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  1. #1

    Default This is getting crazy

    I lost count at 150 cars at the Valley Way trail head this afternoon. The parking lot always overflows on the weekend, but this is the first nonpeak foliage weekend that I've see cars parked on both sides of the highway and extending a good 1/4 either way. The photo below doesn't capture half of them. Must have been standing room only at the summit of Madison today.

    Meanwhile on the other side of the valley, we brushed and blazed 2 miles of trail and we didn't see a single other hiker. (I now have over 60 hours of volunteer trail work with the RMC crew this summer).

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  2. #2
    ME => GA 19AT3 rickb's Avatar
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    Congrats on the 60 hours!

    That is fabulous.

  3. #3
    Registered User somers515's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Slo-go'en View Post
    . . . The parking lot always overflows on the weekend, but this is the first nonpeak foliage weekend that I've see cars parked on both sides of the highway and extending a good 1/4 either way. . . .
    What do you attribute the increased numbers to?

    And completely out of curiosity - what trail did you work on? Thank you very much for your trail work!
    AT Flip Flop (HF to ME, HF to GA) Thru Hike 2023; LT End-to-Ender 2017; NH 48/48 2015-2021; 21 of 159usForests.com

  4. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by somers515 View Post
    What do you attribute the increased numbers to?
    And completely out of curiosity - what trail did you work on? Thank you very much for your trail work!
    Social media and peak bagging. There pretty much isn't a trailhead to a 4000 footer which isn't overflowing on the weekends anymore.

    The Randolph Mountain club maintains 100 miles of trail and four shelters, two of which are fully enclosed cabins at tree line on Mt Adams. There's a maze of trails on the north slope of Madison, Adams and Jefferson, along with another maze of trails on the south side of the valley the club maintains.

    The club has a paid trail crew who do the heavy lifting, but a group of us volunteers do brushing and blazing. (you really get to hate Hobble bush) We go out twice a week, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Wednesdays is usually just a few of us who live in town, Saturdays we typically get a few more volunteers who travel a bit get here. Yesterdays work was on the Crescent ridge trail.
    Follow slogoen on Instagram.

  5. #5
    GSMNP 900 Miler rmitchell's Avatar
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    I think that I dislike greenbrier more than dog hobble. Don't you hate it when you get a good rhythm going then hit a hidden rock.

    Kind of addictive though isn't it?

  6. #6
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    try some of the trail heads in California

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by George View Post
    try some of the trail heads in California
    I’ve never hiked out there nor seen the trailheads- how would you describe them in comparison?

  8. #8

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    Go take a gander at Alum Cave, Newfound Gap or the Chimney Tops Trail in the smokies on a pretty Sat or Sun, cars parked for as far as the eye can see.

    The Byron Reece Parking lot down at Neel gap, overflowing.

    Our as George said, out west I hear it is crazy packed. Our interest in the outdoors is compounding, but our capacity has not changed
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  9. #9
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    wow. I usually start hiking by middle of October and miss all the 'festivities' of summer but I might make an exception to do Katahdin in 2 weeks.
    Let me go

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Slo-go'en View Post
    I lost count at 150 cars at the Valley Way trail head this afternoon. The parking lot always overflows on the weekend, but this is the first nonpeak foliage weekend that I've see cars parked on both sides of the highway and extending a good 1/4 either way. The photo below doesn't capture half of them. Must have been standing room only at the summit of Madison today.

    Meanwhile on the other side of the valley, we brushed and blazed 2 miles of trail and we didn't see a single other hiker. (I now have over 60 hours of volunteer trail work with the RMC crew this summer).

    SAM_4217.JPG
    60 hours would qualify you as a real trail angel!
    enemy of unnecessary but innovative trail invention gadgetry

  11. #11
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    Took the BR Parkway from Linville to Blowing Rock on Sunday. Overflow parking at every trail head at Grandfather Mountain, Moses Cone, Julian Price Park, etc. It gave me a very warm feeling to see all the families out enjoying nature, cyclists & hikers staying fit. Good for them!!
    .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. ..........
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  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Danversport View Post
    I’ve never hiked out there nor seen the trailheads- how would you describe them in comparison?
    cars parked on both sides of the road for close to a mile - making the road 1 lane - saw some cars being towed,

    I was going with a meet up group that knew the situation and we would arrive early enough for convenient / legal parking

  13. #13
    Registered User Venchka's Avatar
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    Meanwhile, my granddaughter and I recently spent a couple nice days in a Forest Service CG adjacent to a Wilderness Area access trailhead parking lot. Both served by a paved road and neither was full. As an added bonus, an RV Park down the road welcomed us to use their showers and laundry at reasonable prices.
    Wayne

  14. #14
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    Given the insane abundance of people visiting the few most popular short hikes, I'm always surprised at the number of places that still exist where there are relatively few people, very much like the OP suggested about "the other side of the valley".
    I'm not lost. I'm exploring.

  15. #15
    Registered User Venchka's Avatar
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    Online. Social media. Herd. Frenzy.
    I tend to return to places that I found and loved before there was an Internet.
    Go where the herd ain’t. Don’t divulge the location online.
    Wayne

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Venchka View Post
    Online. Social media. Herd. Frenzy.
    I tend to return to places that I found and loved before there was an Internet.
    Go where the herd ain’t. Don’t divulge the location online.
    Wayne
    Exactly.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  17. #17

    Default

    Another 200 cars at Appalacia this afternoon. There were people and dogs everywhere and not just on the main trail up Madison.
    Follow slogoen on Instagram.

  18. #18

    Default

    At my local trail, I ran into 12 hikers yesterday. Which is about 11 or 12 more than normal. I usually have the longer of the several trails to myself. Five cars in the parking lot, only two of them from out of state. I often see five cars there, as my road is a popular road walk for the locals.

    Eight of the hikers were in one group, and were gathered around the the 2' gap in a stone wall that I needed to go through. They missed my two "Hellos." One of them finally noticed me after I was petting their dog (on a leash) for fifteen seconds. It then took that one hiker another thirty seconds to convey the idea to the rest of them that I wanted to actually hike through. I was chuckling to myself about oblivious old people when I realized they were all about my own age.

    I think it's great that people want to get out on the trails. It's probably all the more important that we teach LNT principles.

  19. #19

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    I went hiking Friday in the Evans Notch area of the WMNF. We did 16 miles and saw no one except for a confused fisherman. Evans Notch is an extra 1 to 1.5 hours from Mass and southern NH. With the exception of one very popular loop, the area gets very little use.

  20. #20
    Registered User egilbe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by peakbagger View Post
    I went hiking Friday in the Evans Notch area of the WMNF. We did 16 miles and saw no one except for a confused fisherman. Evans Notch is an extra 1 to 1.5 hours from Mass and southern NH. With the exception of one very popular loop, the area gets very little use.
    Ahem, quit advertising it I'd like to keep it that way, very little use.

    One of my favorite places to hike, too.

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