Gate to Elk Lake

[Backpacker]

When do they close the gate to Elk Lake?
I'm thinking of doing the Dix range the weekend of Oct. 13th. I remember the gate is locked around hunting season which starts early Oct.
any info will be helpfull.

Backpacker

[alombard]

Hey, October 13 is opening day of muzzleloading season up there. I'm not sure if they close it then or october 20th (rifle season opener). You might want to go a week earlier.

[Backpacker]

OK thanks Alex

[adk joe]

sooo... none of the trails from elk lake are accessible after the gate is closed? is it closed all winter or just for a certain time?

[Grumpy]

According to the DEC, the two publicly accesible trails across Elk Lake property (the trail to the Dixes via Slide Brook, etc, and the trail to Mt. Marcy) are closed to the public during big game hunting season. The access road gate remains closed throughout the winter until sometime in May, as I understand it.

G.

[Bill I.]

You can check this link to see when the Elk Lake trails are going to be closed. I don't know the exact dates of the closures, but generally two things happen:

1) The Elk Lake Lodge closes their lands to the public each fall during the hunting season for the privacy of their guests. This in effect closes the trails to Panther Gorge and Slide Brook where those trails cross private lands. The opening day of the regular deer season this year is October 20th, but I don't know if this is the same day the trails are closed.

2) The lands reopen in December, after the close of the hunting season. However, the road is not maintained in the winter, so you cannot drive all the way to the end.

[MarkL]

Closing Sunday afternoon, 10/14

Elk Lake trails close 10/14
I contacted the caretaker, and the DEC. To summarize both replies:
The gate will close on Sunday afternoon the 14th of October. The easement lands and the trails on them will not be open to the public. The trails will re-open the 3rd of December*, but the gate at Clear Pond will still be closed, adding 1.5 or 2 miles each way.
*If your plans require you to already be a few miles along the trail when you wake up on Dec. 3, it's actually ok to hit the trail AFTER DUSK the evening before.

[Backpacker]

Thanks for the report Mark.

[Mike13142]

I was planning to go to the Dix area next week and also just found out that we can not do so. So please help me with a plan B . . .

For many years I have hiked in the High Peaks with two or three others, usually staying in lean-to's for four nights or so every October/November. We really miss having a fire so wanted to go somewhere with lean-to's outside of the Eastern Zone this time, and were thinking about the Dix range via Elk Lake.

I would greatly appreciate any suggestions anyone may have as to a several-day trip with access to challenging peak(s), a lean-to, and campfires. Am I asking too much? If so, we'll certainly be content to do without the fires but it's a little too short notice to adequately prepare for a tent trip (which looks like our best option looking forward).

Thanks for any feedback . . .

Mike

[alombard]

Well, you could still do the Dix area. You would just have to access the range from route 73. There is one lean-to on that side of the range you can camp at and have a fire. You can still stay at the Elk Lake side lean-to's (lillian brook, slide brook) however, you can't hike in from Elk Lake because the trail to them is closed. The whole Dix range does'nt close for hunting season, only the Elk Lake access trail/parking/road.

You might do this:

Day one: Hike in from route 73, camp at bouquet river lean-to.
Day two: Climb Dix/Hough, decend to Lillian Brook lean-to
Day Three: Accend Macomb via the slide, go over south dix and east dix and hike out via great slide herd path.

I think that would be a nice trip. Only thing is: you are carrying full packs over the peaks...that might be a little tough for some people.

[MarkL]

For many years I have hiked in the High Peaks with two or three others, usually staying in lean-to's for four nights or so every October/November. We really miss having a fire so wanted to go somewhere with lean-to's outside of the Eastern Zone this time, and were thinking about the Dix range via Elk Lake.

I would greatly appreciate any suggestions anyone may have as to a several-day trip with access to challenging peak(s), a lean-to, and campfires. Am I asking too much?
Mike

Mike,
Welcome to the adkforum! You're especially welcome because you're NOT asking too much.
Would you find the Sewards challenging? They are in the western zone, and there are 4 lean-tos nearby. They are, in hiking order from the Seward t/h: Blueberry, Ward Brook, and Number Four (2). The first two tend to fill on weekends, but the Number 4 l/t's, about a mile beyond the WB l/t, are seldom full.
From there, if the Sewards can't keep you entertained, and if you don't mind packing up your gear, you can backpack SE to the l/t's east of Mountain Pond, about 3 miles from the #4 lt's. Another 1.3 miles gets you to Duck Hole with its 2 l/t's. From those 4 lt's it wouldn't be too hard (or too easy either, which sounds like your main concern ) to climb MacNaughton, or even a Santanoni or two. A quick check on the Topo! map program shows that from the l/t's east of Mountain Pond, the start of the Santanoni herd path is only 3/4 mile further than if starting from the UW side.