The 2022 route for the hiker shuttle that NYS partnered with Essex County to run along Route 73 in the Adirondack High Peaks.It can be tough this time of year to find parking at some of the busier Adirondack trailheads. There were two shuttle systems for hikers that helped ease those parking problems, but one won’t be running this summer and the fate of the other is still up in the air.
New York State has partnered with Essex County over the last two summers to run a free shuttle for hikers in the Adirondacks. Hikers would park at Marcy Field in Keene Valley and the shuttle would take them south along Route 73, with pickups and dropoffs at popular trailheads like the Garden, Rooster Comb, and Giant Mountain. Shuttle Runner
Matt Baer, who works at the Mountaineer in Keene Valley, says hikers have started asking about shuttle options this summer.
“We get a lot of people coming down here either looking for that shuttle information or just alternative places to park."
Parking at the busiest Adirondack trailheads like the Garden can sometimes fill up by 5 or 6 in the morning this time of year. The High Peaks shuttle tried to solve that problem.
But not many people ended up riding it- only about 100 in the first summer and over 200 last year. So this summer, the state pulled that shuttle out of rotation and has been pretty quiet about that decision, only mentioning it in a press release about state land management from early June.
Cars line Rt. 73 by the Cascade Mt. trailhead, one of the most popular peaks to hike in the Adirondacks. Photo: Emily Russell
Baer says with confusion over hiker shuttles, he’s been pointing folks to other places to hike in the park.
“We just suggest alternative hikes, different areas to go, like ‘I know this was your plan A, but maybe take a look at something a little similar but in a less populated area," like Hurricane Mountain near Elizabethtown. That summit has a fire tower, beautiful views, and isn’t nearly as crowded as the High Peaks.
There was another shuttle option in the area, which predates the one along Route 73. The town of Keene has run a bus from Marcy Field just up to the Garden parking lot and back, a quick 5-minute ride.
The Garden is one of the most popular access points into the High Peaks, with trails leading to Big Slide and the Brothers.
The shuttle has brought hikers from Marcy Field to the Garden trailhead on weekends through the fall hiking season. Photo: Town of KeeneKeene town supervisor Joe Pete Wilson says on busy summer weekends, that shuttle up to the Garden can see more than 100 people a day.
“The Keene shuttle is successful because you have no option. If that teeny parking lot at the Garden is full, if you want to get up there, you’ve got to ride the shuttle.”
Keene has run that shuttle from 7 am to 7 pm on summer weekends in the past. But so far this summer, Wilson says he’s struggling to find a certified driver. He’s worried about what hikers will do and where they’ll park when the Garden lot fills up.
“It’s going to be a really inconvenient summer for residents. We could be back to having to tow cars when they’re blocking access for safety vehicles.”
If and when the town finds a shuttle driver, Wilson says they’ll resume that route up to the Garden.
There is one shuttle on track to run in the High Peaks, but not until the fall. The state is partnering with Essex County to run a shuttle along Route 73 when the fall colors are peaking on weekends from early September to early October. Wilson says there is demand for that shuttle.
“People want to see things without having to worry about parking and traffic. They'll be able to get off, do a short hike, they’ll be educational materials on the van for them.”
Back Racking Over two weekends in the fall of last year, the leaf-peeping shuttle had about 50 riders.