Hiking trails reopen

The Adirondack Mountain Club issued the following press release this evening. (I've also got an article that will appear in Thursday's Enterprise.)

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – The Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) will reopen the Adirondak Loj and Wilderness Campground at Heart Lake and the Johns Brook Lodge on Thursday, Sept. 8. The reopening of the lodges and campground coincides with the reopening of a number of hiking trails in Adirondack backcountry

While Tropical Storm Irene left ADK’s north country properties largely unscathed, access roads to both properties were washed out. One lane of the Adirondack Loj Road was opened to local and official traffic last week, but the road remained closed to the public at DEC’s request. Crews from the town of North Elba Highway Department were completing work on the Adirondack Loj Road late Wednesday and planned to open it to the public on Thursday morning.

The Johns Brook Lodge, which is 3.5 miles from the nearest road, is usually accessed from a trailhead at the Garden parking lot in Keene Valley. The town of Keene has opened the access road to the parking lot to restricted traffic, but the bridge over Johns Brook has been downgraded to a 6,000-pound limit. Town officials are urging caution and are asking people to limit travel and carpool. JBL is reopening on a caretaker basis, which means guest must pack in their own food, but will have the use of the lodge kitchen. Guests are also urged to bring a sleeping bag.

For reservation and lodging questions, please call (518) 523-3441.

Following the storm, the Department of Environmental Conservation closed all trails in the eastern zone of the High Peaks Wilderness, as well as the Giant Mountain Wilderness and Dix Mountain Wilderness. On Wednesday, DEC announced that it would be reopening some trails in the eastern High Peaks and the Giant Mountain Wilderness, but was not yet reopening the Dix Mountain Wilderness.

Open trails in the High Peaks Wilderness include all trails from the Adirondak Loj trailhead, the Cascade Mountain trailhead, the Garden trailhead, the Rooster Comb trailhead, the Upper Works trailhead and the East River trailhead. Open trails in the Giant Mountain Wilderness include all trails starting from the trailheads on Route 9 and Route 9N. Giant Mountain may also be accessed via the Hopkin Mountain Trail from the Ranney Trailhead.

DEC warns that open trails may have washed-out bridges and high water levels in rivers and brooks. Crossings may be impassable. These trails may also have blowdown, eroded sections or flooded areas. Many trails have been rerouted to avoid heavily damaged sections and eroded drainages can be mistaken for trails. Hikers should be able to navigate with a map and compass.

State Route 73 is open between Lake Placid and Keene Valley. Route 73 may be accessed by taking Route 9N from Elizabethtown.

The Adirondack Mountain Club, founded in 1922, is the oldest and largest organization dedicated to the protection of the New York State Forest Preserve. ADK is a nonprofit, membership organization that protects the Forest Preserve, state parks and other wild lands and waters through conservation and advocacy, environmental education and responsible recreation. For more information about ADK, visit our Web site at www.adk.org.