Beyond Peak Capacity In NY

[DayTrip]

I guess it wasn't just my imagination after my first two trips to the Adirondacks this year. Thought this was an interesting article:

http://www.adirondackexplorer.org/stories/beyond-peak-capacity

 

[Tom Rankin]

I had C/P all to my self once!

http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthre...-An-easy-Winter-hike&highlight=cascade+porter

 

[The Sikes]

I had Cascade and Porter, Haystack, Blake, Colvin for a short time, Sewards, Seymour, Cliff, Redfield, Street, Nye...lots now that I think of it. It all depends on when you go. Early bird gets the worm.

 

[DayTrip]

I've had good luck in NH getting summits to myself arriving by 10 AM or earlier or heading out for the sunset while everyone is heading back. So far in NY I haven't been so lucky. I did Marcy on an overcast, foggy day and at 10:30 AM it had about 10 people and a trail steward. On the way down I passed at least 250 people. I did Algonquin on a sunny day and at 11AM there was well over 50 people on the summit plus a trail steward. Saw at least 250 people descending here too. On par or worse than popular trails in the Whites. It was like every trail was the Franconia Loop.

Hopefully that will change in future trips when I visit less peak-bagging oriented summits.

 

[hiker0200]

When I hiked Marcy (to date, my only ADK High Peak) back in August 2011, on a weekday, the parking lot was nearly full at 7 AM. Probably passed well over 100-150 people going up and down. The summit was almost as crowded as Grand Monadnock's summit can be. When we got back, the Loj parking lot was jam packed. Also, despite being 15 miles roundtrip, I saw more unprepared hikers on this hike than on any other hike I've ever done. That's a discussion for another day, though .

If it was bad five years ago, I'm scared to find out how bad the crowds are in the Dacks nowadays...

 

[Peakbagr]

It seems the tipping point is finally being reached in the ADKs and Cats. 1,100 hikers on Cascade last weekend. It appears that the dollars being poured into publicizing them by the governor's office just MIGHT get us some add'l ranger staff that's been sorely missing the last decade.

 

[Nessmuk]

come on, people,the Adirondacks comprise 6 million acres, half of which is public lands. why concentrate so much on the EHP? there are thousands of lowland destinations, remote ponds and other interesting terrain features that provide adventure, both on and off trail. Look around a bit, explore the options. I regularly hike and camp the western and northern and souhern Adirondacks and see zero other humans for he entire trip.

 

[Tom Rankin]

come on, people,the Adirondacks comprise 6 million acres, half of which is public lands. why concentrate so much on the EHP? there are thousands of lowland destinations, remote ponds and other interesting terrain features that provide adventure, both on and off trail. Look around a bit, explore the options. I regularly hike and camp the western and northern and souhern Adirondacks and see zero other humans for he entire trip.

On the one hand, I agree with you. There are many other destinations such as Fire Towers, and smaller peaks that are worth exploring.

But the High Peaks still are the Bomb! If you've been there, (I don't mean you Nessmuk), then you probably know what I mean. The views are the best for my money. Certainly Cascade is an easy peak, and gets you (unnaturally) above tree line about as quickly as possible. And there is still the same old mystique about being a '46er'. Most people don't start on Allen, they start on Cascade.

And lastly, why tell people they should come visit your quiet, hidden spots?

 

[Peakbagr]

come on, people,the Adirondacks comprise 6 million acres, half of which is public lands. why concentrate so much on the EHP? there are thousands of lowland destinations, remote ponds and other interesting terrain features that provide adventure, both on and off trail. Look around a bit, explore the options. I regularly hike and camp the western and northern and souhern Adirondacks and see zero other humans for he entire trip.

I agree with your comments about so much to see with the remote and glorious other areas - it's where I mostly hike. At the same time, the money it being poured into tourism and when adding in social media, the influx is all headed to the Adirondack and Catskill high peaks. Tom is correct, for the vast majority of folks new to the hiking, they wanna be 46ers and 3500 Club members.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Tom is correct, for the vast majority of folks new to the hiking, they wanna be 46ers and 3500 Club members.

FWIW -- I can see myself making the trips for the 46ers patch (what I really want is the 111/115 ) and maybe for the 3500 patch, but not for any other reason. I have plenty of options, crowded or otherwise, in NH.

Tim

 

[Tom Rankin]

Tom is correct, for the vast majority of folks new to the hiking, they wanna be 46ers and 3500 Club members.

And the horse is out of the barn. We could not 'delete' the 3500 club or the 46ers even if we tried. It would just reform.

 

[Puma concolor]

While many may miss that feeling of having the mountains all to themselves while chasing peaks on these popular lists, I kind of view it as a positive that more folks are stepping outdoors away from their various devices and discovering the mountains.

If you still crave that feeling of remoteness and being "out there," there is always the winter!

 

[DayTrip]

While many may miss that feeling of having the mountains all to themselves while chasing peaks on these popular lists, I kind of view it as a positive that more folks are stepping outdoors away from their various devices and discovering the mountains.

If you still crave that feeling of remoteness and being "out there," there is always the winter!

I don't know about NY but there isn't exactly a shortage of hikers in the NH mountains during Winter. Better than Summer for sure but not exactly all alone out there.

 

[Puma concolor]

Weekdays.

(Winter weekdays, that is.)

 

[bikehikeskifish]

I don't know about NY but there isn't exactly a shortage of hikers in the NH mountains during Winter. Better than Summer for sure but not exactly all alone out there.

I was going to chip in with this... and anecdotally, I can tell you that in 112 recorded winter 4K hikes, I detected or encountered no other people probably 5 times. Granted, in winter, it's likely that I know the people I encounter.

Tim

 

[TCD]

I hike some popular peaks via trails. I also bushwhack a lot (probably 75% of the time). Of course I see a lot of people when I hike to a popular destination on a trail. I expect a crowd there, and it doesn't bother me. I like seeing people out having fun. When I bushwhack, I almost never see anyone else; and that is also exactly what I expect, and it doesn't bother me.

 

[Puma concolor]

This just in ...

http://www.dec.ny.gov/press/107782.html

This autumn hikers should properly prepare for hikes in the Adirondacks and hike on trails less populated than those in the High Peaks Wilderness, an opportunity that offers fantastic scenes of fall foliage for a more enjoyable backcountry experience, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos urged today.

"Autumn is a great time to enjoy the Adirondacks," Commissioner Seggos said. "As more people continue to enjoy the incredible outdoor excursions offered throughout the Adirondack Park, we encourage visitors to explore the hundreds of lesser known trails that offer the same high quality natural experiences as the more popular trails, and to be prepared to safely enjoy the Park's changing conditions."

 

[jfb]

This too: http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2016/09/hikers-turned-away-high-peaks.html

 

[nyestreet]

For what it's worth I've been hiking exclusively in central and southern Daks this year. While the scenery is not as spectacular, it's still pretty damn good and it seems the hiking traffic is cut by about 90%. This after spending maybe 40 years of hiking the high peak area and less frequently eastern Daks. Most destinations are a lot easier on my 63 year old legs (not Snowy Mt!) and it's piqued my interest in the 100 highest. Nyestreet 1902W

 

[sleepy_mike]

First I became an ADK 46R, then took several years off from hiking. My first NH 4,000 footer with my son was Tecumseh. We met a hiking group on top of Tecumseh, and I was visibly out of shape and tired from the climb. I mentioned that I was an Adirondack 46R. I heard comments from the group that "well, the Adirondacks are easier." I didn't say anything, but I thought that was pretty funny.