ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Every summer – especially since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic – trails in the Adirondack Park swell with hikers. For the third year in a row, the Department of Environmental Conservation is enacting a parking reservation system in a section of the park that needs moderation, in order to keep roads safe and lots organized.
Lasting from Monday, May 1, until Tuesday, Oct. 31, the DEC has enacted a parking reservation system at the Adirondack Mountain Reserve. Located in the town of Keene, the reserve spans roughly 7,000 acres of Adirondack forest, including parts of the upper and lower Ausable Lakes and East Branch Ausable River. Mountains within the reserve include Noonmark Mountain and Round Mountain.
Parking reservations are required for the region, but come at no cost to visitors. A total of 70 reservations are available per day, and must be scheduled for a day or overnight at a time. Reservations can be made as far as two weeks in advance. Walk-ins without a reservation are only permitted if able to provide proof of a Greyhound of Trailways bus ride from within the last 24 hours.
The reservation application can be found via the Adirondack Mountain Reserve website. More than 35,000 outdoors enthusiasts have made use of the system since 2021. In 2022, the system saw 14,200 New Yorkers, 6,600 out-of-state residents, and 138 people coming to the Adirondacks from other countries.