DEC Adirondack Outdoor Recreation Bulletin
July 12, 2018

Have a safe and enjoyable outdoor recreational experience on the lands and waters of the Adirondacks. Properly plan and prepare for your outdoor adventure. Minimize the impact on the mountains and forests, rivers and brooks, ponds and lakes and the wildlife of the Adirondacks.

Check the Adirondack Backcountry Information webpages for more detailed information on access, outdoor recreation infrastructure and conditions for those planning to recreate in the Adirondacks. This bulletin provides only the most recent notices.

Emergency Situations: If you get lost or injured, keep calm and stay put. If you have cell service, call the DEC Forest Ranger Emergency Dispatch (518-891-0235).

More information on hiking safety and what to pack.

Watch for cyclists: Adirondack roadways are shared by all. Cyclists training for the annual Lake Placid Ironman in late July are utilizing Route 86 between Jay and Lake Placid, Route 73 between Lake Placid and Keene, and Route 9N between Keene and Jay as part of the training course. Please use caution and drive slowly, especially through the Cascade Lakes area and the Wilmington Notch where the road becomes very narrow and there is little to no shoulder. Vehicles should always be aware and keep an eye out for cyclists on all roads in the Adirondacks. Parking along the side of the road removes access to safe shoulders for cyclists who are sharing the roadways. Please park ONLY in designated parking areas along roadsides and at trail heads.

Would you like your photo shared in our weekly bulletin? Send in your photos with your name and photo location/brief description to Info.R5@dec.ny.gov or tag #nysdec on Instagram.

Plan

Weather forecasts and conditions can and do change quickly. Check the current National Weather Service Forecast.  Be prepared for the forecasted conditions, or change your plans.

• Parking areas along Route 73 are now striped. Please park in the designated parking spots between the striped lines. Do not park in hash marked areas or where No Parking signs are posted. Try some of these less crowded, beautiful hikes.
• Group Size Limits: The High Peaks Wilderness regulations limit day use group size to 15 people and overnight use group size to eight people. Group size limits exist to better protect trails from impact and maintain a certain level of wilderness experience for all users.
• Bear Activity: A nuisance bear with an ear tag has been active in Eastern High Peaks recently. The bear is approaching hikers and campers in an attempt to obtain food. Bear canisters are currently required in the High Peaks Wilderness and strongly recommended throughout the rest of the park. Be sure all of your food and waste will fit securely within the bear canister.
  • Plan to cook your meals earlier in the evening before dusk and cook away from your tent site or lean-to by at least 100ft. Never leave your food unattended. Even spitting out toothpaste near your site can lead to unwanted bear attention.
  • Distance yourself from your bear canister overnight by at least 100ft. Store the canister on level ground in an area where it will not be obviously visible to a passing bear. Hanging canisters is not recommended.

Prepare

Properly prepare to better ensure a safe and enjoyable recreation experience.

• Alpine Vegetation: The summit of a high peak is an amazing place to be. While you're soaking in the accomplishment of your hard work and the beauty of the views, don’t forget to watch where you’re walking. The High Peaks of the Adirondacks are home to rare and endangered alpine vegetation that live and thrive on our rocky summits, and it’s up to you to help protect it.
  • Keep a clean trail and summit so alpine vegetation can grow healthy and freely.
  • Stay on the trail and on the rocks to avoid trampling and damaging alpine vegetation.
  • Carry a rock to the summit to help summit stewards build trail cairns and rock screes that help protect the vegetation.
• Summer Heat: Summer started off with a major heat wave, and while temperatures have dropped slightly, you should still prepare for hot temperatures on rocky summits by bringing plenty of water and a water filter to gather more along your trip. Prepare for your trip to take longer than expected to account for more rest stops along the way to avoid overheating.

Practice Leave No Trace

Follow proper trail etiquette to maintain minimal impact on the environment and the natural resources of the Adirondacks, as well as ensure an enjoyable outdoor experience for all visitors by following the Seven Principles of Leave No Trace.

Always carry out what you carry in. Pack extra baggies to ensure you can pack out any trash and food scraps.

It’s easy to think that throwing your apple core or banana peel into the woods won’t have lasting effects but imagine; you aren’t the only one to think this way. How many apple cores and banana peels are scattered throughout our trails and forests?

It takes months for an apple core to decompose and up to two years for a banana peel to decompose. It may not have a visual impact but in that time of decomposition, it has attracted wildlife and permanently impacted their survival patterns.

