Friday, September 22, 2023

Outdoor Conditions (9/22): Hikers should prepare for wet trails, dress in layers

outdoor conditions logoThe following are only the most recent notices pertaining to public lands in the Adirondacks. Please check the Adirondack Backcountry webpages for a full list of notices, including seasonal road statuses, rock climbing closures, specific trail conditions, and other pertinent information.

A green shuttle bus that has been converted to a mobile interactive education station.

DEC Launches Pilot Mobile Education Station Sept. 22

Fridays through Sundays from Sept. 22 – Oct. 15, a DEC environmental educator will be stationed at a converted shuttle bus at the corner of Route 73 and Airport Road at Marcy Field. Stop by and come on in!

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Friday, September 15, 2023

Outdoor Conditions (9/15): Free Rt. 73 Hiker Shuttle Resumes Sept. 23

outdoor conditions logoThe following are only the most recent notices pertaining to public lands in the Adirondacks. Please check the Adirondack Backcountry webpages for a full list of notices, including seasonal road statuses, rock climbing closures, specific trail conditions, and other pertinent information.

NEW THIS WEEK

  • Free Rt. 73 Hiker Shuttle Resumes Sept. 23 – The shuttle will operate from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays from September 23 through October 8, and on Monday, October 9.
  • Cobble Hill Trail Temporarily Closed – The trail in Lake Placid will be closed Monday, Sept. 18, through Thursday, Sept. 21, to allow a professional trail crew to do rock and drainage work. The trail will re-open Friday, September 22.

» Continue Reading.


Friday, September 8, 2023

Outdoor Conditions (9/8): Saranac Lake Upper Locks closure/rehab work begins Sept. 18

outdoor conditions logoThe following are only the most recent notices pertaining to public lands in the Adirondacks. Please check the Adirondack Backcountry webpages for a full list of notices, including seasonal road statuses, rock climbing closures, specific trail conditions, and other pertinent information.

NEW THIS WEEK

  • Upper Locks Closure Begins Sept. 18 – Rehabilitation work will begin Sept. 18 and will close the Upper Locks between Upper Saranac and Middle Saranac Lakes. The project is expected to be complete in 2024.
  • Grass River Wild Forest – There is an exclusive rights period on the Cranberry Forest Conservation Easement until December 16th. The only public uses allowed during this time is the year-round use of the Windfall Road and Buckhorn Road for the sole purpose of accessing the river corridor, and the year-round use of the Dillon Pond Public Use Area.

» Continue Reading.


Friday, September 1, 2023

Outdoor Conditions (9/1): Hikers should prepare for wet trails, wear shoes with good tread

outdoor conditions logoThe following are only the most recent notices pertaining to public lands in the Adirondacks. Please check the Adirondack Backcountry webpages for a full list of notices, including seasonal road statuses, rock climbing closures, specific trail conditions, and other pertinent information.

NEW THIS WEEK

  • No New Updates

LAST WEEK

  • Adirondack Rail Trail – The section of the trail in Saranac Lake, stretching from Route 86 to North Country Community College is undergoing paving beginning 8/18. During this time, it will be unsafe for recreational use. The public should refrain from using this section of the trail during the construction period. Pavement will be used on this short section of high-use trail in order to provide a consistent surface throughout the village.

» Continue Reading.


Thursday, August 31, 2023

Recreationists urged to share trails, Leave No Trace this holiday weekend

A hiking trail in the Adirondacks

Holiday weekends are a convenient time for everyone to explore outside. But with more people on the trail, it’s important to share them properly. Be considerate of others and follow these tips so that everyone has a great time outside this Labor Day weekend.

» Continue Reading.


Friday, August 25, 2023

Outdoor conditions: Flooding on Croghan Tract

outdoor conditions logoThe following are only the most recent notices pertaining to public lands in the Adirondacks. Please check the Adirondack Backcountry webpages for a full list of notices, including seasonal road statuses, rock climbing closures, specific trail conditions, and other pertinent information.

NEW THIS WEEK

  • Watson’s East Triangle Wild Forest – The Croghan Tract Conservation Easement Main Haul Road is temporarily closed to public motorized use due to washouts caused by a recent rain event. The closure also impacts access to portions of Pepperbox Wilderness Area accessed through the easement property. The property remains open for public use, but visitors will need to park prior to the gate.

» Continue Reading.


