2021 EXPLORED: New trails

Region sees new trails, upgrades to popular ones

Crews added or improved several short Adirondack trails in 2021, so hikers seeking easier outings have more options now.

The biggest increase came from Champlain Area Trails, which added five new ones and rerouted two others in the northeastern Adirondacks. CATS routes are generally a few miles in length and follow gentler terrain than older ones in the High Peaks.

• In the summer, CATS officially opened the Essex Quarry Trail in Essex. It showcases an abandoned bluestone quarry that provided stones for several local buildings, in addition to the Brooklyn Bridge and Capital building in Albany. 
• More recently, the Spirit Sanctuary Trail, also in Essex, opened. The path passes through a meadow, white pine plantation, and a three-acre green burial site created by the Eddy Foundation. It connects to the Black Kettle Trail, which CATS recently redirected. 
• Meanwhile, Moriah is now home to a trail that features the Boughton Ledges, a 364-foot rock face that offers views of the nearby rolling landscape. 
• CATS also added the Lonely Hill Trail in Lewis and Benny’s Trail that goes to Clear Pond at Eagle Mountain Preserve in Chesterfield. 
• Finally, the DACY Meadow Farm trail system, which the Explorer featured last winter, received a significant reroute. 

In the Lake George region, The Pinnacle in Bolton received an upgrade, and a new route and fire tower opened on Swede Mountain in Hague. 

In the High Peaks region, the state finished the new MVHE trail up Mount Van Hoevenberg, which starts at the Olympic Sporting Complex and was built to be a model for its sustainability features. This winding 1.7-mile footpath follows a mellow grade to a wide-open summit. The state upgraded or completed more than a dozen trails.

Down the road, Adirondack Mountain Club kicked off a multi-year project to improve the trail up Mount Jo, on ADK’s Heart Lake property. 

And, the Open Space Institute and the town of Newcomb enhanced the entrance to the southern High Peaks at Upper Works. Workers put in a new parking area and path that goes by the historic village of Adirondac. The changes allow for better access to some family-friendly destinations in the area.

— Mike Lynch