Abstract
Hiking in the Adirondack State Park’s High Peaks region has been changing over the past two
decades. As its popularity continues to rise, new and reemerging management issues have
become hot topics among stakeholder groups. Claims of poor trail conditions, environmental
degradation, illegal parking, and crowding have led some to question whether or not restrictive
measures need to be established to preserve the region, both environmentally and for hikers’
experience. Through an online survey, photo elicitation, semi-structured interviews of residents,
visitors, hikers, and non-hikers, a greater understanding of the issues of the region, how
individuals’ connections have been changed or would be changed by management decisions, and
the elusiveness of solitude were uncovered. This research demonstrates the role of personal place
attachment in support for land management, as well as how solitude, an aspect guaranteed in the
State Land Management Plan, is understood and found throughout the region.