Friday, August 18, 2023

Outdoor Conditions (8/18): Section of Adirondack Rail Trail to be paved, unsafe for use during construction

outdoor conditions logoThe following are only the most recent notices pertaining to public lands in the Adirondacks. Please check the Adirondack Backcountry webpages for a full list of notices, including seasonal road statuses, rock climbing closures, specific trail conditions, and other pertinent information.

NEW THIS WEEK

  • Adirondack Rail Trail – The section of the trail in Saranac Lake, stretching from Route 86 to North Country Community College is undergoing paving beginning 8/18. During this time, it will be unsafe for recreational use. The public should refrain from using this section of the trail during the construction period. Pavement will be used on this short section of high-use trail in order to provide a consistent surface throughout the village.

» Continue Reading.


Friday, August 11, 2023

Outdoor Conditions (8/11): High-water and muddy trails advisory in effect in ADKs

outdoor conditions logoThe following are only the most recent notices pertaining to public lands in the Adirondacks. Please check the Adirondack Backcountry webpages for a full list of notices, including seasonal road statuses, rock climbing closures, specific trail conditions, and other pertinent information.

NEW THIS WEEK

  • Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest – Cheney Road in North Hudson will be closed 8/14 and 8/15 to prep for road work. The road will close again the following week (dates TBA) to finish construction.

» Continue Reading.


Friday, August 4, 2023

Outdoor Conditions (8/4) – Marcy Brook Lean-to being repaired

outdoor conditions logo

High Peaks Wilderness – Starting Thursday, July 27, Marcy Brook Lean-to will be unavailable for use. The lean-to is being repaired over several weekends by the Adirondack 46ers Volunteers. Campers can utilize existing tent sites across the hiking trail from the lean-to or camp at nearby lean-tos.

A high-water and muddy trails advisory is in effect until further notice: Recent heavy rains have washed out numerous roads, bridges, and trails. The extent of damage is still being assessed. More thunderstorms bringing potential heavy rain are forecast throughout the remainder of the week. Users are advised to:

  • avoid recreating near and in streams and rivers due to fast-moving currents and floating debris.
  • avoid high-elevation trails to protect the thin soils and fragile habitats until things dry out and harden.

» Continue Reading.


Friday, July 28, 2023

Outdoor conditions (7/28): Hiker information stations in place this weekend

A high-water and muddy trails advisory is in effect until further notice: Recent heavy rains have washed out numerous roads, bridges, and trails. The extent of damage is still being assessed. More thunderstorms bringing potential heavy rain are forecast throughout the remainder of the week. Users are advised to:

  • avoid recreating near and in streams and rivers due to fast-moving currents and floating debris.
  • avoid high-elevation trails to protect the thin soils and fragile habitats until things dry out and harden.

This bulletin provides only the most recent notices. Check the Adirondack Backcountry webpages for more detailed information on access, outdoor recreation infrastructure, and conditions.

Emergency Situations: If you get lost or injured; keep calm and stay put. If you have cell service, call 911 or the DEC Forest Ranger Emergency Dispatch, 833-NYS-RANGERS.

Welcome to the Adirondacks. The Welcome to the Adirondacks webpage provides information about the Forest Preserve, conservation easement lands, outdoor recreation, and Leave No Trace™.

Love Our New York Lands: All New Yorkers and visitors should be able to access, enjoy, and feel welcome on state lands. While enjoying these shared spaces, be respectful of other visitors. Share trails, treat people with kindness, and leave things as you found them for others to enjoy. All of us have a responsibility to protect state lands for future generations. Learn more about how you can Love Our New York Lands.

» Continue Reading.


Monday, July 24, 2023

A Warming Climate

 

Tulare Lake Basin flood progression
Extreme Weather Events

I recall reading, earlier this year, about unprecedented flooding, in several areas of California that, until that time, had been stricken by years of climate-change-induced mega-drought so dire that, in August of 2021, a major hydroelectric power plant, Edward Hyatt Power Plant, was forced to shut down for the first time since it opened in 1967, due to extraordinarily low water levels. The plant’s reservoir, California’s second-largest, Lake Oroville, had fallen to just 24% of total capacity.

After this year’s January storms, however, the water level started to rise. It was 82% full on March 10th, when officials began letting water out of the reservoir for the first time in four years. Earlier this month, Lake Oroville had filled to 100% capacity.

