the increasing number of hikers who have been coming to the High Peaks region.
Three Hikes On Nature Preserves near Lake George
David Thomas-Train explores threes family-friendly hikes west of Lake George. The hikes are located on Pole Hill, Amy’s Park, and Goodwin’s Preserve.
Spencer Morrissey Bags Thousandth Peak
Spencer Morrissey’s goal is to hike all of the Adirondacks mountains that are open to the public, or that he’s allowed to do through permission of the landowners. He’s counted 1,817 possible peaks.
Trails showing their age
Observers say more money is needed to repair and maintain an antiquated network of hiking routes. By MIKE LYNCH When many of the High Peaks’ trails were cut more than a century ago, the work was done by guides and hired hands. Keene Valley’s Orson “Old Mountain” Phelps created the first trail up Mount Marcy in 1861; Verplanck Colvin’s survey workers cut routes up Algonquin and Dix in the late 1800s; and Henry Van Hoevenberg developed a trail system for the Adirondack Lodge (as it was then spelled). The early trails opened up the High Peaks to more people and laid the groundwork for today’s trail system, but some of the original trails continue to >>More
Beyond Peak Capacity
A sharp rise in hikers climbing some of the region’s highest mountains has lead to the degradation of natural resources and raises a variety of other issues.