Carrying out all trash and scraps will protect our wildlife from negative impacts, reduce wildlife encounters, and preserve the pristine beauty of our forests.

Did You Know…

• Trash Decomposition Timeline
  • Aluminum Can-------------------80 to 100 years
  • Plastic 6-pack Holder----------100 years
  • Orange or Banana Peel--------Up to 2 years
  • Plastic Film Container----------20 to 30 years
  • Plastic Bags----------------------10 to 20 years
  • Glass Bottles---------------------1,000,000 years
  • Plastic Coated Paper-----------5 years
  • Nylon Fabric----------------------30 to 40 years
  • Leather----------------------------1 to 5 years
  • Wool Socks----------------------1 to 5 years
  • Tin Cans--------------------------50 years

General Conditions/Notices

Learn the conditions you will encounter from Adirondack Backcountry Information.

All

• Active Nuisance Bears: The warm dry weather has reduced the amount of berries and other natural foods available to bears. DEC has received reports of nuisance bears throughout the Adirondacks. Follow practices to avoid negative encounters with bears  in the backcountry.
• Bear Resistant Canisters: The use of bear-resistant canisters is required for overnight users in the Eastern High Peaks Wilderness between April 1 and November 30. All food, toiletries and garbage must be stored in bear-resistant canisters. DEC encourages the use of bear-resistant canisters throughout the Adirondacks
• Summer Weather: Stay cool and hydrated on hot and sunny days. Avoid heat exhaustion:
  • Slow your pace, rest often, and stay in the shade as much as possible.
  • Carry plenty of water and drink often – even if you don’t feel thirsty.
  • Dogs, especially large dogs, are very susceptible to the heat.
    
    • Do not take them on strenuous hikes up mountains that expose them to the heat and sun.
    • Leave them home - not in your car, or
    • Take them to a lake or pond.
• Thunderstorms: There is a chance of thunderstorms forecast for Thursday afternoon through Friday morning.
  • Avoid summits, water surfaces and other open areas during thunderstorms.
  • As soon as you are first aware of an approaching thunderstorm, move to lower elevations, head to shore or otherwise seek shelter.
  • If caught outside in a thunderstorm, find a low spot away from tall trees, seek an area of shorter trees and crouch down away from tree trunks.
• Fire Danger Rating: MODERATE. Check the current fire danger map. Be safe with campfires.
• Biting Insects: Expect to encounter mosquitoes, deer flies and no-see-ums (biting midges) when outdoors. Follow these steps to minimize the nuisance of biting insects:
  • Wear-light colored clothing.
  • Wear long sleeve shirts; tuck shirts into pants and button or rubber band sleeves at the wrist.
  • Wear long pants and tuck the bottom of pant legs into your socks.
  • Pack a headnet to wear when insects are thick.
  • Use an insect repellant with DEET. Follow label directions.

Hikers and Campers

• Trail Conditions:
• Trails may be wet and muddy in low spots, along water bodies, and in drainages.
• Avoid damaging hiking trails, trail side vegetation and habitats:
  • Wear water-resistant hiking boots and let them get dirty.
  • Stay in the center of trail and walk through mud and water.
• Mountain Summits: Temperatures will be cooler and winds will be stronger. Check the National Weather Service Mountain Point Forecasts for selected summits.

Boaters, Paddlers and Anglers

• Water Levels: Water levels are low, especially in the southern half of the Adirondacks. See the USGS Current Water Data for New York for stream flow of selected waters.
  • Rapids and other sections may be too shallow to float. Paddlers will need to drag their canoes and kayaks through these sections.
  • Boaters and paddlers should watch for rocks, logs, and other underwater obstructions just below the surface that were previously covered by deeper water.

Mountain Bikers

• Electric bicycles: Electric bicycles (E-bikes) of any class are not allowed on mountains.

Rock Climbers

• Rock Climbing Route Closures: A number of rock climbing cliffs and routes in the eastern Adirondacks remain closed to climbing to allow peregrine falcons to nest and raise their young. Others have been reopened.

Specific Notices

Notices below reflect recent changes in conditions and recreation infrastructure work completed by DEC and its partners. Check the Backcountry Information for the Adirondacks webpages for ongoing issues and more detailed information.

