Marcy, Haystack from Elk Lake

[Squintyken]

Date: August 23-24

Trail conditions: medium muddy from pasty 2" deep to wet ankle deep, boot-sucking mud, at many elevations; perhaps 40% of the trail. the other 60% of trail was bone dry! this is actually pretty "dry" for the 'Ducks, n'est-ce pas?

special equipment: no tent b/c i planned to stay at Panther Gorge shelter -which i shared. (or bivy).

comments: friendly Botany Steward on Mt Marcy gives friendly reminders to stay on the rocks, stay on the trail, and stay off the endangered plants.

Parking - for Newbies - somehow i got the idea that parking was at 3.0 miles up Elk Lake Road. It's not. It's 5.0 miles up Elk Lake Road at N44 01.247 W73 49.646

Also, with various signs on Elk Lake road and on the map saying "private property" it seemed like mixed messages, but rest assured that yes, you Are, in fact, able to park and hike here...

name: Ken Stewart

 

[Peakbagr]

There are many areas of the ADKs where conservation easements allow hikers to pass thru private property.

Elk Lake area is one. The AMR (Ausable Club) is another. The Elk Lake easement forbids hikers during the big game season as Elk Lake Lodge has many deer hunters staying there.
The Ausable Club's easement forbids dogs and hiking/hunting/camping on their property other than the passage for hikers on trails.

Now that the Nature Conservancy has purchased the 170,000+ acres formerly owned by Finch Pruyn paper, ten's of thousands of acres will be bought by NYS. But there will be huge areas of private land covered by conservation easements and opened up gradually to the public on a restricted basis in designated trails.