First trip to Adirondacks

[snake eyes]

Our planned hike to Glacier NP just got derailed due to the number of forest fires and heavy smoke in the area, so we're going to go to the Adirondacks High Peaks region instead. I've found some conflicting info concerning the lean-to shelters. Do you need reservations? Also looking at some of the earlier post they mention starting at Upper Works and using a lean-to in the Flowed Land area. What kind of road is the Upper Works? Is it a pot holed dirt rd that you can only travel about 5mph on or is paved or graded well? We're looking at whether it would be better to come in from the south at Upper Works or from the north from Adirondack Lodge Rd.
Can you tell me where's the best place to rent bear canisters?

I'm sure I'll be back with more questions real soon.

Thanks, snake eyes

 

[SpencerVT]

Lean-to's are on a first-come basis, and they can often fill up. Upper Works road is ok. It's not terrible, but it's not a nice smooth paved road either. You shouldn't have any problem on it, but you have to go a bit slower.
I think there's a place in Keene, NY where you can rent Bear Canisters, but I'm not sure the name. I would just go ahead and buy one if you can, you'll use it again.
I would start at the ADK Loj, but parking there can fill up. I think though that the Loj is a good place to start for a first trip to the Adks. Have fun! This is a great time of year to go to the Adks - it's cooler and the bugs are mostly gone.

 

[TEO]

Lean-tos are on a first-come, first-served basis.

The road to Upper Works is paved, I think all the way to the end, IIRC, but it is not built for high speed travel. Assume 25-35 m.p.h. once you turn off of 28N.

You can rent bear canisters at the Mountaineer in Keene Valley, among other places.

Johns Brook Valley is another primary trailhead to consider, but like the Loj, can fill up early on weekends.

If you're planning on a multi-day backpacking trip, & are experienced, relatively strong hikers, you might also consider starting from Elk Lake & spending a couple of nights in Panther Gorge. It's a longer, less traveled way in, but beautiful, with immediate access to Skylight, Marcy, & Haystack. From there you could go up & over to Flowed Lands or the Johns Brook Valley.

 

[TCD]

Don't know your timing. If you have time, buy and read the Adirondack Mountain Club High Peaks Region guidebook, which will answer all these questions and many more.

Also review DEC hiking information at the NYS DEC site.

As others said, lean to's are first come first served. But they are also supposed to be shared until full (typically 6-8 ppl). But you should alweays bring a tent and be prepared if the lean to in your area is full. There are some private lean tos on private land (like at ADK Loj and at JBL) that can be reserved, but these are the exception. The leantos are very basic; think a smaller and more open version of the shelters at HoJos.

Lots of factors in where to enter the High Peaks Wilderness. There are several main access points: ADK Loj, Upper Works, Elk Lake, AMR, JBL; and several lesser acccess points that serve fewer destinations. Also, the "geographic" High Peaks are made up of several land units, including the High Peaks Wilderness, the Giant Mountain Wilderness, the Dix Mountain Wilderness, etc.

So it's huge and varied. A lot depends on what you want to see and do. If amenities like restaurants, equipment shops, etc., for before / after the trip matter to you, then you definitely want to start from the North End (ADK Loj, JBL, AMR, etc.) . Lots of civilization along Route 73. The south end is basically desolate of things like that.

Come and enjoy! It won't be Glacier; we have to be realistic. But it's pretty nice!

 

[SpencerVT]

I agree with TEO about Panther Gorge. So beautiful and access to tons of great peaks.

 

[Nessmuk]

Note that if you arrive at a fully occupied lean-to, you cannot set up your tent in the same location at the lean-to site - the 150 foot rule applies here. In general you may camp only at lean-to sites, or at primitive designated campsites (look for the yellow "camp here" disk), or virtually anywhere else as long as you obey the 150 foot rule (there are further restrictions in the High Peaks region) and follow general LNT principles. If you are new to the Adirondacks I highly recommend you become familiar with the simple regulations on the NYSDEC site. Call ahead to a ranger if you have any questions - they are there to help and have the best knowledge you can get.

see:
Primitive camping:
http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/41282.html

State land camping and hiking rules:
http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7872.html

Ranger list:
http://www.dec.ny.gov/about/677.html

 

[snake eyes]

Thanks for all the answers and suggestions so fast. We're not planning on hiking until a Sunday night and then for a few nights, so hopefully the crowds shouldn't be there.

 

[Peakbagr]

Carry a tent as others have suggested. If you plan on staying at a leanto a couple of considerations. Some of the very popular ones (Marcy Dam, Johns Brook Valley, Elk Lake trail and others are often occupied. The 'as many as can fit' rule depends who arrived ahead of you. Even though it's against the rules, people will sometimes set their tents up inside a leanto. Or 2 or 3 will have all their stuff spread out in a leanto forcing you to either ask them to make room, move it yourself (if they aren't around), or go elsewhere. Some occupants may not be aware of share until full or tell you sorry, 'leanto is full'. And observe the regs about where you can set up a tent or use of fire. The Adirondack Park is huge and very wild and unsettled in large areas.
The Garden, Elk Lake and ADK Loj parking lots will fill up quickly on weekends, often by Friday afternoon. You can walk up to the Garden from Keene Valley or park along the Loj Road for ADK Loj, but it's turnaround time if the small Elk Lake lot is filled ( and a really long drive around to the Round Pond trailhead for the Dix range on NY73). Like anywhere else, some people park courteously and other, not. Road to all of the areas you've mentioned are accessible in any vehicle. With the holiday weekend expect the lots to fill up quickly and early. And with autumn temps and foliage, parking areas and trailheads will be very busy. Best chances for parking and less occupied leantos are Mon-Thurs.

 

[SpencerVT]

The forecast for this long weekend looks absolutely perfect in the Lake Placid region.
A Sunday night is a good time to start going into Monday to avoid the crowds. It's going to start getting rapidly colder, especially at night at the higher elevations so hopefully you make it up there on a Sunday soon.

 

[Jay H]

FYI: The ADK org does have 2 ? leantos across from JBL itself that is reservable, but for members and not free... But the normal leantos out and around the park are not as mentioned already.

http://www.adk.org/page.php?pname=johns-brook-leantos


Jay

 

[snake eyes]

Our plan is all set, we're planning on starting our hike from A-Loj parking lot next Sunday(9/12) morning and hiking past Marcy Dam, then down the western edge of Avalanche Lake to Beaver Point lean-tos. Is it a strong possibility that the parking lot will be full early Sunday morning? Also, we're planning some day hikes from the lean-to and I was hoping to leave my backpack in the lean-to and my bear canister at the site too and just use a small day pack. How safe do you think that would be?

 

[Peakbagr]

Unless the weather is lousy, expect the Loj lot to be full until folks start heading out late Sunday morning for the drive home. But you never know...
Taking your chances that the leantos in the area are occupied or have space. You can mostly count on your pack being undisturbed, but lots of folks passing by the area. Might want to plan some flexibility into your schedule, especially re camping site. Really hope your first visit is memorable in all the good ways.

You can always stop by intended leanto site and ask occupants when they plan to depart. If they are leaving on Sunday, an option is to see if they'd allow you to hang your pack while you leave to go peakbag.

 

[snake eyes]

Thanks for the help. Right now the long range forecast is calling for rain, but you know how that goes.