The shuttle, which transports hikers from Marcy Field to the popular Garden trailhead, will not start service for the upcoming season amid concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to town Supervisor Joe Pete Wilson Jr.

“I can’t even begin to guess when we’ll have clearance to hire people and have somebody driving a bus,” he said Thursday, April 2. “It’s a big question mark, of when we’ll get our operations up and running.”

The town issued a call last month asking nature seekers from out of town to stay home and hike closer to where they live, rather than travel to visit the Adirondack High Peaks. The Essex County Board of Supervisors added to that request last week with a call for downstate residents to stay home and refrain from visiting this area, in part because of local hospitals’ capacity and supply limitations.

Despite those requests, cars can still be seen in trailhead parking lots between Lake Placid and the hamlets of Keene Valley and St. Huberts every day, though many seen in the last few days have had New York license plates. On recent weekends, Wilson said the parking lot for the Garden trailhead has still had upward of 12 to 15 cars parked there.

“I’m worried as this goes on, and the weather gets nicer, we’re going to have more of a problem with people getting cabin fever and wanting to go out,” he said.

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DEC guidance

The state Department of Environmental Conservation has recommended hikers use lesser-trodden trails and, if hiking in a group, to continue to practice social distancing by staying at least 6 feet away from others.

Before going out for a hike, check out backcountry trail conditions at http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/9198.html and bring appropriate clothing, wayfinding materials and equipment.

Many DEC forest rangers, who conduct search-and-rescue operations on state land, are being deployed downstate to aid with the state’s coronavirus response. Scott van Laer, a forest ranger and representative of the ranger’s union, has said an extensive search-and-rescue call could pull rangers away from the COVID-19 response.

In a news release on Thursday, April 2, the DEC recommended another activity residents can do while being outdoors: birding. More information on how and where to catch a glimpse of the state’s birds can be found at http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/109900.html.

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High Peaks advisory

The High Peaks Strategic Planning Advisory Group, a committee tasked with advising the state on how to mitigate the impact of increasing hiker traffic in the Adirondack High Peaks, has continued to meet in private via video conferencing software.