Anyone have any good beta on the conditions in the dacks. Seems the catskills have warmed up and may need to go farther north this weekend and all of next week? We are driving from GA so we def do not want to go someplace where there is no ice. Also anyone got any camping suuggestions in the dacks near the ice routes. Any help would be appreciated!

You can get an ice report here [url] http://rockandriver.com/icereport.html [url/] that they say they'll update every other day. Otherwise, watch the weather reports and stop in at The Mountaineer in Keene Valley if you're going up Route 73. Good luck and enjoy the ice.

Get yourself the Blue Lines book; should help you work out camping. One of the easiest places is at the end of Chapel Pond, where you park if you're headed into the Canyon from the Lions on the Beach end.

I have the book, it does not mention camping very much as far as I can tell from skimming.

Aya's suggestion is a good one. You may need a high-clearance SUV to get in, depending on snow levels. Or park elsewhere (legally) and walk...

Designated campsites otherwise generally probably further of a hike in than you want (e.g. Giant's Washbowl near Chapel Pond is 3/4 mile and 500' uphill....)

Otherwise, 150' from roads, trails, & bodies of water etc. etc.

We had an adventure with one of these campgrounds. Had a hard time figuring out if we were car camping or winter backpacking. Fun, but a bit of a hassle.

The best news is the hostel in Keene Valley, right across from the diner. $20 a night, clean, good showers, a full kitchen, run by nice people.

sorry jb - I was vaguely recalling the map on page 64 of the burgundy book, which is not as helpful as I recalled. It does show the little chapel pond spot, though.

Many stream crossings in the ADK blew out this week... keep this in mind when doing anything that may require approach via drainages.

Some swimming is required on edges to some of the lakes as well.....

...but none that require significant snorkling.