Help us keep bringing you the Adirondack information you value.
Email
Twitter
RSS
Facebook
2021 was the first year of the new permit system at the Adirondack Mountain Reserve (AMR) parking area and trailheads in St. Hubert’s, organized by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The permit reservation system is seasonal and runs from May 1st to October 31st. 2022 is year two. Last year I went through the system in its first month on a hike up Gothics Mountain and wrote a review about my experience.
This year, I went back on a summer weekend, a day I figured to be a busy weekend, on Saturday, July 9th, the height of the hiking season in the High Peaks. I’ve looked at the AMR reservation system as an important experiment in public use management in the High Peaks Wilderness, an area that has seen remarkably little experimentation over the years.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos joined state and local community leaders to announce initiatives planned for the 2022 outdoor recreation season to protect public safety and promote sustainable recreation in the Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserve. Many of these actions, bolstered by $8 million from the State Environmental Protection Fund specifically for Adirondack and Catskill visitor safety and wilderness protection in the recently enacted 2022-23 State Budget, support a comprehensive strategy to improve safety, sustainability, and equitable access of those enjoying the outdoors during the upcoming warm weather months.
Adirondack Explorer reporter Gwendolyn Craig reported this week that the Adirondack Mountain Reserve 
Editor’s note: This commentary is in the March/April 2021 issue of Adirondack Explorer magazine, as part of our “It’s Debatable” feature. In this regular column, we invite organizations and/or individuals to address a particular issue. Click here to subscribe to the magazine, available in both print and digital formats: 
Last Monday after this newsletter went out, the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the Ausable Club 
DEC and the Adirondack Mountain Reserve (AMR) have 
Recent 
A Siena College Research Institute poll of New York voters in September showed that by 68% to 22% they overwhelmingly want New York State officials to protect heavily used public lands in the Adirondack Forest Preserve by enforcing resource capacity limits. The poll results were released by the Adirondack Council.
General inquiries about the Adirondack Almanack should be directed to editor
Discussion time: Hiking permits, parking and shuttles
The Adirondack Mountain Reserve hiking permit system closes for the season on Oct. 31. Did you use it this summer or plan to make a reservation before the end of the month? Did you take one of the fall foliage shuttles the state started trying this year?
In your opinion, what are some creative ideas the state and/or local communities should be considering to move people from parking lots to trailheads?