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  • New here and looking for advice

    We are trying to plan a visit to the Adirondack Wilderness in mid-spring. 5 nights, 5 people - 2 experienced hikers, one with some experience and two novices. We want to park our car and hike 2 - 3 hours into the wilderness to set up base camp. From there, we want to do multiple day hikes, returning each day to base camp. We could relocate base camp once, keeping in mind that we have to hike back to the car on the final day AND drive about 7 hours to get home, the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Thanks in advance for guidance.

  • #2
    That's a tall order without knowing more specifics about your goals. First decide which area of the Adirondacks you want to visit. Crowded High Peaks? Scenic trails? Lakes and backwoods ponds? Remote lands with little chance of seeing others? Take a look at the excellent guidebook series, "Discover the Adirondacks" to help you once you decide:
    This website is for sale! hiketheadirondacks.com is your first and best source for all of the information you’re looking for. From general topics to more of what you would expect to find here, hiketheadirondacks.com has it all. We hope you find what you are searching for!


    As well as publications and maps from the Adirondack Mountain Club:
    ADK protects New York’s wild lands and waters by promoting responsible outdoor recreation and building a statewide constituency of land stewardship advocates.


    Be sure to review the camping and hiking regulations from the DEC:


    It is good that you are planning to move your camp at least once, since per the regulation, you are not allowed to stay in one location for more than 3 nights. If you go to the Eastern High Peaks region, you must also carry and store all food and other "smellables" in bear resistant canisters, generally a good idea everywhere.
    Last edited by Wldrns; 12-10-2017, 02:44 PM.
    "Now I see the secret of making the best person, it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth." -Walt Whitman

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    • #3
      The Pharoah lake wilderness might be a good option. Get the nat geo map and check it out.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Yogi View Post
        We are trying to plan a visit to the Adirondack Wilderness in mid-spring. 5 nights, 5 people - 2 experienced hikers, one with some experience and two novices. We want to park our car and hike 2 - 3 hours into the wilderness to set up base camp. From there, we want to do multiple day hikes, returning each day to base camp. We could relocate base camp once, keeping in mind that we have to hike back to the car on the final day AND drive about 7 hours to get home, the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Thanks in advance for guidance.
        Try the johns brook lodge area, multiple lean tos and campsites. You can do yard mountain, big slide, saddle back, gothics, armstrong, upper and lower wolfjaw, etc.

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        • #5
          Another issue in the Eastern High Peaks region is that there are no campfires permitted. So if you'd like to have an evening fire, you're out of luck. Other regions of the ADK's are OK for campfires, as long as there is not a fire ban due to unusually dry conditions (unlikely in spring)
          My suggestion is to forget the hike and bring a couple canoes...but I'm kind of biased.

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          • #6
            Welcome Yogi,
            I’ll second the Pharaoh region, lots to see & do to keep you busy for several days. It is a pretty popular area so please help keep it clean and only use dead & downed wood if you choose to have a campfire. Have fun, enjoy, & please share your photos!

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            • #7
              Is your goal to get High Peaks?

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              • #8
                I appreciate the responses - Thanks! We ARE looking to climb high peaks and we are interested in some scenic walks in the wilderness. Lakes and backwoods ponds and remote lands with little chance of seeing others also sounds great. With all of that in mind and the travel distance from home, preliminary research has us leaning heavily toward the West Central area. Any suggestions for a good place to set up a base camp?
                Last edited by Yogi; 12-17-2017, 11:27 AM.

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                • #9
                  Hi. I'm another one of the 'we' mentioned in the OP. I've heard of this forum before and lurked a bit but this is my first post.

                  Hopefully I can offer some specifics on our trip.
                  Considering our group I'd say we need to make base camp within 7 miles of the start point, and we need to avoid trails you'd call 'rugged' for that stretch. We can then take summit packs and hike out of base camp, so that puts our maximum distance at 10-13 miles from parking one-way for any destinations, depending on terrain. We can stretch that a little if it's worth it - we'll have one day to lounge anyway so we can rest afterwards.

                  We would like an overlook as a destination for a dayhike. A second destination would be nice, and we're not too picky about what - a waterfall, a clear shore on a nice valley pond, a cave mouth, etc. As for locale, we aren't specifically trying to avoid other people; we're more after a place away from roads and with dark skies.
                  That's ideal, of course. I doubt we'll find the perfect place.

                  We looked a bit into Pharoah Lake. We'll keep that in mind because if nothing else that's definitely a good plan B in case a closure or something precludes our eventual plan. Thanks.
                  And thanks a ton for those links Wldrns. We won't be using bear canisters, but I'm a stickler for bear bags. I've always been wary of rodents and raccoons, and then on my first major backcountry trip a small pack of wolves passed by within a stone's throw of my tent one night, so I don't give the locals any reason to stop and poke around in camp.
                  Last edited by saxyomega90125; 12-17-2017, 02:11 AM.

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                  • #10
                    Can anyone suggest how to get a good, clear trail map for the South Central area? More specifically, we are planning on hiking up Blue Ridge then hike in the area around Pillsbury Lake, West Lake and the Cedar Lakes. Our last hiking trip in the Delaware Water Gap showed us how important it is to have good local maps.

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                    • #11
                      For online maps:


                      For maps and fairly accurate designated campsite locations:


                      For descriptions of the area and possible trips try the Discover The Adirondacks series by McMartin/Ingersoll

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