NYS ski trail maps

[tnevins530]

I'm looking to do some skiing in the adirondacks sometime in March. Really want to do the Avalanche pass route.

My question is, does anyone have a good resource for trail maps. By good I'm thinking free to download to print.

I am very surprised there isn't a plethora of free maps online. It seems like a great way to boost tourism would be to make trail maps easy to obtain. Maybe they are easy to obtain and I am just looing in the wrong places.

[MikeK]

T - I have millions of resources. The only issue is they say 'hiking' trail and not 'ski trail'. This probably is why you aren't finding much - a lot ski trails in the ADKs are multi-use trails. Same can be said for all of NY's ski trails. Some ski trails even have nice bushwhacks off of them - just have to keep your eyes peeled for where the trees look thin.

I'll go through and post some stuff later - gotta get out and ski a bit today though...

[Woodserson]

Everyone wants something for free. I am OK poney-ing up a few bucks for a weather resistant easy to read map that is well researched, either from the AMC or National Geo, the latter which I found invaluable in the ADKs. The mileage markers alone are worth the money. (The AMC makes a nice one for NH on Tyvek).The National Geo maps are $12! And I'm sure you can get them locally. Includes skiing:

http://www.adk.org/product.php?pid=399& ... 0Map%20742:

A good map would be such a tiny expense in relation to the rest of your gear, the drive to the ADKs and the room and board, it would seem to be a shame to penny-pinch on the one item that can get you in and out of the territory in the most non-confusing and safe, way.

If you really insist, you can always download from the USGS.

[MikeK]

I have all the Nat Geo maps for the Adirondack Park... they are OK. Lots of errors and the resolution of the contours is pretty poor. I generally use them as 'road' map to give me an idea where stuff is. The USGS maps are much better but a lot of the trails are out of date on them.

This is what I was getting at in my above post. There are a million resources, some maps, some books, some online but they all seem to have limitations. I use a combination of all them along with forums via trip reports and first hand knowledge from people who have done the trips.

I feel like I spend an exorbitant amount of time figuring out what I'm going to do on any given weekend or day off, but it seems well worth it. My first hand knowledge in my database is always the best, but one needs to start scratching stuff off those other 'rough' guides to get that built up.

This website has a plethora of good info (although always sparse in comparison to what I seem to require) although it has no focus on skiing. Using that and the book you own will help:

http://cnyhiking.com/

Siamese ponds has a nice network of trails and has Garnet Hill XC center and Gore Mountain DH resort nearby. When they have snow it's a great area to ski, no matter what you are after.

Backcountry trail map:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--J4YJ4p9cd0/U ... 4%2529.jpg

Here is a decent write-up on Avalanche Pass:

http://www.lakeplacid.com/blog/2014/02/ ... -trail-ski

The town websites actually have some good ski info.

http://www.lakeplacid.com/do/outdoors/w ... rytelemark

http://www.tupperlake.com/recreation/cr ... try-skiing

Conditions often here:

http://www.jackrabbittrail.org/

The info is out there in droves...

Another good source via Facebook is:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Adironda ... 1269235795

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Adironda ... 3059356563

https://www.facebook.com/AdkPowderSkier

https://www.facebook.com/WanakenaTracks


I use all these sites and sources depending on where I'm going and what I'm doing and it always seems I'm learning something new or scoping out something that has potential for a future burn. It's virtually impossible to put all of it in one book or website. The park is HUGE and it has TONS of skiing opportunities.

Another book(s) you may be interested in:



and the old version, which is somewhat unreliable now, but still good:




Other than avalanche pass in the high peaks you may want to consider:

- Whales Tail
- Wright Peak Ski Trail (and Slides)
- Mt Marcy

Marcy and Wright are expert level skis, as are the slides. There are also books on slide skiing. The mountaineer in Keene Valley would be a great starting point if you have any questions about getting into that aspect. I generally consider those out of the realm of most XCD skiers but I've been told some are pretty doable for competent skiers.

[tnevins530]

Thanks guys!

I'm not as cheap as I sound, I just assumed there were a ton of free resources. I have some research to do

[MikeK]

I forgot about this:

http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.p ... c_land.txt

Another great mapping resource. If you turn on the ski trails layer it shows almost every hiking trail as a ski trail. While it's true that most of them could be skied, some might be a bit difficult even for an expert skier.

[Rickster]

I forgot about this:

http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.p ... c_land.txt

Another great mapping resource. If you turn on the ski trails layer it shows almost every hiking trail as a ski trail. While it's true that most of them could be skied, some might be a bit difficult even for an expert skier.

The link above labels only hiking trails on the "ski layer" for the Catskill region. There are a few state forest XC trail systems in the Catskill Region, but they are not identified as such.

[MikeK]

I know - it's not correct... take it for what it is.

I don't know if there is any good DEC resource that lists 'ski trails'. I do not know of one. They do usually mark ski trails with a different disk (used to be yellow, now red).

[Woodserson]

So much great touring in the Adirondacks. WOW, I miss living there. The yellow x-c skier is gone?

[MikeK]

The black and yellow dude is still hanging in there - I just noticed the brand new trail I skied a few weeks back had red discs.

Better hurry before they are gone!

PS Woodserson, what is your choice of ski for Adirondacks touring? Just out of curiosity from your other post.

I really do need a nice wax ski for the flatter truck trails... I really think I could ski EVERYTHING I've skied in the Adirondacks with a wax Eon.