The weather is starting to get cooler and some showers and thunderstorms are predicted for this weekend. Make sure you dress appropriately and review hiking notices before heading out this weekend in the Adirondacks.
Weather
- Crown Point: Fri 65° and thunderstorms, Sat 62° and scattered showers, Sun 68° and mostly sunny
- Indian Lake: Fri 58° and scattered showers, Sat 69° and cloudy, Sun 65° and mostly sunny
- Lake George: Fri 65° and scattered thunderstorms, Sat 63° and scattered showers, Sun 69° and mostly sunny
- Lake Placid: Fri 57° and showers, Sat 55° and showers, Sun 64° and partly cloudy
- Malone: Fri 59° and scattered showers, Sat 58° and cloudy, Sun 57° and rain
- North Creek: Fri 60° and isolated thunderstorms, Sat 59° and scattered showers, Sun 66° and mostly sunny
- Saranac Lake: Fri 58° and showers, Sat 56° and scattered showers, Sun 65° and mostly sunny
- Speculator: Fri 57° and scattered thunderstorms, Sat 58° and mostly cloudy, Sun 58° and rain
- Ticonderoga: Fri 60° and rain, Sat 58° and mostly cloudy, Sun 63° and mostly sunny
- Tupper Lake: Fri 57° and showers, Sat 56° and sunny, Sun 65° and mostly sunny
Weather & Fall
As we slip into fall temperatures are cooling, days are shortening, and the sun is setting earlier each day. Plan accordingly by wearing or carrying extra layers of non-cotton clothing. Carry a headlamp or flashlight for all hikes. Make sure to have extra batteries on hand.
Fall is a popular time of year for hiking in the Adirondacks. Expect to encounter many people on trails and waters every weekend through Columbus Day. Trailhead parking lots, interior campsites, and boat launches will fill early, especially if the weather is nice.
Consider checking out less-used areas of the Adirondacks >>
Trail Conditions
Rain showers before and during the weekend means the trails will be wet and muddy. Remember to walk through mud and water and not around it to prevent further erosion of trails.
Adirondack Canoe Classic
The Adirondack Canoe Classic is happening this weekend. If you plan on doing any paddling in the Adirondacks be aware that racers will be paddling various waterways.
Summits
Temperatures will be cooler and winds stronger on the high elevation summits.
Check the National Weather Mountain Point Forecast for selected summits >>
Fire Danger
Fire is danger is low, but campfire safety should be practiced at all times. Never leave campfires unattended. Ensure coals, embers, and ashes are cool when putting out campfires.
Rock Climbing Routes
All rock climbing routes are open.
Bear Activity
Bears are continuing to be active in the Adirondacks. Abide by bear safety rules and always store your food, toiletries, and garbage in a bear resistant canister. Bear resistant canisters are required in the Eastern High Peaks and recommended throughout the Adirondack Park.
- Store all food, toiletries, and garbage in bear resistant canisters (not bear hangs)
- Bear resistant canisters are required in the Eastern High Peaks and recommended elsewhere
- Cook and eat away from your campsite before dark
- Do not leave food unattended
- Consider carrying bear spray
Know what to do in a bear encounter >>
Read more about black bears >>
Biting Insects
Biting insects are still out and about. Observe the following tips to minimize the nuisance of biting bugs:
- Wear light colored long sleeved shirts and long pants
- Tuck shirt into pants
- Button or rubber band sleeves at the wrist
- Tuck the bottom of pant legs into your socks
- Pack a head net to wear when insects are abundant
- Use insect repellent with DEET
Know out how to deal with black flies >>
Protect yourself from ticks >>
Seasonal Access Roads
Seasonal access roads consist of dirt, sand, gravel, and/or stone and tend to have a rougher surface than typical roads. If you’re using these roads in the Adirondacks you’ll need a four-wheel drive truck, an SUV, or another high clearance vehicle that’s recommended for use on seasonal access roads.
Specific Notices
The Lake Arnold Trail and Feldspar Lean-to are wet and muddy but passable.
A crew of Student Conservancy Backcountry Stewards and the DEC High Peaks Trail Crew is working on dismantling Marcy Dam. This work will continue through mid-September. The work is in its third year of a five-year project to dismantle the dam in a manner that minimizes the movement of sediments into Marcy Brook. The public is asked to stay out of designated work areas and to not disturb equipment, whether crews are there working or not.
The DEC and Student Conservation Association Adirondack Programs have replaced the “Hitch-up Matildas” – the bridging on the cliff face along the lake – and Avalanche Lake Trail is open.
The trail across private lands to the summit of Owls Head is closed to public access and use on the weekends.
The bridge over Ouluska Brook on the Northville-Placid Trail has collapsed into the brook. Due to low water conditions, crossing the brook is still possible.
The first and second foot bridges on the Bradley Pond Trail are damaged and unusable. The stream can be forded/rock hopped on the downstream side of the bridge sites.
The lower gate on the Gulf Brook Road in the Boreas Ponds Tract is open to public motor vehicle use. Gulf Brook Road provides access to three interior parking areas along the road. The Gulf Brook Road Upper Parking Area is near a gate that bars public motor vehicles use beyond the parking area. LaBier Flow is 2.5 miles beyond the gate and Boreas Ponds is 3.5 miles. The public is still prohibited from trespassing in and around leased hunting camps.
The high water bridge on the Calamity Brook Trail is unsafe, unusable, and should not be crossed. Crossing Calamity Brook, which is completely open at this time, without using the bridge will be difficult, especially with the high water levels. On warm and rainy days, water levels in the brook will be higher; plan accordingly. The East River Trail (aka the Opalescent River/Hanging Spear Falls Trail) can be used to access the Flowed Lands and Lake Colden. It’s an additional 3.7 miles one-way to reach the Flowed Lands using this route. The DEC will be working on stabilizing and repairing the high water bridge.
The Boquet Lean-To on the Dix Mountain Round Pond Trail has been moved away from the river and repaired by volunteers from the Adirondack 46ers.
The high water bridge over Slide Mountain Brook on the Phelps Trail between the Garden Trailhead Parking Area and Johns Brook Lodge is broken and unstable.
A trail reroute has been constructed around the flooded area on the North Trail to Giant Mountain just past the lean-to.
The Blueberry Horse Trail between the Calkins Creek Horse Trail and Ward Brook Horse Trail in the western High Peaks contains extensive blowdown, is grown in with vegetation, and is also poorly marked. The trail is impassable to horses, making it impossible to complete the Cold River Horse Trail Loop.
Beaver activity has flooded parts of Jack Rabbit Trail.
The Calkins Creek Horse Trail has two bridges out, making it impassable for horse-drawn wagons and difficult for horses.
Many of the herd paths found on Mount Marshall and some of the other trail-less peaks meander around the slopes of the mountain without reaching the peak. Those climbing these peaks should navigate with a map and compass rather than follow the paths created by others.
Fixed ropes, harnesses, and other equipment are often abandoned in the Trap Dike. Do not use any of these materials – they have been aged and weatherized, making them unsafe.
Get more specific trail updates here >>
Find further backcountry information here >>
