Crossing Public and Private Land

The Ausable Mountain Club lies right on Route 73, on the other side of Keene Valley from our site at the Mountain House. A relatively inconspicuous “AC” sign marks the private road, with a small public parking lot labeled “for hikers” at the entrance. This private club, filled with tennis courts, private homes, and a 9-hole golf course, is the best way to access many of the mountains in the High Peaks wilderness.

On Tuesday, I went for a hike up Colvin and Blake, two peaks which are most easily accessed via the Ausable Club. I parked the Hamilton van in the small hiker parking lot and eagerly started to walk up the road. In the fifteen minutes between the parking lot and the beginning of the actual trail (still on Ausable Club property), I counted no fewer than ten signs blatantly directed at hikers, with messages like “CARS OF NON MEMBERS STRICTLY PROHIBITED”, and “PUBLIC NOT WELCOME IN LODGE”. It was the first time I had ever felt quite so unwelcomed in a part of the Adirondacks, and not seeing any other hikers on my lone trek up the road was discouraging. Finally, reaching the trailhead with a trail register, I felt like there was something familiar. The land was still owned by the Ausable Club, but at least it seemed more welcoming to visitors.

On the way back, after a long day, returning through the perfectly manicured golf courses was more unnerving than the first trip. Maybe having spent a couple hours away from most man-made structures made the Club seem even more out of place than it had that morning, or maybe being dirty highlighted the orderliness of the property. Regardless, the stark contrast between public wilderness land and developed private land was very apparent at the Ausable Club, and highlighted the unique nature of the Adirondacks to combine different uses of the land.