Audrey Levine and Baylor Karger, of Vermontville, take in the view of Snowy Mountain and central Adirondacks from the summit of Watch Hill, near Indian Lake. (Enterprise photo — Justin A. Levine)

Protect the Adirondacks has published an online guide to 100 trails outside the popular High Peaks Wilderness, just in time for hikers to try them out over the weekend.

The three-day Memorial Day weekend traditionally kicks off the peak summer hiking season in the Adirondacks. The new guide includes maps, trail photos, Leave No Trace guidance and other information about 100 different trails and destinations that hikers can find by venturing outside of the High Peaks Wilderness Area.

For years, the High Peaks Wilderness Area has been a popular destination for many hikers from around the world. The rush arriving on peak weekends — such as the Memorial Day and Columbus Day weekends — has often overwhelmed the parking capacity at High Peaks trailheads, especially in recent years, prompting the state Department of Environmental Conservation to up enforcement of no-parking zones, particularly on Adirondak Loj Road and along state Route 73. Despite the coronavirus pandemic and the closure of the Canadian border, last year, the number of visitors to the High Peaks continued to grow. The DEC has taken steps to limit parking rather than increase it. This year, the DEC closed some roadside parking areas with metal stakes and partnered with the Adirondack Mountain Reserve on a pilot parking reservation system at the AMR’s parking lot off of state Route 73. A planned hiker shuttle bus system was postponed for the second year.

The DEC and Adirondack land conservation and advocacy groups, including Protect the Adirondacks, have been encouraging hikers to try out different hikes outside of the High Peaks for years because of the increasing number of visitors to the area. Hikers continue to choose the High Peaks, however. Many hikers the Enterprise interviewed last year said they looked online, on websites such as AllTrails, for ideas on where to go before setting off. AllTrails’ list of best hikes in the Adirondacks included few trails in this region, and none in the High Peaks, as of Friday.

“Hiking is the easiest outdoor activity for a person to undertake. That’s why it’s so popular,” said Protect the Adirondacks Executive Director Peter Bauer, who is now also serving on the Destination Management committee, which is crafting a plan to balance quality of life for residents and quality of place for visitors in the village of Lake Placid and town of North Elba. “As long as somebody can get to the trailhead, it’s a highly accessible activity. Unlike canoeing or skiing or mountain climbing or mountain biking, there is little special equipment or skills that someone needs to have a safe and rewarding hiking experience. We’re hoping that these online trail guides, which we’ll keep working to update and expand to spotlight more places across the Adirondacks, will help individuals and families to plan out great and safe trips to stunningly beautiful destinations beyond the High Peaks in other places all across the Adirondacks.”

Protect the Adirondacks’ guide includes some easy hikes that are also very popular, like the Bloomingdale Bog trail and trails to Baker and Baxter mountains. The guide also has more challenging hikes, such as to the summit of Snowy Mountain between Indian Lake and Speculator, which is 7.8 miles round-trip and becomes steep and rocky in the last mile; and the hike to the summit of Lyon Mountain in Saranac, which is 7 miles round-trip on a newly constructed trail.

“We encourage all hikers on Memorial Day weekend to be prepared for their hike with water and food, appropriate clothing, headlamp or flashlight, map and compass, and be prepared to responsibly deal with human waste,” Bauer said. “Hikers should educate themselves about Leave No Trace hiking etiquette.”

The online guide can be found at tinyurl.com/protectadks100hikes. Backcountry information can be found on the DEC’s website at www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7865.html.