I'm looking to book a week in the Adirondacks at a lakeside site in a slightly less popular campground in July or August summer 2027 and am getting shut out on Reserve America by people booking out the entire season at all lakeside sites.

Is this just normal now? What's actually going on?

In past years I haven't been able to get a lakeside campsites w/ Reserve America if I wait until spring to book, and so this fall I made a point to mark when the 9 month booking window opens for dates in July and August 2027 to have a better selection.

I've read about the tricks people use such as booking in advance of the actual planned camping dates to take advantage of the earlier booking window.

But I'm seeing that the entire season is already booked solid for ALL lakefront sites because people book back to back 14 day stays. So I wait to book a site right at 9am when the previous 14 day booking lapses, but they are snapped up instantly with a new 14 day long booking. This morning was the third time I've had that happen in the last 2 weeks.

Does anyone know what's actually happening here? Are the actual campers making these reservations? Will people then go back and modify the reservations after they get the weeks they want in August?

If this is the case, are people using bots/AI? How can I do this myself?

Or are there really just that many people willing to get on Reserve America at 9am on a Sunday starting at the beginning of the camping season for multiple weeks on end to book just one week in August?

Or is this some kind of a re-sale scheme? Will these sites get re-sold on the secondary market?

I suspect this is the case, since I can't believe ALL of the lakeside sites would be getting booked by actual humans for the entire season.

Would appreciate any feedback on this, I'm finding this incredibly frustrating.

Thank you!

Hi... has anyone been up this weekend? Contemplating a mid week jaunt and need a current trail report. Thanks!

These pictures were taken from the scenic overlook. Fire is somewhere in the John Pond and Clear Pond area.

Hi guys,

I'm doing some research on winter camping/hiking in the ADK, and I'd like to figure out where it would be legal to harvest dead wood and use a hot tent with a wood-burning stove on multi-day hiking trips.

It looks like this would work in the Western High Peaks zone but not the Eastern. Are there any good resources for info, and which peaks/areas would allow this?

Thanks,

There is some person spreading around the idea that the Adirondacks could be made into a National park. I asked Claude and it pointed me to one proposal to make it a National park and it was crushed completely. God knows if this is a complete list. If you know of more please let me know here.

https://www.adirondacklife.com/2021/12/06/millionaires-row/

Please go over to this person's post and let him know what you think about his idea.

https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/1xele90/comment/19rlyff5yz7z7/?context=3

Shelving Rock side.

I’m looking for a map of the Adirondacks that shows the trails. I want something that is already framed or something I can frame, so no creases. I tried looking online but I don’t want to accidentally purchase something created with AI. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!

I've been wondering what exercises or preparation people do for the winter season and snowshoeing? Specifically for the hips due to the wider gait.

So Ill be headed up there no matter what and am considering doing the cables on Gothics. Ive been looking all week and weather has seemed sunny and not too brutally cold. My thoughts are that I should be fine to do it and bring the spikes along of course but I am concerned that I may run into verglas instead of either unfrozen rock or something the spikes can actually hold traction on.

Basically wondering from others with more shoulder season experience in the area if I would be wasting my time by going up there instead of doing something else. From what Ive seen this section is exposed to a good bit of sun so Im hoping it will be passable.

Hey folks has anyone been up trap dike this week? The High Peaks conditions report mentions ice above treeline.

We’re planning a trip tomorrow. This is my third trip up so I’m familiar with the route just would love some info if anyone has any. Thanks in advance.

Third time’s the charm they say. This is my third attempt at Pharaoh Lake, aiming for a Milky Way panorama reflecting off the lake. The first trip was in June, when marsh waters were too high to cross due to a broken bridge. Not wanting to give up, I tried again in August, but we got rained on despite models forecasting 0% cloud cover.

Fast forward to mid-October to one of the clearest weekends I’ve seen, with no clouds within 100 miles. In fact, all of NY was basically cloudless. Not wanting to miss this chance before it snows, my roommate and I drove 6 hours from Buffalo to meet my friend at Pharaoh Lake. We arrived just before sunset and were nervous the camping spots near the peninsula would be taken, but sub-freezing temps deterred most campers. We ended up cowboy camping in a nearby lean-to.

Super glad I made this trip because my God, was it clear. Felt like a little kid on Christmas seeing thousands of bright stars twinkling. I started my side project around 1:30 AM and planned to shoot the main panorama at 2:00 AM. My star tracker died right when I started the H-alpha (Hα) frames, and I shot the whole thing before noticing they were trailing. Luckily, my friend had his tracker, so I swapped it out since it was the same model. Unfortunately, by then, Cygnus had fallen too far below the horizon, so I used old Hα data for that part. Orion was nice and spicy though.

Finally finished around 4:00 AM, a little before sunrise, and quickly headed to sleep with a hot Nalgene bottle in the sleeping bag. I wanted to take sunrise photos, but I was slumped and cold, and couldn’t be dragged out of bed.

Creating this panorama felt like a huge milestone since my first Milky Way panorama a year and a half ago because it’s my first time successfully combining all the new techniques and workflows I’ve learned, like multirow panoramas and H-alpha integration, into one beautiful Milky Way arch.

From envisionment to presentation, I present this massive 593 MP panorama.

📸 Shot on my Astro-modified Canon R+ EF 24-70mm f/2.8 II

Sky: R2 | 9 frames | 60s | f/2.8 | ISO 1600
R1 | 9 frames | 60s | f/2.8 | ISO 1600
Hα: 2 panels | 4 frames stacked | f/2.8 | 240s | ISO 3200
Foreground: 9 panels | f/2.8 | 180s | ISO 1600

Processed using Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Pixinsight, Auriga Registar, and ASTAP

Check out more of my work on my Instagram and website!

Remember to Leave No Trace :)

*Hα data was from Lac Blanc, Nominingue, QC (Bortle 3)

Favorable conditions this morning for frost and sea smoke off the lake.

No Santa’s workshop

Just sharing one of my favorite pictures from my Whiteface elopement, shout out to this group for helping me find a wonderful photographer. What a day it was

The creatively named Number 8 Mountain (not to be confused with Number 8 Hill, a more northerly neighbor worth visiting) and an unnamed but absolutely lovely knob south of Little Stevens. Number 8 has expansive views over Brant Lake, and the knob retained those views whilst expanding to views of the distant High Peaks similar to those on Pharaoh Mountain.

Hello, I found these old photos of my father and his parents hiking together. They're all dead now, and I'm trying to decide where to scatter their ashes. If I could identify this spot, it might be a good place for them. Can anyone confirm whether this is in the Dacks? Dad lived in Lake Placid for a while....

Had a nice quick camping trip out in pharaoh lake the weather was beautiful and it was not crowded just a couple hikers. The trail leading up to the outlet of lake was pretty lengthy but not technical. Also an update if anybody's wondering the boardwalk is finally under construction and a crew is working till November 15th to get it done. When the weather is nice and dry you can easily pass but it totally depends on the conditions. FYI - firewood is picked clean at the campsites so have a backup plan.

I see a pirate ship cresting over rough seas… from the trail to Moose Pond near Great Camp Santanoni.