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Keene

DOT Replacing Route 73 Barriers In Adirondack High Peaks

April 27, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

nysdot logoNew York State Department of Transportation has announced that work is underway on a $8.3 million project to replace concrete barriers and portions of guide-rail along three segments of State Route 73 in the towns of Keene and North Elba, Essex County.

The project includes a stretch of Route 73 along Upper and Lower Cascade Lakes through the Adirondack High Peaks that is part of the annual Lake Placid Ironman course. Work will be completed by late fall, ahead of the Lake Placid 2023 International University Sports Federation World University Games coming this January. [Read more…] about DOT Replacing Route 73 Barriers In Adirondack High Peaks

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY Tagged With: Adirondacks, bicycling, DOT, High Peaks, hiking, Keene, North Elba, Overuse, Route 73, Tourism, Transportation

A 1912 Adirondack Scarlet Fever Outbreak Echoes Today

February 15, 2022 by Peter Slocum Leave a Comment

Keene Valley NY ca 1903 postcardScarlet fever is something we don’t have to think about any more. One hundred years ago however, this childhood killer struck fear into the hearts of parents everywhere, including the little town of Keene, NY, in the Adirondacks.

On March 4th, 1912, in the face of a frightening scarlet fever outbreak, the Keene Town Board of Health took emergency action. The Board ordered “that the church, school houses, library, neighborhood house and Keene Valley Club House shall be closed until further notice.”

Today, in the midst of our Covid-19 turmoil, the disputes over vaccines, masks, and other government and scientific recommendations, it is hard to imagine a citizen board of health exercising that kind of power — to declare the church and the schools and the library closed. Boom. “Mo(tion) carried,” says the official one-page document, hand-written in pencil. [Read more…] about A 1912 Adirondack Scarlet Fever Outbreak Echoes Today

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History Tagged With: Adirondacks, Essex County, Keene, Keene Valley, Keene Valley Library, Medical History

New Adirondack High Peaks Shuttle Starting Aug 21st

August 12, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

new hiker shuttle courtesy Essex County A new pilot Route 73 shuttle service will be begin Saturday, August 21st, along the busy Route 73 corridor in the Adirondack High Peaks region, according to announcement issued Thursday by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Essex County, and town of Keene. [Read more…] about New Adirondack High Peaks Shuttle Starting Aug 21st

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Recreation Tagged With: Adirondacks, DEC, Essex County, High Peaks, hiking, Keene, nature, Overuse, Route 73, Transportation, Transportation History

High Peaks Keene Hiker Shuttle Restarting Saturday

July 15, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Shuttle at Marcy Field August 2019As part of its ongoing effort to welcome hikers to the “Home of the High Peaks,” the Town of Keene will be starting its hiker shuttle to the Garden trailhead at 7 am, this Saturday, July 17, 2021.

This town service gives hikers access to one of the most popular daily and overnight hiking areas in the Adirondacks – for only $10. [Read more…] about High Peaks Keene Hiker Shuttle Restarting Saturday

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Nature, Recreation Tagged With: Adirondacks, High Peaks, hiking, Keene

Adirondack Park Permits: Could Johns Brook Valley Be Next? Some History

April 1, 2021 by John Warren 2 Comments

Johns Brook LodgeThe institution of a permit system at the Ausable Club’s Adirondack Mountain Reserve surprised and confused some hikers and would-be hikers. Many didn’t realize that third most popular High Peaks Wilderness Area access point, through the Club’s lands in the Upper Ausable Valley, was privately owned.

A similar situation holds at the Johns Brook Valley, another popular access point just northwest. That area is owned by the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK), it faces similar parking challenges and is just as susceptible to a future permit system. [Read more…] about Adirondack Park Permits: Could Johns Brook Valley Be Next? Some History

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History, Nature, Recreation Tagged With: Adirondack Guides, Adirondack Mountain Club, Adirondack Mountain Reserve, Adirondack Park, Ausable River, camping, High Peaks, hiking, Johns Brook, Keene, Keene Valley, Logging, Mount Marcy

DEC, Private Club Piloting High Peaks Hiker Reservation System

March 30, 2021 by John Warren Leave a Comment

Crowded conditions along Rte. 73, High Peaks Wilderness region. Photo by Ken RimanyThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Ausable Club have announced a pilot reservation system to access the Club’s private lands, the Adirondack Mountain Reserve (AMR). Since 1978 the State has held a conservation easement on Club/Reserve lands which allows limited access to some of the more popular places in the Adirondack Park’s High Peaks Wilderness Area.

A press release from DEC cited “reliable access” and public safety along Route 73 among the reasons for the change. The pilot program is slated to run for three years according to DEC. [Read more…] about DEC, Private Club Piloting High Peaks Hiker Reservation System

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History, Nature, Recreation Tagged With: Adirondack Mountain Reserve, Ausable Club, Ausable River, DEC, High Peaks, hiking, Keene, Overuse, Tourism

Featured Adirondack Hike: Hurricane Mountain Firetower

October 30, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

hurricane mountain courtesy adirondack atlasThe trail up Hurricane Mountain, in Keene, Essex County, ascends approximately 2,000 feet over 3.4 miles to the Fire Tower located in a designated historic area on the summit, within the Hurricane Mountain Wilderness. [Read more…] about Featured Adirondack Hike: Hurricane Mountain Firetower

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Recreation Tagged With: Adirondack Park, Essex County, High Peaks, hiking, Hurricane Mountain, Keene, Trails Less Traveled

Featured Adirondack Hike: Blueberry Mountain

August 7, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Blueberry Mountain map courtesy adirondack atlasBlueberry Mountain in Keene, Essex County, is a moderate hike that offers excellent views and a unique summit, on which sits an 8-foot glacial erratic. [Read more…] about Featured Adirondack Hike: Blueberry Mountain

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Recreation Tagged With: Adirondack Park, High Peaks, hiking, Keene, Trails Less Traveled

Route 73 Closing Tues-Thurs Near Marcy Field in Keene

July 31, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

A half-mile section of Route 73 in the town of Keene, Essex County, between Route 9N and the southern end of Hulls Falls Road (County Route 13A) will be closed between Tuesday and Thursday as part of a project to replace a culvert under the road. [Read more…] about Route 73 Closing Tues-Thurs Near Marcy Field in Keene

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Recreation Tagged With: High Peaks, Keene, Route 73

Drive-In Musical Theatre In The Adirondacks

July 9, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

bark eater inn If you had asked youth theatre producer/director Kathleen Recchia six months ago what she’d be doing this summer, she would not have included Zoom Webinars or setting up a drive-in theatre production on her to-do list.

Normally at this time of year, she is preparing for the Book & Blanket Players annual summer musical-in-a-week program. She is still doing that but this year that involves a whole new skill set. Instead of cancelling the production, which normally involves an intense week of working together at Keene Central School in the heart of the Adirondacks, with the performance of a full musical onstage at the end of the week, Recchia went about figuring out how to continue the program with new rules and new parameters. [Read more…] about Drive-In Musical Theatre In The Adirondacks

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Arts, Events Tagged With: Keene, Music, Theatre

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