Trailhead educators ready to advise hikers in High Peaks region of the Adirondacks

Groups join forces to expand trail stewardship presence at key access points

By Mike Lynch

Hiking season is underway in the Adirondacks, and the High Peaks region is once again a prime focus area for organizations working to educate hikers and protect natural resources.

This season, hikers may encounter trailhead stewards and educators from the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), town of Keene, Adirondack 46ers, and Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) at key access points.

ADK has had stewards at popular High Peaks trailheads outside the High Peaks Information Center on its Adirondack Loj Road property in recent years, and this season the nonprofit is expanding its reach to include trailheads on Route 73. The new program is through a contract with the DEC.

The ADK seasonal staffers, which have already started, will be working to greet rock climbers and hikers Thursdays through Mondays. In June, they are scheduled to visit the Garden parking lot and trailhead in Keene, climbing destinations in the Chapel Pond area, in addition to trailheads for Rooster Comb, Giant, Hurricane and Cascade mountains. 

“They’re trained, they’re friendly. They’re going to interact with people and ask people about the experience they’re looking to have and ask how their hike was and talk a little bit about how to protect the area while they’re out (in the woods),” said ADK deputy director Julia Goren. 

The 46ers are still going to take the lead in educating hikers at Cascade Mountain, a popular peak, and ADK stewards will be there on days when the 46ers aren’t available. 

The ADK stewards will have pop-up tents and educational materials. They’ll be talking about Leave No Trace principles and helping ensure that people going into the backcountry are prepared. If the trailheads are busy, they’ll offer people alternative trips they can take in the region. 

 “There’s a lot of opportunity to talk to people,” Goren said. 

ADK will also continue to have its summit steward program, which is focused mainly on Algonquin, Marcy, Wright and Cascade, but includes visits to all summits with alpine vegetation. 

The DEC is also running its High Peaks information station for the fourth year in a row. This mobile unit will send environmental education assistants to various trailheads to great people. 

Keene Supervisor Joe Pete Wilson said implementing the various educational programs and parking initiatives has been beneficial. That includes limiting parking along Route 73 and a parking reservation system at the Adirondack Mountain Reserve in St. Huberts. The DEC is also sharing parking and reservation status updates through @NYSDECAlerts on X. 

“Since the end of the outdoor rush of COVID, we really have been able to manage what’s going on,” he said. “It’s still a tremendous effort, but we’re no longer in that ‘just scrambling to keep up’ mode.” 

The town of Keene will have stewards to greet hikers at Marcy Field and the Garden, but it’s still looking for more drivers for its shuttle program. Wilson said the goal is to get the shuttle, which runs between Marcy Field and the Garden parking lot and trailhead, running by the Fourth of July weekend. A hiker shuttle that had been operated by the state and Essex County will not run this summer due to a lack of riders, he said.

While many of these initiatives have come through recommendations from the High Peaks Strategic Planning Advisory Group (HPAG), the DEC is in the second year of work on the High Peaks visitor use management project. The work is being led by the consulting firm Otak, an Oregon-based company. 

This project started in 2023 and is expected to result in a final report from Otak after two years. The report will contain recommended management strategies for the High Peaks. 

An update on the process and at least one public informational session is expected later this month. DEC said the agency will make an announcement with specifics in the near future.