Too much love isn't just in the High Peaks

From Bald Mountain
Bald Mountain, one of the most popular and accessible peaks in the western Adirondacks, might be getting a little too much love like its taller and higher cousins to the east.
The New York Department of Environmental Conservation Aug. 6 sent out a notice to users of Bald Mountain between Old Forge and Eagle Bay in the western Adirondack Park to please use leave-no-trace principles when visiting. This means being properly prepared for hiking, packing out waste, respecting flora and fauna, and generally leaving things as you find them.
The DEC didn't give any indication as to what, if anything, prompted this admonition, but it's not hard to assume a ranger noticed some misuse over the past weekend, which was dry and sunny if a little on the warm and muggy side.
The agency's admonition raises the prospect that the western Adirondacks might be starting to feel the overuse pressure that's becoming endemic in the more well-known High Peaks area near Lake Placid, and whether measures to deal with the popularity might be in store.
The DEC noted that 1,000 people may visit the popular trail up Bald Mountain, also known as the Rondaxe Fire Tower, on a summer weekend. It's probably that much on fall weekends, too, it's safe to assume. The route doesn't even catch a break in the winter, as it's known as a high-reward snowshoe trail, too.
The thing about Bald Mountain is it's one of the most accessible worthy peaks on the western side of the park. Just a 10-minute drive out of Old Forge along Route 28 it's in the heart of the Fulton Chain of Lakes communities, which also include Eagle Bay and Inlet, all populated lakeside communities.  It's an hour from Utica. It's easy to find from the highway, there's a parking lot, and the trail, while not flat, is relatively easy and short, and it offers terrific views of lakes and peaks from both the summit and clearings on the way up. It also has a fire tower. It's perfect for a quick sampling of the Adirondacks -- but not so much for solitude.
From Bald Mountain
This comes as the DEC has been wrestling with too much use of iconic High Peaks trails near Lake Placid and Keene-Keene Valley. The agency and local governments have over the past several years been dealing with too many cars along Route 73 and other access routes. As noted in this run-down from North Country Public Radio, more parking can be added to deal with hiker and climber safety, but that could encourage even more overuse.
What's behind all this attention to our beloved Adirondacks? Accessibility and social media, probably. The High Peaks are close to Interstate 87 and the accommodations and post-hike attractions of Lake Placid and Saranac Lake. Bald Mountain is close to the popular Fulton Chain communities, which house thousands of vacationers and weekenders through the summer and early fall, and it's not an unreasonable day trip from upstate population centers like Syracuse and Utica.
In the High Peaks, the DEC has been admonishing hikers and climbers to consider other approaches to the peaks and other destinations instead.
As for Bald Mountain, the DEC suggested alternative venues, particularly the nearby Vista Trail, also known as the Scenic Mountain trail.
One could also suggest other peaks. One is Black Bear Mountain. But it, too, is accessible and already gets plenty of use.
From Black Bear Mountain

Black Bear Mountain

I'd hate to see it getting the over-love Bald Mountain is evidently getting.

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