ADK (Adirondack Mountain Club) has partnered with a local bank, Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Co. to fund the High Peaks Information Center (HPIC) volunteer host program.
Located at the trailhead for many of the Adirondack high peaks, the HPIC is a major thoroughfare for hikers to get on the trail and begin their trek.
Abutting New York’s busiest trailhead, the HPIC serves as a gateway to the Eastern High Peaks Wilderness. In 2017, from the beginning of July through the end of August, there were 27, 251 registered hikers at the Heart Lake Property trailheads, officials said.
The Eastern High Peaks is New York state’s largest wilderness area and is home to the 46 high peaks. One can hike in a landscape that varies from a northern hardwood forest to a spruce-fir zone to arctic tundra. The area is also home to numerous lakes and streams found throughout major New York state watersheds.
According to ADK, over the last few years visitor numbers have been on an upward trend, complicating the integrity of the wilderness experience and the ability to protect natural resources.
The HPIC has a 200-car visitor parking area that fills regularly between 7-8 a.m. most weekdays in July and August, and sometimes earlier on weekends, ADK said. When these parking areas fill, cars park along portions of Adirondack Loj Road, sometimes extending miles down the road. Each year around 35 percent of these visitors to the High Peaks Wilderness are new to the area.
The HPIC staff serve as a primary means of educating these visitors on responsible recreation practices, Leave No Trace principles, and rules and regulations specific to the area. Of the 27,251 registered hikers in 2017 at the Heart Lake Property, it is speculated that only a small percentage of them entered the HPIC before starting into the back country for their hikes, officials said.
ADK said problems specific to the Eastern High Peaks in recent years include: high use in sensitive environments (especially the fragile alpine zone), improper disposal of human waste, improper food storage, illegal campfires and unprepared hikers. Many of these issues are preventable with increased public outreach.
While on site the HPIC hosts represent ADK in order to reach more visitors hiking from the Heart Lake Property. They are stationed in the HPIC’s hiker parking areas where they perform a variety of functions such as helping park vehicles, spreading ADK’s mission of responsible recreation and stewardship, educating visitors on LNT Principles and regulations specific to the area, suggesting alternative hikes in other locations and encourage more visitors to stop inside the HPIC before they enter the back country.
In 2018, the HPIC volunteer program expanded from four weeks to nine weeks. Stats for 2018 are: Total number of visitors reached, 9,436; total number of volunteers – 8; total number of volunteer days – 72; average number of visitors reached per day – 131; total number of volunteer hours – 440; average number of visitors reached per hour – 21.5; average amount of time spent with each visitor – less than 3 minutes; most visitors reached in 1 day – 450; and fewest visitors reached in 1 day – 37.
