Protection fees?
Anyone who spent time in the Adirondacks in 2020 probably doesn’t need official statistics to tell them it was as crowded as ever. A record-breaking number of hikers and visitors—as many as 78 million across the state’s parks, trails and campgrounds—also led to an all-time high in rescues.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation recorded 324 rescues in the regions that cover the Adirondack Park in 2020, 94 more than the year before, DEC data show. That compares to 177 rescues in 2011.
Beyond the obvious safety concerns, the rise in
