Plans are underway to make Chapel Pond an accessible site for people with mobility disabilities
By Gwendolyn Craig
A well-travelled and well-loved route – Exit 30 off the Northway – winds north to state Route 73, transporting visitors and residents alike into some of the most protected parts of the Adirondack Park.
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Wilderness and an absence of cell phone service engulf the bends and turns. Driving north into Keene on the left-hand side, a mirror shines through tall pines and a rock face rises in the distance. Chapel Pond beckons to many drivers, who pull off to see this slice of paradise. It’s a rock and ice climber’s adventure, a paddler’s haven and a weary roadside traveler’s respite.
By next year, the site could also be an accessible stop for people with mobility disabilities. Plans for an accessible boat launch, trail and campsite, as well as a bigger parking area are underway, led by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
Moving ahead
The project isn’t new, and work to get it done has been slow. The proposal is more than two decades old. Such is the case with many projects planned for the Adirondack Park. But stakeholders are excited that funding is available and hopeful the accessible site could be built sometime next year.
Meg LeFevre Bobbin, who has a mobility disability and is a member of the DEC and Adirondack Park Agency’s accessibility advisory committee, said there are few places in the park that are accessible. As a member of the Keene Diversity Advisory Committee (KDAC), Bobbin visited Chapel Pond for the first time with that group last May.
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“I left feeling really inspired and excited about the potential,” she said.
KDAC and the town of Keene resurrected the project and hopes their advocacy can be a model to get more projects in the park done.
“The DEC has a lot of responsibilities, so I think when you have willing partners who want to help and contribute, I’m hoping that is a model that is successful and helps everybody,” said Joe Pete Wilson, Keene town supervisor.
Plans for Chapel Pond
Members of KDAC say it was Forest Ranger and Keene resident Robbi Mecus who revived the Chapel Pond accessibility project. Mecus, who was also chair of KDAC, died in a climbing accident in Alaska in 2024.
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KDAC members like Bobbin, Wilson and Jane Haugh are ushering the project through in her memory. Wilson said the project is part of the town’s master plan.
“Having everything about this project focus on accessibility would be the most important thing for me and for the disability community,” Bobbin said.
The DEC is currently drafting a forest preserve work plan for the site, which it will then publish on its environmental notice bulletin for public comment. The plans so far include an Americans with Disabilities Act accessible water access site including a hand launch on Chapel Pond, an accessible parking area, improved motor vehicle access from state Route 73, an accessible trail to the boat launch and new bathroom facilities.
There is also the possibility of constructing an accessible campsite in the area.
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The state allocated $80,000 in the 2024 Environmental Protection Fund for the work. Once the plan is approved, the DEC expects to go out to bid for the project and begin construction next year.
Wilson said the town has also offered to help with building any roads or trails at the site.
While KDAC had originally hoped the DEC might finish the accessibility project this year, Wilson said it was good to see the project have a schedule.
“Our mission is to make Keene a more welcoming place,” Haugh said. “Sometimes the plans for the state lands are a little more slow moving, but it also feels like we can get this done. If it gets on the map and people start to understand that this is doable, maybe other towns will look at it.”
Project stepping stones
These kinds of projects on state Forest Preserve lands in the Adirondacks go through an extensive review process.
When the state acquires new lands, it must decide what special zoning classification they might be. Some classifications offer more development opportunities than others.
The classification goes through public hearings and state approvals. Chapel Pond is under the most protected land classification where motor vehicle use is not allowed–wilderness.
Once the land is classified, the DEC drafts a unit management plan. The plan details the characteristics of the landscape from its natural resources to its historical background. It lists potential natural resource protection projects and recreational opportunities. That plan, too, goes through a public comment process and must receive the approval of the APA. The APA oversees both public and private development in the park.
The accessibility project at Chapel Pond has made it to this point, a proposal inside the former Dix Mountain Wilderness unit management plan the state published under Gov. George Pataki in January 2004.
Since then, the state merged the Dix Mountain Wilderness with the High Peaks Wilderness. The state’s 2018 classifications of the Boreas and Casey Brook tracts created a land bridge between the two units, and the state joined them into a complex.
