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DEC to Temporarily Relocate Trailheads for Cascade, Porter and Pitchoff (West)

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  • DEC to Temporarily Relocate Trailheads for Cascade, Porter and Pitchoff (West)

    DEC to Temporarily Relocate Trailheads for Cascade, Porter and Pitchoff (West) Mountains During Busy Columbus Day Weekend





    Excerpts (full press release at link above):

    In an effort to ensure public safety with increased traffic anticipated during the Columbus Day/Canadian Thanksgiving Day Holiday Weekend, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will temporarily relocate the trailhead and trailhead parking for Cascade Mountain, Porter Mountain, and the Pitchoff Mountain West to the Olympic Regional Development Authority's Mt. Van Hoevenberg Sports Complex, 1.3 miles west of the current trailhead.

    Hikers planning to climb the summit of Cascade or Porter mountains can park in parking lots at the Mt. Van Hoevenberg Sports Complex at no cost. Volunteer stewards will direct hikers to a 2.0-mile marked route on the complex's cross-country ski trail system. The ski trails are smooth and gently roll through the forest making for an easy hike. The route links to a newly constructed 0.4-mile connector trail between the ski trail and the Cascade Mountain Trail. The connector trail joins the Cascade Mountain Trail approximately 0.6 mile from the current trailhead. A roundtrip hike to the summit of Cascade Mountain will be 8.6 miles long, an addition of 3.8 miles to the round trip from the current trailhead.

    Roby Politi, Supervisor, Town of N. Elba said, "The Cascade Mt. trailhead is presently a parking hazard and nightmare. I'm pleased DEC is taking action to address this public safety need by relocating the trailhead to the Mt. Van Hoevenburg Sports Complex."

  • #2
    Well this is very interesting.

    Obviously, NY State's attorneys have recognized that now that several of us have spoken in public about the safety risk of the parking for Cascade, they have to act. At this point, a "reasonable man" could no longer say that they did not know about the hazard being created there. That's the ONLY reason for this action being taken now.

    It's shocking how poorly communicated this is. To do a decent job of this, NY State should be posting this on all the hiking forums, the aspiring 46er Facebook page, etc. It appears that NY State is relying on individuals to pick this up in a feed, and post it where it should be posted. This is amateur night communication planning. Many people will not see this, and will not factor into their plans, as has already been pointed out over on VFTT.

    Now to the most substantive question: I wonder if this is intended as a temporary solution, or a permanent solution. The professional permanent solution, I have already described on the other thread:



    If this is a temporary solution, one wonders why the state cannot pony up for a shuttle bus, rather than 2.6 extra miles through non-descript woods. (I have traveled the route; trust me it's boring.) And the last question - how many trees were cut down to make these connector trails?

    So at first glance, this seems pretty lame. The one thing it will do (and the one thing that is driving this) is protect the state from liability for a traffic death at the existing trailhead.

    Comment


    • #3
      Agreed that this is an amateurish way of notifying the hiking public. Additionally, the map labels the current hiking trail up to the junction with the new access as "PITCHOFF Mt. Trail Reroute."

      Out of sheer curiosity, I will walk this route soon to see just exactly how well-marked and essentially "bomb-proof" the access from the parking are is.

      Were there ever to be a shuttle bus, the Van Hoevenberg parking lots would be the obvious place for parking, and an alternate route would be essential to accommodate those that either came early or returned late.
      Every time that wheel turns round, bound to measure just a little more ground.

      Comment


      • #4
        I actually thought the shuttle bus was going to be the solution, not this additional trail, but the logistics of how you run a shuttle bus almost 24/7, with people hiking all hours of the day and night is mind-boggling.

        Comment


        • #5
          Well, shuttle bus logistics are very challenging at the Garden for the town of Keene, which has very little money and relies on an ancient bus that is on it last legs. It should zero challenge for NY State. Buy some buses, hire some drivers, and run it every 15 minutes 24/7. Or contract the job out to Trailways, like they did for the Olympics. No problem at all for Albany. If it's not there, it means they don't want to do it.

          None of this is about making the parking situation better. As I have pointed out, this is ONLY about protecting the state from liability for a traffic accident at the existing trailhead. The only things that are being done are the things that support that goal. It's really extremely obvious.

          Comment


          • #6
            It's for at least one ecological reason too. The overflowing porta-johns at the Cascade trailhead on 73 will be a non-issue at least over the holiday weekend as hikers are invited to use bathrooms at the Van Hoevenberg sports complex where they park.

            Comment


            • #7
              Cross Country Lodge is only open from 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM. Minimal effect on "poop in the woods" problem. The portajohns are overflowing because they were an inadequate, underfunded solution from the start. State provided no money for that program. It's funded by local businesses and tiny volunteer organizations.

              This will cut down on various problems only because it will sharply reduce the number of visitors to the area in the future. The result of this change will be pissed off visitors, who will go to NH or VT on their next trip, and losses to hard working local business people who rely on those visitors.

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by TCD View Post
                It's shocking how poorly communicated this is. To do a decent job of this, NY State should be posting this on all the hiking forums, the aspiring 46er Facebook page, etc. It appears that NY State is relying on individuals to pick this up in a feed, and post it where it should be posted. This is amateur night communication planning. Many people will not see this, and will not factor into their plans, as has already been pointed out over on VFTT.
                This caught my attention: "The New York State Police will be patrolling the area to ensure motorists are obeying the parking restrictions. Those who are not in compliance may be ticketed or their vehicles may be towed."

