This weekend in the Adirondacks: DEC issues backcountry warning

The fire danger is Moderate. Be sure to extinguish fires thoroughly with water and never leave a fire unattended.

And a reminder that due to the possibility of spreading invasive species DEC prohibits moving untreated firewood more than 50 miles from its source. Forest Rangers have been ticketing violators of the firewood ban.

Due to anticipated hazardous weather from Hurricane Irene the DEC has issued a warning urging the public to not attempt to use hiking trails or backcountry camping areas throughout the Adirondacks from Sunday through Monday.

Hurricane Irene is expected to generate extremely high winds and heavy rainfalls which could result in flooding, heavy erosion of trails, falling trees and limbs and, possibly, landslides on steep slopes.

All the region's rivers are currently running at normal levels for this time of year, but the storm Sunday and Monday could quickly raise the level of rivers, so consult the streamguages and use caution.

A few backcountry roads remain closed, including the Haskell Road along West Canada Creek into the Black River Wild Forest and in the Eastern Lake George Wild Forest the Dacy Clearing Parking Area and Dacy Clearing Road remain closed due to washouts.

In the Moose River Plains Rock Dam Road remains closed but the Otter Brook Road has reopened and the Indian River Road is now open to the Brooktrout Lake trailhead.

The campsites near Wakely Dam have also reopened.

The Jessup River Road in the Perkins Clearing Conservation Easement Lands north of Speculator remains closed while bridges over the Jessup and Miami rivers are replaced.

A reminder that the first bridge west of Henderson Lake on the Preston Pond Trail, the "Flume" bridge over the Chubb River and the bridge over Mud Creek, northeast of Mud Lake on the Northville Placid Trail have recently been replaced.

The bridge over West Canada Creek on the Northville-Placid Trail, however, still requires very careful crossing that may be intimidating to some hikers.

In the Giant Mountain Wilderness beavers have dammed and flooded the Giant Mountain Trail from Route 9N near the intersection with the Hopkins Mountain Trail. The waters are reportedly deep and the trail impassable.

And in the Chazy Highlands Wild Forest the new Lyon Mountain Trail from the trailhead to the summit has been completed marked. Hikers should use the new trail and avoid the old trail which is not maintained and is in poor condition due to erosion.

Trailhead signs and a trail register box have been installed at the parking area for the new Lyon Mountain Trail.