Backcountry Information for the Northeastern Adirondacks
Updated: June 14, 2018
General Notices
WARNING: Backcountry conditions can change suddenly. All users should plan accordingly, including bringing flashlight, first aid equipment, extra food and clothing. Weather conditions may alter your plans; you should always be prepared to spend an unplanned night in the woods before entering the back country. Back country hiking trails can be rugged and rough - they are not maintained as park walkways - wear proper footwear!
Practice Leave No Trace: Please abide by the Seven Principles of Leave No Trace (leaves DEC's website) when recreating in the Adirondacks.
Weather forecasts and conditions can and do change quickly.
- Check the current National Weather Service Forecast (leaves DEC website) and be prepared for the forecasted conditions or to change your plans.
- NY Mesonow (leaves DEC website) has two dozen stations in and just outside of Adirondacks that provide real time weather data and forecasts.
Adirondack Backcountry Information: Be sure to check Adirondack Backcountry Information main web page for important general notices and information which applies across the Adirondacks.
Report back country emergencies, such as lost or injured hikers, and wildland fires to the DEC Ray Brook Dispatch at 518-891-0235.
Specific Notices
Chazy Highlands Wild Forest
- Nothing to report.
Lake Champlain Islands
- The Lake Champlain Islands Complex web page provides information about the unit and its recreational opportunities.
- Nothing to report.
Sable Highlands Conservation Easement Lands
- The Sable Highlands Conservation Easement Lands web page provides information about the unit and its recreational opportunities.
- The gate on Barnes Pond Road is closed to public motor vehicle use until the opening of the big game season. (2018)
Taylor Pond Complex (Taylor Pond Wild Forest, Terry Mountain State Forest, Burnt Hill State Forest, Franklin Falls Easement Tract, Shell Rock Easement Tract, and Black Brook Easement Tract)
- The Taylor Pond Complex web page provides information about the unit and its recreational opportunities.
- The Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT) (leaves DEC website) links the waterways of New York, Vermont, Québec, New Hampshire and Maine and follows the Saranac River through this area.
- Rock climbing routes located left and right of the nose on the Main Face of Poke-o-Moonshine Mountain are closed to allow peregrine falcons to mate and select nesting sites. These are described as routes 33 through 91 on Pages 45 - 69 in Adirondack Rock Volume 1, A Rock Climbers Guide, Second Edition. All other rock climbing routes on Poke-o-Moonshine Mountain are now OPEN. (5/10)
- The gate is open on Redd Road on the Terry Mountain State Forest and the road is available for public motor vehicle access. (5/10)
Wilmington Wild Forest
- The Wilmington Wild Forest web page provides information about the unit and its recreational opportunities.
- More than 1.5 miles of bike trails, including a new loop opportunity, have been added to the Beaver Brook Trail Network. (2017)
- The outlet of Cooper Kill Pond is flooded by beaver activity. (2009)
