New York Needs Volunteers to Help With Crowded Trails

Are you tired of overcrowded trails? Here's how you can help.

There's always been the running joke that people from New York City come up to the Hudson Valley and upstate regions to crowd the trails. As much as it's a joke, crowded trails are a serious problem in the Hudson Valley and upstate New York region. Especially as the COVID-19 pandemic drove even more people out of the city and upstate. Now, there's a plan to help that.

According to New York Upstate, New York State is looking for volunteers to help with overcrowding on popular trails in the Adirondacks and Catskills. This is to help with the negative impact of new and inexperienced hikers. You know, those people who definitely leave a trace and go where they definitely shouldn't. This will be called the Adopt-a-Trailhead program and will be managed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

Volunteers will be asked to help eliminate litter problems and educate hikers about being prepared, eliminating trash, and proper disposal of human waste, according to New York Upstate. If you're interested in volunteering, submit this application to the program and send it back via email to volunteer.stewardship@dec.ny.gov. If selected, you'll go through a series of online training and virtual meetings with DEC staff.

New York Upstate reports that the DEC is currently in the middle of identifying which trailheads need the program the most. It wouldn't be surprising to see this program come to the Hudson Valley. You've likely seen packed parking lots and streets with hikers in Beacon, Cold Spring, and New Paltz.

Last year, the Adirondack High Peaks saw record crowds. The crowds were so large, that some parking lots require parking permits and reservations. For those that require reservations, you'll even need one if you're being dropped off or riding a bike.