In April, California’s Tulare Lake, a dry lake, was refilling, due to torrential rainfall. It’s currently five – to seven-feet deep. Fish now populate its waters. And birds have flocked to its shores. Tulare Lake was once the largest lake west of the Mississippi River. When full, it covered 800 square miles and fed several rivers. But it dried up completely nearly a century ago, as a result of dams, canals, and levees being built in and around California’s San Joaquin Valley; the largest agricultural region in the state of California. The last time a portion of the lake resurfaced was in 1983.

» Continue Reading.


Friday, July 21, 2023

Outdoor conditions: Muddy trail advisory still in effect

outdoor conditions logoA high-water and muddy trails advisory is in effect until further notice: Recent heavy rains have washed out numerous roads, bridges, and trails. The extent of damage is still being assessed. More thunderstorms bringing potential heavy rain are forecast throughout the remainder of the week. Users are advised to:

  • avoid recreating near and in streams and rivers due to fast-moving currents and floating debris.
  • avoid high-elevation trails to protect the thin soils and fragile habitats until things dry out and harden.

This bulletin provides only the most recent notices. Check the Adirondack Backcountry webpages for more detailed information on access, outdoor recreation infrastructure, and conditions.

» Continue Reading.


Friday, July 14, 2023

Outdoor Conditions (7/14): High-water and muddy trails advisory in effect in ADKs

outdoor conditions logoThe following are only the most recent notices pertaining to public lands in the Adirondacks. Please check the Adirondack Backcountry webpages for a full list of notices, including seasonal road statuses, rock climbing closures, specific trail conditions, and other pertinent information.

NEW THIS WEEK

A high-water and muddy trails advisory is in effect until further notice: Recent heavy rains have washed out numerous roads, bridges, and trails. The extent of damage is still being assessed. More thunderstorms bringing potential heavy rain are forecast throughout the remainder of the week. Users are advised to avoid recreating near and in streams and rivers due to fast moving currents and floating debris. Users are advised to avoid high elevation trails to protect the thin soils and fragile habitats until things dry out and harden.

» Continue Reading.


Wednesday, July 12, 2023

DEC Adirondack Outdoor Recreation Bulletin

A high-water and muddy trails advisory is in effect until further notice: Recent heavy rains have washed out numerous roads, bridges, and trails. The extent of damage is still being assessed. More thunderstorms bringing potential heavy rain are forecast throughout the remainder of the week. Users are advised to avoid recreating near and in streams and rivers due to fast moving currents and floating debris. Users are advised to avoid high elevation trails to protect the thin soils and fragile habitats until things dry out and harden.

This bulletin provides only the most recent notices. Check the Adirondack Backcountry webpages for more detailed information on access, outdoor recreation infrastructure, and conditions.

Muddy flooded Whiteface trail

Emergency Situations: If you get lost or injured; keep calm and stay put. If you have cell service, call 911 or the DEC Forest Ranger Emergency Dispatch, 833-NYS-RANGERS.

Welcome to the Adirondacks. The Welcome to the Adirondacks webpage provides information about the Forest Preserve, conservation easement lands, outdoor recreation, and Leave No Trace™.

Love Our New York Lands: All New Yorkers and visitors should be able to access, enjoy, and feel welcome on state lands. While enjoying these shared spaces, be respectful of other visitors. Share trails, treat people with kindness, and leave things as you found them for others to enjoy. All of us have a responsibility to protect state lands for future generations. Learn more about how you can Love Our New York Lands.


Friday, July 7, 2023

Outdoor Conditions (7/7): Knowing signs of heat stroke, exhaustion

outdoor conditions logoThe following are only the most recent notices pertaining to public lands in the Adirondacks. Please check the Adirondack Backcountry webpages for a full list of notices, including seasonal road statuses, rock climbing closures, specific trail conditions, and other pertinent information.

NEW THIS WEEK

  • Sable Highlands Conservation Easement and Cobble Hill Public Use Area – The bridge across Ouleout Creek is CLOSED TO ALL, including pedestrians.

» Continue Reading.



Conditions
Conditions

The Adirondack Almanack

The Adirondack Almanack is a public forum dedicated to promoting and discussing current events, history, arts, nature and outdoor recreation and other topics of interest to the Adirondacks and its communities

We publish commentary and opinion pieces from voluntary contributors, as well as news updates and event notices from area organizations. Contributors include veteran local writers, historians, naturalists, and outdoor enthusiasts from around the Adirondack region. The information, views and opinions expressed by these various authors are not necessarily those of the Adirondack Almanack or its publisher, the Adirondack Explorer.

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