Stakeholders from across the park have criticized the unit management plan process as arduous and unattainable. This Chapel Pond project, for example, has sat on the shelf for two decades. So have countless others in units with plans.
Adding to many people’s frustration is the fact that hundreds of thousands of acres of Forest Preserve lands still do not have a unit management plan. And some existing plans have gone decades without updates.
In the 1990s, Pataki put money and a deadline on the DEC and APA to get all unit management plans in the park written in five years. While the state made faster progress than ever before, it only accomplished a handful of plans in that time.
The DEC chips away at projects in the unit management plans. It’s unclear how many are unfinished.
Top photo: A climber reaches the top of Bob’s Knob on Chapel Pond Slab, in 2019. Photo by Phil Brown
I must admit I have mixed feelings about the project scope. While I understand the impetus, I would like to see a parking/restroom/launch plan layout first. There is a tiny brook feeding the pond that that harbored brook trout the last I knew. I fear that is where the parking area would need to go. Those trout would be seriously endangered by any habitat degradation and over-fishing.
It has always been a beautiful spot that most people are nearly past on the road before they realize it is there! This helps keep the crowds down. Adding signage, easy access, and parking will certainly change its character significantly if it pecomes a popular destination. So, in my opinion, a tough call WRT additional access at the cost of wildlife, wild character, and preservation.
“KDAC members like Bobbin, Wilson and Jane Hough…”
Is Jane Hough actually AnnHough?
It’s Jane Haugh, co-chair of the Keene Diversity committee. Ann Hough is on the Keene Town Board. In the photo, Hough is on the far right, myself next to her, Haugh on my right, Bobbin on her right, and Wilson behind Haugh. Others are from various Keene committees.
Respectfully, I hope the plan includes garbage cans for those who can’t be bothered to carry-out.
These places become a lot less beautiful and rugged once you take away the ruggedness with smooth trails and catwalks. Plus the difficulty of getting to these areas is what makes them stay pristine it’s a nature’s filter. I’m not against making some places more accessible but it’s a trend that’s getting a bit out of hand. We are starting the gentrify the forests while complaining about the loss of natural habitat to human activity.
I agree with concerns about the impact of increased use directly off Route 73 around Chapel Pond. The pond is small, and the area is already choked with parked cars, hikers, climbers and traffic during most of the year.
Non-motorized boats are fine, to an extent. But what about the area’s capacity to support even more people, cars and boats, along with construction of new amenities and infrastructure? How will the pond’s fishery and tributaries be affected? Are there nesting birds in the area?
Route 73 in the Chapel Pond area was not built to handle these suggested “improvements.” It seems to me that the plan could backfire in that people with mobility issues might then have to compete with hordes of additional visitors.
Chapel Pond is a small pond along a narrow, curved, overused road that already presents numerous safety issues. I think we can help people with mobility disabilities better enjoy the park at other larger, as beautiful – and safer – locations.
cECILY BAILEY
Round Lake, NY
(former Adirondack resident)
I agree. In fact, I would almost like to see LESS parking available at this super- sensitive location. It is a beautiful postage stamp-sized pearl along 73 – one of many. Some things are best appreciated as scenery and not public activity. I would much rather see money spent to improve access at areas that are not roadside scenic vistas. In my mind, an Adirondack scenic vista should not include cars, paddlers, hikers, and picnickers. Even climbers may not appreciate the “audience” as I would expect it would detract from their experience.
Perhaps, if a ROADSIDE accessible attraction MUST be developed in that corridor, Cascade Lakes would be a better area. It is larger, with more flat land and parking. More opportunity for catwalks through swampy and lakeside wetlands. Already partially developed as a picnic rest area. But I would even advise against developing this location as well.
But ideally, I would prefer to see money spent on developing accessible spaces in more remote areas that are not as likely to be swamped by overuse. There are very few places along RT 73 that are not sensitive to overuse. I would like to see much of 73 set aside as a scenic corridor with minimal development. Dodging cars and avoiding pedestrians while trying to simply enjoy classic Adirondack views is both unsafe and poorly advised on many fronts. Perhaps if a solid shuttle system is maintained, parking could be minimized or eliminated in the corridor.
