DEC officials: Trail conditions improving

PHOTOGRAPHER: Stephen Williams

With foliage and cooler weather beckoning people to into the wild country, the state Department of Environmental Conservation reported Friday that back-country hiking trail conditions are slowly improving.

Trails in the Adirondack High Peaks that were closed due to damage from Tropical Storm Irene have, in many cases, now re-opened.

“While some state trails continue to be impassible or inaccessible due to the impacts from [Tropical Storm] Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, most trails are now open,” DEC officials said in an update issued Friday.

More than a dozen hiking trails on state Forest Preserve land in the Catskills remain closed, including the popular Katterskill Falls Trail in Hunter. Most of those trails are closed because local roads leading to them are closed, DEC officials said.

In the Adirondacks, trails in the Adirondack Mountain Reserve (the Ausable Club) in Keene remain closed, among others.

Hikers and campers should still use caution on trails that have reopened, however, and be prepared to navigate by map and compass, officials warned.

“The trails that are not closed are not necessarily in good condition and may have heavy erosion and cobble, bridges washed out, blown down and flooding,” DEC officials said.

Streams that are easily crossed most of time may have high water that makes them impassable.

Because a bridge on the road to the Gardens trailhead in Keene Valley has a new weight limit, people are being encouraged to park at Marcy Field and take a free shuttle bus (available Saturdays and Sundays) into Keene Valley.

Information on trails is being updated at www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor.