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The state created the new regulations due to congested shoulders creating safety hazards for bicyclists and pedestrians forced into vehicle lanes. In past hiking seasons, hundreds of cars lined the shoulders of Route 73.
By Mike Lynch
Efforts to educate hikers about proper backcountry ethics will continue this summer in the Eastern High Peaks Wilderness, as the area has been designated an official Leave No Trace Hotspot for 2019.
By Phil Brown
The High Peaks Wilderness has grown to 274,000 acres, absorbing the Dix Mountain Wilderness, Boreas Ponds, and other adjacent lands. A new map reflects those additions.
By Tim Rowland
Along with parking restrictions, which the state began enforcing last year in the Chapel Pond area, DEC wants to rate hikes for their degree of difficulty and get this information into the hotels so tourists will be less likely to attempt climbs that are beyond their capabilities.
By Mike Lynch
The Garden parking lot in Keene Valley will be closed to motor vehicles because Johns Brook Bridge is slated to be replaced. Work on the bridge will begin this spring and continue until late summer.
Scott van Laer, a ranger in the High Peaks Wilderness and a union representative, urged legislators to add staffing. There are 106 field rangers statewide and some supervisors, and 50 permanent rangers who patrol 2.6 million acres in the Adirondacks. That compares to 330 federal rangers who patrol the Yellowstone National Park’s 2.2 million acres, he said.
By Mike Lynch
Hikers value protecting the Adirondack Park’s wild character more than expanding recreation opportunities.
About 300 people hiked a new Van Ho trail instead of shuttling to Cascade, according to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.
DEC encourages hikers to discover and visit the other numerous hiking opportunities in the area. The DEC web page, Hikes Outside the Adirondack High Peaks lists a dozen nearby hikes that provide a hiking experience similar to a High Peaks hike, including great scenic views, but with fewer people.
By Mike Lynch
Many hiking trails throughout the High Peaks Wilderness region are in rough shape and need to be restored, according to a leading Adirondack environmental group.