Some of these poorly thought out accessibility projects seem to be being suggested by people who cannot see the forest through the parked cars. I encourage readers to think about this and forsee the problems and degradation of the corridor and contact APA, DEC, and other stakeholders who should know better.
Agree with you!
Any changes in infrastructure at Chapel Pond should include reducing the speed limit on Rt 73 to a max of 40mph and preferably even to 35mph. The place is outstanding but with all the existing parking issues and the possibility of the the proposal featured in the article, slowing vehicle speeds is critical.
Another good idea.
Please do not destroy the uniqueness of chapel pond—
Article makes it sound like a done deal. First I have heard about it.
Leave it the way it is. Soon as you improve it the people will destroy it.
My first experience in the Adirondacks was at Chapel Pond 50 plus years ago, disoriented 16 year olds rock climbers pulling into the parking in the middle of the night, throwing our sleeping bags on the ground and waking up to the magnificent Washbowl cliffs looming above us, the beauty of Chapel Pond lake and cliffs at our feet. We returned year after year, eventually with my family and now with my granddaughter. I look forward to being able to share those experiences with her, getting scratched by bushes, wading the creek to get to the sandy beach to swim, and if she’s really lucky hearing a peregrine falcons cry as it swoops down from the cliffs gliding over the water. I fear with the with the plans being discussed we will lose another chance to experience a wilderness that is mostly unmediated by man and be left with another roadside attraction with the attendant pavement, signage, supervision and garbage. Yes, it can be crowded during peak season now and not so pleasant to access, but there are still those times when a stop at Chapel Pond can be a more pristine experience, and I would hate to see that opportunity removed for future generations. As mentioned above I think there are other already existing locations that could be enhanced and lose little of their attendant appeal and character, but Chapel Pond is not one of them.
“The accessibility project at Chapel Pond has made it to this point, a proposal inside the former Dix Mountain Wilderness unit management plan the state published under Gov. George Pataki in January 2004.”
In reviewing the 2004 document, Chapel Pond was slated for 7 primitive camp sites, two pit privies, and parking for ten. Even this relatively “benign” plan is concerning WRT this roadside gem. And this had no mention of ADA accessibility infrastructure. I think this needs more thought and comment.
Adding inclusions to a diamond reduces its value.
hi Everyone — I totally understand the need for Chapel Pond to stay as rugged and beautiful as it is. I swam in it as a child and look forward to seeing it each and every time we drive home from Exit 30. I often stop at the main parking area when bringing folks to the Adks for the first time. Awe inspiring!
I have learned that there are only something like 2 miles of accessible trails in all our millions of acres. The Chapel Pond boat launch requires very little in the way of disruption in order for it to be accessible to people with mobility issues. I think there is also the hope that some of the changes may keep people from camping there indefinitely as they do now which is even more destructive to our enjoyment of the area.
I appreciate the concern, it shows we live in a town that cares! But let’s not be like those folks who hoard resources and say NIMBY!
With all due respect to the disabled, and support for their gaining greater access to wilderness sites in the Adirondacks, before someone proposes, develops and implements a particular plan for the Chapell Pond area, I’d like to know more about the current situation.
This should include the number of vehicles transiting the area, the number of pull-off parking spaces available and their utilization rate, and the reasons for people parking and their relative numbers. All these should be stated for different times of year and day.
Also, how much pressure is there to further develop this very area, in this way and at this time? Who is the driver? What are the downsides?
Just asking!
The plan for an accessible cano/ kayak boat launch has been in the Dix Mountain Wilderness UMP for more than a decade. It is now finally coming to fruition. This access point has been in need of renovation for a longtime. I look forward to an improved entrance and the accessible campsites and launch. It’s a win win for all users and certainly an important addition for folks with disabilities. Yes please in my backyard!
It has seemed really weird that three parking slots are reserved for use by people with limited mobility, when it’s so hard to get down the hill from parking to pond. It would be great to have easier access–for everyone. There’s a dearth of cool places for people who can’t leap tall buildings in a single bound. This could be one of them.
This plan doesn’t necessarily mean that everything is going to be ruined and with good design it really could be an improvement for visitors, including residents who just want to nip over for a quick swim.