• Blue Ridge Wilderness/Wakely Mountain Primitive Area: Repairs have been completed on the Wakely Mountain Fire Tower. The fire tower and the Wakely Mountain Trail are once again open to public use.
• St. Regis Canoe Area: Student Conservation Association (SCA) Adirondack Program Crew Members replaced 120 feet of bog bridging and hardened 60 feet of trail on the Floodwood to Long Pond Trail.
• Debar Mountain Wild Forest: Student Conservation Association (SCA) Adirondack Program Crew Members installed drainage structures and repaired badly eroded sections of the Debar Meadows-Meacham Lake Trail.
• Blue Ridge Wilderness: DEC and others have completed a two- year project to address wet and muddy areas on the Sagamore Lake Trail within the Historic Great Camps Special Management Area adjacent to Great Camp Sagamore. DEC staff, Camp Sagamore Trail Stewards, and volunteers:
  • Installed bog bridges, culverts and puncheons.
  • Cleaned and rehabilitated drainage ditches.
  • Reconfigured trails to shed water.
• High Peaks Wilderness/Vanderwhacker Wild Forest (Boreas Ponds): Gulf Brook Road will be closed on week days for the next several weeks beginning at sundown Sunday, June 24 to the end of July.
  • The road will be open on weekends from 5 p.m. Friday through sundown Sunday.
  • Until the repairs are complete, only four-wheel drive SUVs, pick-up trucks, and other high clearance vehicles should use the road.
  • Drivers should use caution, drive slowly, and watch for oncoming vehicles.
• High Peaks Wilderness:
• The lands of the Dix Mountain Wilderness are now part of the High Peaks Wilderness. DEC will be changing signs, webpages, and regulations to eliminate the Dix Mountain Wilderness and transition to the High Peaks Wilderness.
• A nuisance bear with an ear tag has been active in Eastern High Peaks recently. The bear is approaching hikers and campers in an attempt to obtain food. Pack all food, toiletries and garbage in a bear resistant canister as required by regulation. If approached by a bear:
  • Do not throw your pack at them. If they are rewarded with food, they will continue this behavior.
  • Raise your arms over your head to look bigger. Yell loudly at the bear as you slowly back away – do not run.
  • If available, bang rocks or metal objects together for noise.
  • Avoid negative encounters with bears.
• Bradley Pond Lean-to has a 3ft by 6ft hole in the roof. The lean-to can still be used but should be avoided if it's raining. DEC is developing a temporary fix for the 2018 season and will fully repair the roof during the off season.
• Bog River Complex (Lows Lake)
  • DEC is overseeing a maintenance project on the Lows Upper Dam to bring the dam into compliance with New York Dam Safety Regulations.
    • Construction activities will impact recreational users of the portage from Hitchins Pond to Lows Lake, as well as private landowners and users of the Sabattis Boy Scout Camp.
    • Work is scheduled to occur Monday through Friday and is expected to last through summer 2018.
    • Members of the public wishing to access Hitchins Pond and Lows Lake will continue to launch at Low's Lower Dam, located near the end of State Highway 421.
    • Recreational users should continue to use the existing designated portage around Low's Upper Dam.
      • From Hitchins Pond, travel northwest past the old homesite;
      • Stay within the designated traffic area (delineated with orange construction fence) at all times as you make your way through the work area.
      • Continue to the dock on the right side of the Bog River Flow.
      • If you have any questions or concerns, contact Henry Dedrick, Supervising Forester at the DECs Potsdam sub-office at 315-274-3342 or by e-mail.

Highlighted Hike - Mt. Adams, Newcomb, NY

The Mt. Adams trail is typical of old fire tower access trails that head straight up the mountain. It leaves the East River Trail at the Observer Cabin and goes directly to the 3,520-foot summit. Mt. Adams provides an amazingly unique view of the High Peaks from below, while towering over the historic mining area and looking down at the Hudson River.

The 4.6-mile round trip hike starts off with a swinging iron suspension bridge crossing over the Hudson River. Once over the bridge, a level trail takes you around Lake Jimmy. At .07 miles you will pass by the observer’s cabin on your left and locate the trail to Adams on the left at the top of a small rise. A cairn will mark the start of the 1.6-mile fire tower trail that will lead you to the summit with approximately 1800-ft in elevation gain.

Trailhead: The 1st parking area for the Upper Works Trailhead is located on County Route 25, also called Tahawus Rd which then turns into Upper Works Rd in Newcomb, NY. The fire tower trailhead parking area is located just past the MacIntyre Iron Furnace. (Google Maps)