New Trail on Lyon + Mtns. you love to return to.

[Orphic Seth]

So according to the ADK website there's a "new" hiking trail up Lyon.

http://www.adk.org/press/Lyon_Mountain_Trail.aspx

Does anyone have a map of it? I'm just curious as to which direction they decided to go up. I think I have two solid ideas, I'm just curious if I'm correct.

After spending almost three years in the Adirondacks, this is my favorite mountain. I've bushwacked all around it, skied deep powder on it, camped on it, had the baloney scared out of me on it, and watched meteors streak across the sky from it. It was the first mountain I climbed in the Adirondacks when I moved to the area, and the last one when I moved. It was the first hike I did after having my lung surgery, and the hike I did when I struggled with my (now ex) partner's mental illness. It was the mountain I'd climb before or after work, washed clean with a swim in Chazy. I'd wander around its buttresses and its woods when I was bored or looking for a new ski line. I climbed it in the freezing temperatures, high winds, and deep snows of winter, the mud of spring, the humidity and bugs of summer, the explosion of fall colors. It's the mountain I could see from miles away, guiding me home. Lyon was my personal mountain escape. Gosh, I love that mountain.

What's your personal Adirondack/NY mountain that you relate to more than any other?

I live in Seattle now, so I won't be able to hike the new trail for a while, but it would be neat to see where they chose to put it down.

 

[hardrain]

new trail a beauty

the new trail up Lyon is outstanding. I was lucky enough to hike it this past weekend with peak foilage and california weather.

There is evidence of the hard work everywhere. They put in 11 switchbacks which run back and forth to the south of the old trail.

The narrow, dirt trail is in pristine condition. A wonderful walk in the woods through white birch and hemlock. Eventually the trails meet up approximately .5 mi from the summit.

It is tempting to eschew the switchbacks, especially on the way down. I saw one group do just that. I saw another group consider it, then they decided to use the new trail on the descent.

Someone asked me ' I wonder why they put the new trail in?'. I don't know but I am guessing that it was put in to reduce erosion and make the hike more accessible. The result of this effort is a great trail for young, old, experienced and novice, and dogs too.

Major props to the ADK for all the work. In my opinion it is a huge improvement and I will be back.

I was surprised at how ugly the two distant windfarms looked.

By the way Orphic Seth, that was a very nice paragraph you put together describing your relationship to the mountain. I love Lyon too.

 

[Tom Rankin]

What's your personal Adirondack/NY mountain that you relate to more than any other?

Hunter and/or Balsam Lake in the Catskills. Fire towers!

For the ADKs, Whiteface, Gothics, Dix, Colden

 

[prino]

Lyon has special memories for me too. Hiked it for the second time back in April 1984 straight after buying my future wifes engagement ring.
I also climbed it with a famous contributor to this website too.
Looking forward to trying out that new trail.

 

[Thclimer]

The “new hiking trail” uses the beginning and end of the “old” trail. The new trail starts just a few tenths of a mile from the summertime parking area, as you ascend the old trail the new trail begins on the left side just before the large diameter culvert pipe. There is a sign on a tree indicating the beginning of this new trail. It rejoins the old trail about ½ up the last steep pitch of the old trail before you reach the summit. A sign is also located on a tree at this intersection. At the bottom of this last steep pitch is the remenets of a cabin.

I hiked the new trail with my girlfriend the second day it was open and all the while we kept asking each other what purpose it served. It wasn’t until we returned home and did some searching on the WEB did we find the ADK announcement.

The trail crew did a tremendous amount of work hand digging removing the leaf littler and about 6-8” of topsoil for about a 3-4 foot wide path the entire length of the new trail. As mentioned they built 2 bridges and in some areas they placed rocks between the now exposed tree roots and in some wet sections. However, in my mind I question why it was built. Yes, the old trail was eroded, but certainly the new trail is going to erode also. The day we hiked it, it started to rain and the trail immediately turned into the familiar black Adriondack mud. There is a clear advantage of the new trail in that it is a much more gradual accent, but does that justify blazing/digging a new trail over areas of the peak which were seldom traveled? Could the trail crew just have spent sometime reinforcing the old trail to prevent further erosion because in the near future you will have two eroded trails? The new trail does not have any markings other than the beginning and ending points. It will clearly be difficult to follow in the winter, especially when there is 4-5 feet of snow on the ground and your walking in the branches of the tree canopy. Possibly there are plans to widen the trail and clear the canopy this winter for winter hiking.

 

[Adk_dib]

Are we to stay off the old trail or do we have a choice?

 

[bubba]

O-Seth, yes, very nice post regarding your relationship with the mountain. I think it's great, but don't have the same relationship with any. Probably because I'm a visitor and don't get to be "in" them all the time as you did. Lyon is on my to-do list and I'm sure it will now be bumped up for one of the next hikes.

One of the surprise hikes that I truely loved was Jay Peak ridge. What a fine little mountain with outstanding views... including the look north to Lyon.

BTW, VFTT member 'cbcbd' just relocated to Seattle. He's done lots in the Whites and several ADK mtns. Loves getting out in the winter. He's a bit off the wall... so warned.

 

[Ledgehiker]

New Trail on Lyon

Nurse Ratchett and I did Lyon the other day and while the new trail is a pleasant change from the old rocky one, I agree with Thclimer that there will be significant problems with erosion unless some more stabilization is done. I was up there about 6-8 years ago and was surprised to see the wind farms that have been put up in that time. It almost looked like the smaller one, more to the east, had been damaged. None of the turbines were turning and through my binocs, it looked like some of the blades were out of alignment, in the area more to the north, most of the blades were moving. Too hazy to see Montreal which was too bad.

On our trip we also did Poke-O-Moonshine, Pillsbury and Gore, nice hikes with great views in beautiful early fall weather. The hike up to Gore was on the work road and only possible on the weekends due to the construction on new lifts, trails etc. Not too attractive but on the way up a couple of forest service vehicles came up behind us on the way to a fire in a leanto on Burnt Ridge. ( apt name I guess)

 

[Peakbagr]

Best time on Gore is to go when the slopes still have hard-packed man made snow, right after the season closes.
Walk on top of snow as hard as cement. Pick a sunny day in April and you'll walk all day on snow in shorts and t shirt if its bright out. Like climbing a glacier.

 

[Thclimer]

...... was surprised to see the wind farms that have been put up in that time. It almost looked like the smaller one, more to the east, had been damaged.

The wind farm to the north has been operational for sometime now however, the towers to the east were just installed in the last few months and are not on-line yet so none of the turbines are turning.

 

[Shewolf]

You have a choice

Are we to stay off the old trail or do we have a choice?

At the start of the new trail, there are a few downed branches small trees to "deter" hiking the old trail, but no postings NOT to hike it. We hiked up the new trail to figure out where it went, but then descended the old trail. Thclimer has hiked the trail this past weekend and took the old trail.