DEC closes High Peaks trails

Adirondak Loj Road is closed to the public. Photo by Phil Brown.

With Labor Day weekend approaching, the long-range forecast calls for sunny skies, but that will be of little consolation to people who hoped to hike in the High Peaks.

Because of damage caused by Irene to trails and backcountry infrastructure, the state Department of Environmental Conservation has closed the eastern High Peaks Wilderness, Dix Mountain Wilderness, and Giant Mountain Wilderness through the weekend.

The eastern High Peaks Wilderness and the other two Wilderness Areas contain some of the Adirondack Parks’ most spectacular scenery and the majority of the forty-six High Peaks.

Collapsed pavement at the West Ausable bridge. Photo by Phil Brown.

In addition, the roads to the most popular High Peaks trailheads—the Adirondak Loj outside Lake Placid and the Garden in Keene Valley—are both closed because of washouts.

Neil Woodworth, executive director of the Adirondack Mountain Club, said about twenty-five guests are stranded at the Loj. He hopes to meet with Essex County officials on Tuesday to see what can be done to get the guests out.

“We’ve got plenty of provisions and staff to take care of them until we get an evacuation plan,” Woodworth said.

A portion of Adirondak Loj Road collapsed when the West Branch of the Ausable River, swollen by heavy rains, undercut the pavement. Until the bridge is replaced, the fifteen vehicles parked at the Loj have no way out.

In another blow to the Loj, the rains also washed out the bridge at Marcy Dam. The dam is a favorite destination of guests at the Loj and a scenic stopping point on the Van Hoevenberg Trail, the most popular route to Mount Marcy, the state’s highest summit. It’s estimated that forty thousand people a year visit Marcy Dam.

Forest rangers are still assessing the damage to trails, but DEC spokesman David Winchell said many routes were severely eroded by the rain. He noted that that the first bridge on the Klondike Trail has been washed away and that the trails along Lake Colden are under water.

DEC is working to reopen all its Adirondack campgrounds before the weekend.

The bridge over Marcy Dam is gone. Photo by Phil Brown.

Marcy Dam bridge washed away

The bridge had spanned the outlet of Marcy Dam. Photo by Phil Brown.

The rains from Irene washed away the bridge over Marcy Dam, one of the most well-traveled crossings in the High Peaks Wilderness, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

DEC spokesman David Winchell said the crossing is now impassable. He does not know when the bridge will be replaced.

The bridge is used by hikers who access the High Peaks, including Mount Marcy, from Adirondak Loj via the highly popular Van Hoevenberg Trail. It crosses Marcy Brook as it spills out of Marcy Dam Pond.

The Van Hoevenberg Trail reaches Marcy Dam after 2.3 miles. Hikers can still get to the other side of Marcy Brook by taking the Marcy Dam Truck Trail to Marcy Dam, but this approach is considerably longer.

Winchell said DEC is encouraging people to stay out of the backcountry as the department evaluates the damage to trails and other facilities.

“We are just beginning assessments,” he said.  ”It is too earlier to say anything about when work will get done. I can tell you that we are receiving reports that there are number of bridges washed away and trails severely eroded in the eastern High Peaks and Dix and Giant Wilderness Areas.”

He expects to have  more information later today.