                It doesn't appear that there will be any physical barrier preventing people from parking. Vast majority of hikers will be unaware of the closure. Presumably they will park, see some kind of signage, and then drive to Van Hoevenberg. So most cars will be still pulling in to and then out of the Cascade parking. Still dangerous but I suppose safer than cars creeping along 73 looking for a spot and pedestrians crossing the road.

                Originally posted by TCD View Post
                Now to the most substantive question: I wonder if this is intended as a temporary solution, or a permanent solution.
                Doesn't make any sense to cut a 0.4 mile trail as a solution for one weekend does it? Perhaps this will be the summer solution. But you don't want hikers on the cross country trails so maybe access reverts to 73 in the winter?

                Aren't the trails used by mountain bikers this time of year? All the Cascade traffic will interfere with that?

                Comment


                • #9
                  Many people don't read signs. It will be interesting to see if any cars are actually ticketed or towed, and what the outcome of that is in terms of publicity.

                  Hiker traffic will probably not be a problem on the XC trails. The trails are wide and road-like, and there are not that many bikers. Also, FAR fewer people are going to hike these peaks than would hike them from the existing trailhead. Sure, Cascade and Pitchoff are nice; but their biggest draw has always been that they are short trips.

                  No, this doesn't make sense as a temporary solution, even though the state says it is temporary. But put yourself in the place of a land manager. You have been directed by the legal department: "The public has begun talking about the traffic hazard at this trailhead. We don't care what you have to do, just by God make that problem go away before we get sued, or it's going to be on your head." In that light, any solution makes sense.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I'm not saying you're incorrect, but I'm not as cynical.

                    I'm on the executive for a local community organization. Other members are always talking about liability concerns and how we can protect ourselves. My position has always been that we should genuinely try our best to keep people safe. Integrity means you prioritize safety over liability exposure. I guess they may both be means to the same end.

                    I believe this temporary solution actually makes them more vulnerable from a liability standpoint. If something occurs the w/e after Columbus Day the temporary solution strikingly demonstrates that they were aware of the issue. So a "smarter" move might be to do nothing over Columbus Day to limit long term liability.

                    It's quite possible that they are simply concerned about safety over the Columbus Day w/e and are trying to mitigate the danger.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Maybe this is an elegant new way of controlling overuse. Just move the parking area 2 miles away.
                      The best, the most successful adventurer, is the one having the most fun.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Neil View Post
                        Maybe this is an elegant new way of controlling overuse. Just move the parking area 2 miles away.
                        There's no question that's the effect it will have over the Columbus Day w/e ...

                        If I had made plans to introduce neophytes to the High Peaks via Cascade on Columbus Day I think I might drop them off at the trailhead, drive to Van Hoevenberg, and meet them at the junction.

                        Not saying it would be the best choice of mountains or weekends for such an introduction, but if that was my plan ...

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          I'm going to guess that if the State Police will be monitoring the "red zone", they're probably not going to permit "drop-offs" (or pickups). That activity runs contrary to what this experiment is attempting to accomplish and that's to keep the area free of pedestrians and slow-moving vehicles entering/exiting traffic.


                          BTW, in June, Pete Nelson proposed relocating the Cascade Trail to the Van Hoevenberg Ski Center.

                          Work needs to be done to change Cascade Mountain from a poster child for overuse to a model of education to protect the High Peaks.


                          It appears the idea has gained some traction. The only quibble I had at the time was the statement that the reroute would only add a mere mile or so to the approach. In reality, the DEC has indicated the reroute is 2 miles long (one-way) and adds 3.8 miles to the round trip to Cascade (8.4 miles vs 4.0 miles). The modification really changes the "tone" of this traditionally short hike.

                          What changes the most if the family-friendly trip to the Balanced Rocks on Pitchoff. You'll have to ascend a short stretch of Cascade then descend to the 73, cross it, then begin the actual ascent to the Balanced Rocks. Crossing the 73 might become more exciting because, with no parked cars lining the road, drivers may have less incentive to reduce speed.

                          You could reserve the existing 4 parking areas exclusively for Pitchoff-bound hikers (and disallow parking on the shoulder) ... but a sign alone won't keep Cascade-bound hikers out of the parking areas. You'd have to brush-in the first few hundred yards of the Cascade Trail to discourage usage. However, that's a permanent solution and unsuitable for the temporary arrangement scheduled for Columbus Day weekend.

                          Should be interesting to see how all this plays out next weekend. I don't plan to be there!
                          Looking for views!

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Trail Boss View Post
                            I'm going to guess that if the State Police will be monitoring the "red zone", they're probably not going to permit "drop-offs" (or pickups).
                            Perhaps.

                            But "Those who are not in compliance may be ticketed or their vehicles may be towed" implies that the monitoring will be periodic rather than constant. If cars are actively prohibited from parking then tickets and towing won't be necessary ...

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              There are four parking areas to monitor.
                              OpenStreetMap is a map of the world, created by people like you and free to use under an open license.


                              If they do allow for drop-offs/pickups, it'll work against the strategy to eliminate foot traffic and slow-moving vehicles entering/exiting the 4 parking areas.

                              Anyway, it remains to be seen what will actually take place.
                              Looking for views!

                              Comment

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