For the past 8 summers in mid August my wife and our two dogs have called the Adirondack State Park in upper New York State our second home. The trail to Johns Brooks Lodge in the High Peaks part of the park is one of our favorites because of the beautiful scenery and the diversity of hikers from around the world who travels to this one location every summer.
Johns Brooks Lodge (JBL) sits on one of 17 parcels of private land enclosed by the High Peaks Wilderness Complex boundary (3,315 acres total), known as in-holdings. The state recognizes historic rights of access to these parcels, and the Johns Brook Primitive Area serves as a 1.3 mile long right-of-way across state lands leading to 13 of these private parcels. The idea for a intensive recreational use area in the Johns Brook Valley was suggested by Robert Marshall in 1934.
JBL is 3.5 miles from the nearest road and provides access to some of the best hiking in the Northeast offering access to Gothics, Armstrong Mountain, Big Slide Mountain and Upper and Lower Wolf Jaw. At 5.6 miles from the summit of Marcy, JBL is the mountain’s closest overnight accommodation. The JBL area is the second most used area in the High Peaks and was the first area where water bars were used to control trail runoff (in 1967).
For more info go too--www.adk.org
